1976 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO service

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine • The front seat shoulder belts in
this vehicle are equipped with
a
"vehicle sensitive retractor"
which
is de!\,igned to grip the belt
-only during a sudden stop or im­
pact. At other times it is de­
signed to move freely with the
occupant. .:
• For best restrainUhe slight ten­
sion on the shoulder caused by
the shoulder belt retractor
is de­
sirable.
• A comfort clipis provided for
those who
find the shoulder belt
tension a
source of discomfort. If
the shoulder belt tension becomes
uncomfortable ;. pull down on the
shoulder belt
to provide the least
amount of
slaek necessary to re­
lieve tension (hot more than one
inch). Then
push the comfort
clip snugly against the guide
loop.
To unfasten button
in center
of buckle.
• When no longer in use, front seat
lap-shoulder belts can be stowed
by allowing
them to rewind into
their retractors. The comfort clip
can be adjusted when removing
belts,
so shoulder belt slack will
be fully taken up by retractor.
NOTE: Take care not to let the
pOlrtio,rl-of the belt twist while
1-5
it is being rewound into the retrac­
tor. The bulk of the twisted belt
m .ay cause
t~e retractor to jam so it
WIll not reWind further, while at the
same time the retractor locking
mechanism may. prevent the belt
from being withdrawn. To release
a jammed belt, open the cover on
the rear of the retractor and rotate
the key slot while pulling the belt
upward. This should allow the belt
to be untwisted.
lfyour retractor
does not have such a key slot or for
some reason the lap belt portion
re­
mains ' jammed, orother parts of
the restraint system do not operate
properly take the
ve!).ic1e to your
dealer
for service .

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Operation Foreign
Countries
.
In
Your car is designed to operate
on unleaded fuel
of approximately
91 reseljl'ch octane number.
If you plan to' operate your car
outs ide . the Continent al limits of
the
U niled States or Canada, there
is .a possibility that the best fuels
available
in some countries are so
low in oclane rating that excessive
knocking and serious engine dam­
age may result from their
use. Also,
if leaded fuels are used in vehicles
designed for unleaded fuels, it may result
in the
deactivati on of the
catalytic converter, if the vehicle
is
so equipped , and possibly other
related problems.
The use of leaded
fuel
in a vehicle designed for un­
leaded fuel
will require different
maintenance intervals.
To obtain in­
formation on the
octan~ rating and
availability of non-leaded fuels
available in the countries in which
you plan to travel , and a mainte­
nan ce schedule to
be used when
operating on leaded fuel, write to
Chevrolet Motor Division, Service
Department,Detroit, Michigan
48202, (or in Canada write to
General Motors of Canada Limited,
Owner Relations Department,
Oshawa, Ontario LlJ 5Z6), giving:
1-12
• The vehicle identification num­
ber (on plate on instrument
panel ahead of the steering wheel
and vis ible through the wind­
shield , or from registration slip
or title)
,.
• The country or countries in which
you plan
to travel.
It is recommended that you not
operate your car in any country not
having fuels meeting the require­
ments of your car's engine
as these
may cause engine damage for which
Ch evr olet is not respon sible under
the term s of the Chevrolet New
Vehicle Warranty or Emission
Control Systems Warranty .

