1973 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO instrument panel

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1973
MONTE CARLO
OWNER'S
MANUAL
CHEVROLET MOTOR
DIVISION
GENERAL MOTORS
CORPORATION DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48202
All information, illustrations and specifications con­tained in this manual are based on the latest product
information available at the time of publication. The right is reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
For vehicles sold in
Canada, substitute the name
General Motors of Canada, wherever the name
Chevrolet Motor Division appears in this manual.
ST 307-73
© GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION 1973
Section
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Table of Contents
Page
' Before Driving Your Monte Carlo.. .................... . .. 3
Starting and Operating . . . .
.. . . . .. . . . . .. . . ... . . . .. .. . . . . .. 14
Steering Column Controls .................. ; . . . . . . . . . .. 15
Starting Engine .............................. '. . . . .. 15
Floor Controls ............................ ; . . . . . . . . . . .. 23
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. 25
Other Controls and Features ............................ , 40
In Case of Emergency .................................... 41
Appearance Care ........................................ , 46
Service and Maintenance ................................ , 50
Minor Trouble Shooting .................................. 67
Specifications, Owner Assistance, Service Manuals,
Index,
Gas Station Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 71
1

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine •
Operation in Foreign Countries
Your Monte Carlo is designed
to operate on fuel of approximately
91 research octane number or
higher, sold in the United States
and Canada.
If you plan to operate your
Monte Carlo outside the continen­
tal limits of the United States
or
Canada, there is a possibility that
the best fuels available in some
countries are so low in anti-knock
quality that excessive knocking and
serious engine damage may result
from their use. To minimize this
possibility, write to Chevrolet Divi-sion,
Service Department, Detroit,
Michigan 48202,
(or in Canada
write to General Motors of Can­
ada Limited,
Owner Relations De­
partment, Oshawa, Ontario),
giving:
• The vehicle identification num­
ber ( on plate
on instrument
panel ahead of the steering
wheel and visible through the
windshield, or from registration
slip
or title).
• The country or countries in
which you plan to traveL
You will be furnished informa-
13
tion on the quality of fuels avail­
able in the countries in which you
plan to traveL
It is recommended
that you not operate your Monte
Carlo in any country not having
fuels meeting the requirements of
your Chevrolet engine. Engine
modifications are not available to
compensate for low anti-knock
quality fuels. Operation of your car
under conditions of continuous
or
excessive knocking constitutes mis­
use of the engine for which the
Chevrolet Division
is not responsi­
ble under the terms of the Chev­
rolet New Vehicle Warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine STARTING AND OPERATING
Engine Exhaust Gas Caution (Carbon Monoxide)
Allold inhaling exhaust gases because
they contain carbon monoxide, which by
Itsell is colorless and odorless. Carbon
monoxide is a dangerous gas that can cause unconsciousness and is potentially
lethal.
II at any time you suspect that exhaust fumes are entering the passenger com­partment, have the cause determined and corrected as soon as possible. II you must
drive under these conditions, drive only
with
all windows fully open.
The best protection against carbon
mon­oxide entry into the car body is a properly
maintained exhaust system, car body and body ventilation system. It is recom­mended that the exhaust system and body
be inspected by a competent mechanic:
• Each time the IIehicie is raised for oil change. > •
Wheneller a change
is noticed In the
sound of the exhaust system.
• Wheneller the exhaust system, under­
body or rear of the vehicle is damaged.
See your Maintenance Schedule folder
for inspection procedure.
To allow proper operation of the car's
IIentilation system, keep front ventilation
inlet
grille clear of snow, leaves or other obstruction at all times.
SITTING IN A PARKED CAR WITH
ENGINE RUNNING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Do
not run engine in confined areas such as garages any more than needed to mOlle IIehicle In or out of area. When IIe­hlcle is stopped In an UNCONFINED area with the engine running for any more than a short period, adJust heating or cooling system to force outside air Into car as follows:
14
1. On cars not equipped with air condi­
tioning, set fan to medium or high
speed and upper control leller to any
position except OFF.
2. On cars equipped with manual air conditioning, set fan to medium or high speed, upper control lever to any
position except OFF, and lower con­trol lever to any position except ex­treme left COLD.
The trunk lid should be closed while
drilling to help prellent inadllertently draw­Ing exhaust gases Into the car. If Is unwise to drive at high speeds for long durations
with the trunk lid open. Howeller, If lor some reason the trunk must remain open lor a period while mOiling, or electrical wiring or other cable connections to a trailer must pass through the seal between
trunk lid and body, the lol/owlng precau­
tions should be observed:
• Close all windows.
• Ad/ust heating or cooling system to
force outside air into car as described In items 1 and 2 abolle but with Ian set at high speed.
• On cars equipped with outside aIr IIents In or under Instrument panel, open IIents lully.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine FLOOR CONTROLS
Braking System
The service brake system is de­
signed for braking performance
under a wide range of driving con­
ditions even when the vehicle
is
loaded to its full rated vehicle load.
Power Brakes
• On cars with power brakes if
power assist to the brakes
is
interrupted due to a stalled en­
gine
or some malfunction, two
or more brake applications can
be made using reverse power.
• If the brake pedal is held down ,
the system
is designed to bring
the car to a full stop on reserve
power. However, the reserve
power
is partially depleted each
time the brake pedal
is applied
and released.
• When reserve power is ex- hausted,
the vehicle can still be
stopped by applying greater
force to the pedal.
Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, fully de­
press foot pedal at far left side.
• For maximum holding power,
depress regular brake pedal with
the other foot at the same time.
• To release parking brake, pull
"BRAKE RELEASE" lever on
lower left instrument panel.
• As a reminder, the brake system
warning light
is designed to glow
whenever the parking brake con­
trol
is not fully released, and the
ignition
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
brake set
as this may overheat
or otherwise damage rear brakes.
23
Clutch Adjustment
Clut8h adjustment should be
checked and adjusted periodically
as necessary to compensate for
clutch facing wear.
To check, de­
press pedal by hand until resist­
ance
is felt. Free travel of pedal
should be approximately one inch;
if very little
or no free travel is
evident, clutch adjustment is re­
quired.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Clock
Reset the clock , by pulling out
the knob and turning the hands
clockwise
if slow, counterclockwise
if fast. This will, if the clock error
is five minutes or more, automati­
cally compensate for time gain or
lag . Several resettings, several days
apart, may be needed to propertly
adjust the clock mechanism. Have
your clock cleaned and oiled by a
competent clock serviceman at
least every two years.
Cigarette Lighter
The cigarette lighter is located
on the instrument panel face.
To
operate, push it in. When it be­
comes heated, it automatically pops
out ready for use.
Windshield Wiper and
Washer
The windshield wiping system
operates at two speeds and
is de­
signed to wipe clear specific areas of
the windshield under most in­
clement weather conditions . The
windshield wipers work electrically
and are not affected by engine op­
eration. Push the control lever to the
right to start the electric wind­
shield wiper. The two-speed elec­
tric wiper has both a "low" and a
"high" speed position.
31
Pressing the control will send a
measured amount of water or other
cleaning agent onto the windshield
and will also cause the wiper lever
to move thus starting the wiper
motor. The wiper will continue to
operate until manually turned off
at the wiper lever.
Fill the washer jar only
% full
during the winter to allow for ex­
pansion if the temperature should
fall low enough to freeze the solu­
tion .
• Check washer fluid level regu­
larly-do it frequently when the
weather is bad .
• Use a fluid such as GM OPTI­
KLEEN to prevent freezing
damage, and to provide better
cleaning.
• Do not use radiator anti-freeze
in windshield washer; it could
cause paint damage.
• In cold weather, warm the wind­
shield with defrosters before

