(E) If the car will start but sta lls w h e n hot or has a roug h idle, you can sus pect a f aulty IDLE ADJUSTMENT, a malfunctioning AUTOMATIC CHOKE or an extremely
dirty and blocked AIR CLEANER ELEMENT. Clean
your air cleaner element if necessary. If the above Fuel Syste m checks and the checks suggested under the Electr ica l System followi ng do not corre ct the malfunction , i t is recommended that you turTI to your Authorized Chevrolet Dealer for further checks, adjust
ments or repairs.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM If, when the ignition key is turned to "Star t," the engine
will not turn over, you have good reason to sus pec t elec
trical trouble.
(F) '
Vhen there is
no response at all to attempts to star t
the car , check the obv ious-your AUTOMATIC TRANS· M ISSION SELECTOR LEVER mus t be in Neutral or Park position befor e the engine can be started. Turning
the IGNITION SvVITCH rapidly back and forth several
times will sometimes correct a poor internal switch contact.
(G) The BATTER Y may be discha rged. If so, lights will
be dim and the horn will have a poor tone if it will blow a t
all. Usually a
garage recharge will be nece ssary to return the battery to operation. Occasiona lly, however, a p u sh start and long driv e will recharge the battery .
POOR BATTERY CONNECTIONS may be suspec ted if
th e car has operated prope rly a short time befor e and now not eve n the horn will operate. Check both ends o f both battery cables. If the connections are corroded, a car ma y
som etimes be restore d to operation by removing all cab le
e n ds, scraping all contacting surfaces clean with a pen
knife, and reassembling. If the cables a r e broken, they
must be replaced. The power supply should now b e restored
unless the battery is dead.
(H)
If, however, the lights and horn work properly but
th e starter will still not turn ove r , c heck the STARTER connections. A "click " from the starter soleno id indicates
th a t the wirin g to the starter is properly install ed. If the
wiring seems to be clean and tightly installed, the trouble
is proba bly in the starter itself and sho uld be referred to
your Authorized Chevr olet Dealer.
When the e ngine will "turn ove r " but will not start, [h e
foll owin g items may b e checked along with the Fuel Syst em
Checks listed previous ly.
(I) With a clean dry cloth wipe the ceramic portions o f
t he spark plugs dry. In particul arly damp or rainy weather dampness may be the cause of not starting, espec ially when the e ngin e is cold.
0) C heck the cables
at the top of the distributor and coil as well as eac h spark plug cable for tightness.
(K)
If the car w ill stilI not st art. ch eck for spark at the
spark plugs in th e foll owing manner:
Pull o n e of the spark plug wi res off its spark plug. Insert a
short piece of bare wir e (such as a bobby pin) between the
rubber cup at the end of the
spark plug wire and the tubular metal connector inside of it. If the spark plug wire is wet or oily, wipe it
dry . Wrap a dry handker·
chief or facial tissue, folded
several thicknesses, around
the wire at least three inches
back from the end and grasp
the wire at this point. Hold the bare wire about Yi inch from the bare tip of the Checking Spork
spark plug fro m whidl you removed the wire or from any part of the engine. When the engine is "turned over" a
spark should jump ac ross the y.;, inch space , indicating ample current supply. If no spa rk jumps, th e d ifficult y is probably caused b y a defective ignition part and should be
cor rect ed b y you r Authorized Chevrolet Dealer.
COOUNG SYSTEM
'When the car will run but evidences serious overheating on the temp erature gauge in the instrument panel, there are
seve r al i tem s which may be check ed.
(L)
Engine overheating wjll occur when the OIL LEVEL falls dangerousl y l ow. Check the oil lev e l as a matter of
course.
(M) Low
WATER LEVEL will, of course, cause engi ne over
heating.
De termine the cause of the low water level and have it correc ted if necessary. (N) Check the RADIATOR CORE. Clean it if it is plugged with bugs, leaves or other foreign material.
(0) Condition o f the FAN BELT is very important, not only for engine cooling but also for proper generator operation. Check the condition of the belt. Replace it if i t is wor n or frayed. Loosen the generator bolts and move the generator toward the engine to remove and replace the belt. Tighten the belt, whethe r n ew or old ,
by loosening the generator bolts, prying with a bar on the generator until the belt is tensioned properly,
then re t ighten the generator bolts. Proper belt tension is
such that, when pressed hard at a point midway between
th e ge nerato r and fan pulleys, the belt will deflect about ~4 inch.
(P) Another ca use of en
gine overheating ma y be an inoperative COOLING SYSTEM THERMOSTAT. II the thermostat sh ould fail in the closed position, it will not permit wa ter to circulate through the system. In such an emergency the thermostat may be removed but should be replaced with a properly functioning thermostat as
soon as possible .
Thermostot Instal/ot;on
43
