1996 CHEVROLET CAMARO engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Low Coolant Light (VI3 Engine)
This warning light should
come on while you are
starting
your engine. If the
light doesn’t come on, have
it repaired.
Your Camaro
is equipped with a LOW COOLANT
indicator that is designed to detect when the coolant
level
drops below the set limit. If the low coolant level
sensor (on
the radiator) detects that the level drops while
the engine is running, the
LOW COOLANT indicator
will light and remain lit until the ignition switch is
turned to the
OFF position. Check the coolant level
and add coolant as needed. The
LOW COOLANT
light might stay on after filling
the radiator. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF
position, then restart the engine to verify that the LOW
COOLANT light goes out. See “Engine Coolant” in
the Index.
1 NOTICE:
Driving with the LOW COOLANT light on could
cause your Chevrolet to overheat. See “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
Your Chevrolet could
be damaged, and it wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
2-82

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have an automatic
transmission with overdrive,
you may prefer to drive in
DRIVE (D) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)
or, as you need to, a lower gear). Or, if you have a
manual transmission with FIFTH
(5) or SIXTH (6) gear.
It
is better not to use FIFTH (5) or SIXTH (6) gear.
Just drive in FOURTH
(4) gear (FIFTH (5) gear if you
have a six-speed manual transmission) (or, as you need
to, a lower gear).
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill.
If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have
to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to
do it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet, or into gear for a manual transmission.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes. Then apply your parking brakes until
the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake and then shift to PARK(P) or REVERSE
(R)
for a manual transmission.
Release the regular brakes.
4-38

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Chevrolet’s instrument panel. You
may also find a
LOW COOLANT warning light on your Chevrolet’s
instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
A C*.UTIC i:
4
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You
or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine
is cool.
I NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
5-14 ..

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If No Steam Is Ci ling Fro] YC r Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving,
Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
11 you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)
or DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive.
Just
to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the
warning doesn’t come back on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away. If
there’s still no sign
of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked,
to see
if the warning stops. But then,
if you still have the
warning,
turn 08 the engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
V8 Engine

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When it is cool, remove the coolant recovery tank cap
and look at the dipstick.
The coolant level should
be FULL COLD. If it isn’t, you
may have a leak in the radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator,
water pump or somewhere else in the cooling system.
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a leak.
If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and
you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
~~~
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine
fan is running. If the engine is
overheating, the fan should be running.
If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
5-17

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at
FULL COLD, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL ’ (orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
1 recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant” in the Index
~ for more information.)
i
A CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant
mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
CAUTION: (Continued)
- - -
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use a
50/50 mix of clean
water and DEX-COOL
TM antifreeze.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.
5-18
t

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine YOU can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot enough. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
1
.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at
FULL COLD, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing
you can try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to the radiator, but
be sure the cooling system is
cool before
you do it.
5-19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
(V8 Engine Only)
NOTICE:
The LTl Engine (Code P) has a specific radiator
fill procedure. Failure
to follow this procedure
could cause your engine
to overheat and be
severely damaged.
1. You can remove the radiator pressure cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure cap
and
upper radiator hose, is no longer hot. Turn the pressure
cap slowly counterclockwise until it first stops. (Don’t
press down while turning the pressure cap.)
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure
left.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn
it. Remove the pressure cap.