1996 CHEVROLET EXPRESS engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The 1996 Chevrolet Express Owner’s Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR’ system.
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
This section tells
you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about
the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section
tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here the manual
tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
This section tells
you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section
tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service and owner
publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ..................................................... 3-1
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
Service and Appearance Care ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 7-1
Customer Assistance Information ........................................................ 8-1
Index ........................................................................\
........ 9-1
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
-
In very cold weather, 0°F (- 1 SOC) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help.
You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged
in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To use the coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured.
Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to store
the cord as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we
ask that you contact a
GM dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
2-16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. 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 kdh) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll
shift down to the next gear and have more power.
You should use DRIVE (D) (or, as
you need to, a lower
gear) when towing a trailer. Operating your vehicle
in
DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer will minimize heat
build-up and extend
the life of your transmission.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however,
it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE
(D). You should use THIRD (3)
when carrying a heavy load or driving on steep hills.
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. If you manually
select SECOND
(2), the transmission will drive in
second gear. You may use this feature for reducing
torque
to the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your vehicle from a stop
on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can
use it
on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST (l), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE: -- --
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you are stuck in
very deep sand or mud or are up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes
or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position on
a hill.
2-19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle. Always check to be sure
your parking brake is fully released before
you drive.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting I: :o 11 C (P)
I A CAUTIJN:
I
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle won’t move,
even when you’re on fairly level ground, use the
steps that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission
into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force
on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever
out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To find
out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index. When
you are
ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur,
you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill
to take some of the
pressure from the transmission, so you can pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock
system. You have to fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P). See “Automatic
Transmission”
in the Index.
If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up
into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then,
move the shift lever into
the gear you want.
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
5. Have the brake-transmission shift interlock system
want.
fixed
as soon as you can.
2-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield
wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle,
turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle.
If you want more cycles, hold the
band
on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can
be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn
the band to choose the delay time. The
closer
to LOW, the shorter the delay. For steady wiping at
low speed, turn the band
to
the LOW position. For high-speed wiping, turn the
band further,
to HIGH. To stop the wipers, move the
band to OFF.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you from seeing well enough
to drive safely. To
avoid damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the
wiper blades before using them. If they are frozen to
the windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them. If
your blades do become damaged, get new blades or
blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. The
windshield wiper motor
is protected from overload
by
a circuit breaker and a fuse. If the motor overheats
due to heavy
snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the
motor cools. Although the circuit is protected from
electrical overload, overload due to heavy snow, etc.
may cause wiper linkage damage. Always clear ice
and heavy snow from the windshield before using your
windshield wipers.
2-3 1

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Listed are four situations you may experience with your
fuel gage:
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before the
gage reads FULL
(F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half
full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to
fill
the tank.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
None
of these indicate a problem with the fuel gage.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
If the gage pointer moves
into
the red area your
engine
coolant temperature.
260 engine is too hot!
TEMP J-- vw
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal
operating conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle, and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
3 LA

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 kdh) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil
at a
lower temperature than at normal altitudes.
If you turn
your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar
to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission
in PARK (P) for a few
minutes before turning the engine off. If you do get the
overheat warning, see “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
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. ’ Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb
if facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Re-apply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and then shift
to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-36