1997 GMC Sonoma Owner's Manual - Page 70

When this light comes on, you can shift to the next higher gear if weather, road and traffic conditions let you. For the best fuel economy, accelerate slowly and shift when the light comes on. While you accelerate, it is normal for the light to go on and off if you quickly change the position of the accelerator. Ignore the SHIFT light when you downshift. Locking Rear Axle If you have this feature, your locking rear axle can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no traction and the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle. Four-wheel Drive (If Equipped) If' you skip more than one gear when you of downshift, you could lose control your vehicle. And you couldinjure yourself or others. Don'tshift down more than one gear when you downshift. If your vehicle has four-wheel drive and is equipped with a manual transmission, disregard the shift light when the transfer case isin 4LO. If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send your engine's driving power to all four wheels for extra traction. To shift out of two-wheel drive and into four-wheel drive, move the transfer case shift lever to 4HI or 4LO. You should use 2HI for most normal driving conditions. NOTICE: Driving in the4HI or 4LO positions fora long time on dry or wet pavement could shorten the life of your vehicle's drivetrain. I 2-22