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine VENT
CONTROLS
using washer -to help prevent
icing that may seriously obscure
vision.
Air Vents
The air vents under the instru­
ment panel admit air from the vent
grille just ahead of the windshield.
A push-pull control opens and
closes the vents.
The amount of air entering the
car through this system
is depend­
ent upon vehicle speed.
The vent lever controls under the
instrument panel control the
air
flow through the instrument
panel center outlets (upper) and
outlets under the instrument panel.
NOTE: See engine exhaust gas
caution at the beginning of this
section.
Ventilation System
Your Monte Carlo incorporates
a ventilation system that pro­
vides improved ventilation com-
32
fort, made possible by the addition
of air vent provisions in the rear
body lock pillar. Another feature
of the system
is continuous low­
speed operation of the heater and
air conditioner blower, resulting
in
an uninterrupted supply of outside
air
flow into the car whenever the
ignition switch
is on.
Wth the side windows closed,
outside air will
flow into the front
grilles, through the car and out the
rear air exhaust valves.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • Operate blower on "HIGH" for
a
few seconds before moving the
vehicle, to clear the intake ducts
of snow.
• Keep all windows and vents
closed to reduce dust, road and
wind noise and uncomfortable
drafts.
• For most satisfactory heater op­
eration and air circulation, op­
erate fan on low
or medium
speeds for normal operation and
high speed for quick warm-up
and during extremely low temp­
eratures.
• For adequate rear seat heating,
the area beneath the front seat
must not be blocked
by carpet­
ing, rags, paper or other ma­
terial and fan should operate on
high blower.
Rear Window Defroster
To ensure clear vision through
the rear window during inclement weather,
the Rear Window De­
froster
is optionally available. This
unit draws
in air from the pas­
senger compartment and directs it against
the back window to remove
frost or moisture. Its blower has a
two-speed control switch on the
instrument panel.
Four Season Air Conditioning System
Operating instructions for your
Four Season Air Conditioner are
as follows:
Fan
The fan lever has four (4) posi­
tions from Lo at the bottom to Hi,
35
at the top. When the air condition­
ing system
is off, low blower will
be maintained (after engine cool­
ant temperature has reached
85°
F.) no matter which position the
fan switch
is in.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine mended for most winter driving.
BI-LEVEL -Outside air is deliv­
ered from the heater lower outlet
and the defroster duct and upper
outlets to provide comfort and keep
the windshield and side glass clear
under low fogging conditions.
DEF -Outside air is delivered
through the defroster outlets only.
Temperature and blower speeds
may be adjusted
as required. This
position
is recommended for condi­
tions of severe fogging and icing
only.
Four Season System
Air
Outlets
All air outlets on the instrument
panel may be rotated
or vanes
turned to direct air
flow in direction
desired.
For additional air flow lap cool­
ers
(2) are provided under the
steering column and glove box.
They have vertical air control vane
outlets and are aimed at the driver
and passenger. Under each lap
cooler
is a floor cooler outlet that
is operated in a push-pull manner
for opening and closing, control­
ing the amount of air to the floor.
37
Air-Conditioner Operating
Tips
Close all windows and vents
when operating air conditioning
system except for the first
few
minutes of operation when the car
interior
is very hot. Close the win­
dows
as soon as the excessively
heated air has escaped.