1996 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If No Steam Is Coming From Your 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.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with
no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
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 ofthe engine and get everyone out of . p~
the vehicle until it cools down. *! ?rLw&pa
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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).
.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
3.1L L82 (Code M) Engine
When you decide it’s safe to
lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Coolant recovery tank
B. Radiator pressure cap
C. Electric engine Fans
3.4L LQ 1 (Code X) Engine
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when
the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
5-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else
until it cools down. A CAUTION:
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.
The coolant level should be at or above the COLD mark.
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.
1 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 fans are running. If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running.
If they
aren‘t, your vehicle needs service.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rea
to the - lant
rank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at
the COLD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL TM
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant” in the
Index for
more information.)
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
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.
1 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.
5-16

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.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
COLD mark, 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.
I CAUTION: I
Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn you badly. They
are under pressure, and if you turn the radiator
CAUTION: (Continued) 7AU'l'ION:
(Continued)
pressure cap
-- even a little -- they can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling system and
radiator pressure cap to cool if you ever have to
turn the pressure cap.
5-17

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine v ti
I NOTICE:
lant to the ldiator
Your engine 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
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.
5-18

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed valve. 3.4L V6 (VIN Code X):
There are two bleed valves.
'hey
are located on the
thermostat housing and
heater inlet pipe. The lermostat housing
i location is shown here.
I
3.1L V6 (VIN Code M): There are two bleed valves.
One is located on the thermostat housing. The other is
located on the thermostat bypass tube.
5-19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you see a stream of coolant coming from an air bleed
valve, close the valve. Otherwise, close the valves after
the radiator
is filled.
5. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and compartment.
6. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the COLD mark.
7. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap off.