Chevrolet 1997 Cavalier Owner's Manual page 80

Forward Gears (4-Speed)
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is for
normal driving with the four-speed automatic transaxle.
If you need more power for passing, and you're:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 h / h ) , push your
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D). Here
are some times
you might choose THIRD (3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
accelerator all the way down.
0
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
0
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
I
NOTICE:
Don't drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (41 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or
THIRD (3) as much as possible. Don't shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going slower than
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can damage
your engine.