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
ditionseven when the vehicle is
loadedto:its full rated vehicle load.
When replacement parts are
re­
quired, OM and Delco parts are
recommended.
Power Brakes
• On your Chevrolet if power
assjst to the brakes
is interrupted
due to a staJled engine or some
malfunction,
two or more brake
applications normaJly can
be
made using reserve power.
• lithe 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
apd released. ' Do not pump
brakes
when brake power assist
has been interrupted except
when necessary in order
to main'
tain steering control on slippery
slirlaces.
•
When reserve power is ex­
hausted, the vehicle can still be
stopped by applying greater force
to the pedal.
2-8
NOTE: Operation of the brake
system warning light
is covered on
page 2-12 in the section on "In-
strument Panel", .
Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, fully de­
pre~s foot ped,al at far left side.
• For maximu!'l holding power,
depress regular brake pedal with
the right foot at the same time.
• To release parking brake,' pull
"BRAKE RELEASE" lever. on
lower left
instr\iment panei. .". -
• As a reminder, the brake system
warning light
is desjgned to
glow whenever the parking
brake control
is not fully re­
leased, and the ignition is on.
• Never drive car with parking
brake set
as this may overheat
or otherwise damage rear brakes.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ble'can be located and corrected .
. Driying the car with low oil pillS'
sure can:cause · serious ' engine
damage.
Genera~orlndicator Light
The red light will go on when
the
ignition key is in the "on " posi,
tion, b~f before the engine is
started.'J\fter the engine starts, the
light .
sho'uld go out and remain out.
If the Hght remains on when engine
is runlling, have your Authorized
Chevrolet Dealer locate and cor,
reCI the trouble as soon as possible,
Engine Temperature
Indicator Light
, This indicator light is provided
in the instrument cluster to quickly
warn
of an overheated engine. With
the ignition switch in the
5T AR T
position, the red TEMP indicator
will light to let you know that it is
operating properly. When
the engine
is started , the
red light will go out immediately,
It will light up at no other time
unless for some reason the engine
.
reaches a dangerously high oper,
atingtemperature. If the light
comes on during
extreme driving
conditions, such
as an extended
idle, turn
off the air conditioner (if
used }.and run the engine slightly
faster than
idle. speed with the
transmission in neutral gear .
If the
light does not go
off within a short
period of time
(F2 minutes), then
tum the engine off until the cause
of the.
overheating is corrected;
Glance at the
Ins.trument cluster
frequently as you drive to see if
this light
is on. '
Brake System Warning
Light
.
The service .. brake system is a
dual system designed
so that. one
part will provide some braking
2-12
action in the event of loss of hy'
draulic pressure in the other part of
the system.
If the ,warning light
labeled
"BRAKE," located in the
speedometer face, comes on .and
stays on when the ignition
is on and
'after · the brakes have been firmly
applied, it may indicate that
there
is a malfunction in one part of the
brake system.
'
•
As ~ reminde;, the light is de,
signed:to
come on with the park,
ing brake applied and the ignition
on.
• The light is also designed to
come on, during ;engine starting
to verify that the bulb is operating
. properly.
• Have system repaired '. if light
does not come
on' during check.
• This warning light, is not a sub­
stitute for the visual check of
brake fluid level required
as part
of normal maintenance.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the light comes oQ:
• The :parking brake control is not
fully
relea sed or, ,,:
• The service brake system is
partially inoperative .
What to do :
1. Check that the parking brake
is released. If it is ...
2.
Pull off the road and stop, care­
fully-remembering that:
'
•
Stoppin g "distances may be
greater. ' '0:
• Greater pMal effort may be
required .: ;
• Pedal
travel may be greater.
3. Try out b~ake operati on by start­
ing and
stopping on road shoul­
der-then :
• If you judge such operation to
be safe , proceed cautiously at
a safe speed to neare st dealer
for repair.
• Or have car towed to dealer
}or repair .
Continued operation ' of the car in '
this condition
is dangerous.
Headlight High Beam
Indicator Light
The headlights of your ' car have '
high and
low, beams to provi(je you
with proper night-time visibility
for most . driving
conditioQs. The
"low" beams are used during most
city driving. The
"high" beams are
especially useful when
drh;ing on
dark roads since
they provide ex­
cellent long range illumination.
The headlight beam
indicator will
be on whenever the high beams or
"brights" are in use. The Headlight
Beam
Switch controls the headlight
beams (see
Page 2-9).
Light Switch
The three position light switch
controls the headlights " taillights,
parking lights, side marker lights,
2-13
'i nstrument lighis and dome lights
a s ,shown . The headlamp circuit
is
protected·· by a circuit breaker in
, tne lightswit ch . An overload on the
breaker will cause the lamps to
"flicker" 00 and off. If this condi­
ti on develop s, hav e your headlamp
wiring check ed immedi ately.
PARKING MARKER LAMPS TAIL AND
PARKING LAMPS MARKER LAMPS
LIGHTS

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I0'ads imp0'sed by .. trlliler hauling.
Cempensatef0'r thes~ l0'wer gauge
readings
resulting frem these heaVy
'Ib ads t0' produce gO'?d fuel ec0'n­
emy.
. <,
Engine Temper~'iure. Gauge
This 0'Pti0'n~r',,'gauge indicates
c0'0'lant temperaplre which will
yary with air
teqiperature and 0'P­
erating c0'nditi{>,iiS. The ignitien
switch must
be;" 0'n f0'r accurate
,re idling in very hqtweather will caus~
the P0'inter to'iim0'vebey0'nd tije
center 0'f the ljimd. Should P0'inter
m0've t0' the line at the "H" end of
the band , stop engine 0'r reduce ,
speed
t0' penllit engine t0' cool.
Headlamp "ON"
Warning Buzzer
The eptienal headlamp reminder
buzzer provides
an audible warn­
ing that the main light switch is in
one 0'f the "0'n"P0'siti0'ns ; either
pMking lights Of headlights.
The reminder ,buzzer is actuated
0'nly whenthe igniti0'n switch is
turned
i0' '''OFF'' er "LOCK" posi­
ti0'n,
Clock
Reset th~ cl0'ck,if yeur car is S0'
'equipped, by pulling eut the kn0'b
.
and turning the hands cl0'ck\\fise if
slew , c0'unterclockwise if fast. This
will, if the
cl0'ck errer is five min­
utes er. m0're,~utematicallyc0'm­
pen sate f0'r tim.e' gain 0'r l~g, Sev­
eral resettings, sev.eral daysi',apart,
maybe needed te pr0'perl y adjust
the
clOCk mechanism . Have yeur
c
l0'ck cleaned and 'eiled by a cem"
petent .cl0'ck serviceman "at least
every
twe years,
Cigarette Lighter
The cigarette lighter. is I0'cated
en the instrument panel face, T0'
,2-15
operate, push it in, When it be­
C0'm.es heated, it aut0'matically P0'PS
eut ready fo r use,
WindshiEild Wiper and
Washer
The windshield wiping system
op(;lratesat tW0' speed s and is de­
.
signed t0'wipe clear specific areas
of the windshield under m0'st in­
, Clement "''leath
er cenditiens, The
windshielrlwipers w0'rk electri­
cally and are not affected ' by en­
gineeperatien,
FIlsh . the centrel levetDewn te
start the electric windshie ld wiper,
The
tW0'-speed electric wiper has
botli a' "lew " and a "high" speed
pesitien,
Pressing the centrel will send a
measured
ameunt ef water 0'r ether
cleaning agent ent0' the windshield,
Fill the washer
jar only % full
during the winter
te allew fer eX­
pansien if the temperature sh0'uld

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE
The time or mileage intervals on
the following pages are intended
as a guide for establishing regular
maintenance and lubrication per­
iods for your car. Sustained heavy
duty or high speed operations or
operation under adverse conditions
may necessitate more frequent ser­
vicing.
To determine specific rec­
ommendations for conditions un-
Fuel
Requirements
Your Chevrolet engine is de­
signed to operate
only on unleaded
gasoline. Unleaded gasoline is essen­
tial for proper emission control
system operation, and it will mini­
mize spark plug fouling. The
use of der
which you use your car, con­
sult your authorized Chevrolet
Dealer.
Maintenance Schedule
For owner convenience, a sepa­
rate maintenance folder has been
provided with your car which con­
tains a complete schedule and brief
explanation of the safety, emission
leaded gasoline can damage or
severely reduce the effectiveness of
the emission control system and re­
sult in loss of warranty coverage.
Use unleaded gasoline meeting
the
minimum octane specifications
established by the Federal govern­
ment.
In compliance with Federal
regulations, pumps dispensing such
gasoline are labeled with the word
5-1
control, lubrication and general
maintenance it requires. The main­
tenance folder information
is sup­
plemented by this section of the
Owner's Manual, as well as a
Warranty Information folder also
furnished with your car. Read all
three publications for a full under­
standing of vehicle maintenance
requiremehts.
UNLEADED and are equipped
with dispensing nozzles which
fit
the filler neck of your car's gaso­
line tank.
Supplementary gasoline addi­
tives which contain lead and or
phosphorus should not
be used
under any circumstances. Such
additives can severely reduce the
effectiveness of your catalytic con­
verter.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TRANSMISSION ITEMS
Automatic Transmission­
Fluid Level
Recommendations
Use automatic transmission
fluids identified with the mark
DEXRON®-II available from your
Chevrolet dealer
or local service
station.
Check the fluid level
at each en­
gine oil change period.
Automatic transmissions are
fre­
quently overfill¢ level
is checked when the fluid is
cold and the dipsick indicates fluid
should be added. However, the low
reading may
be normal since the
fluid level will rise as the fluid tem­
perature increases. A level change
of over
% inch will occur as fluid
temperature rises from
60° F. to
180° F. (16° C. to 82° C.)
Overfilling can cause foaming
and loss of fluid through the vent.
(650 -8S"F.) (18" _29°C.) COOL HOT
WARM
NOTE, DO NOT OVERFill. It takes only one pint to raise level from ADD to FULL with a hot transmission.
Slippage and transmission failure
can result.
Fluid level too low can cause
slipping, particularly when the
transmission is cold or the car is
on a hill.
Check the transmission fluid
level with the
engine running, the
shift lever
in Park, and the car
level.
Remove the dipstick and touch
the transmission
end of the dipstick
5-5
L.
NOTE: lithe vehicle has recently
been operated for an extended
period at high speed or in city
traffic
in hot weather or the vehi­
cle is being used to pull a trailer,
an accurate fluid level cannot be
determined until the fluid has
cooled down-usually apout 30
minutes after the vehicle has been
parked.)
cautiously to find out if the fluid is
cool, warm or hot.
Wipe it clean and re-insert until
cap seats. Remove dipstick and
note reading.
• If the fluid feels cool, about room
temperature
(65° F. to 85° F.)
or (18° C. to 29° C.), the level
should
be 1;8 to % inch below
the
"ADD" mark The dipstick
has two dimples below the
"ADD" mark to show this range.
"'j' S' ~ c· "