1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER open hood

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
I
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. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and 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
your Chevrolet dealer in the area where you’ll be
parking your vehicle. The dealer can give you the best
advice for that particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your Chevrolet may be equipped with a three-speed
automatic
or a four-speed automatic transaxle. The
shift lever is located on the console between the seats.
There are six different positions for the shift lever on the
three-speed automatic and seven positions for the
four-speed automatic transaxles. While PARK
(P),
REVERSE (R) and NEUTRAL (N) operate identically
for both transaxles, the forward gear positions represent
different gearing and operation.
See “Forward Gears
(3-Speed)” or “Forward-Gears (4-Speed)” later in
this section.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection
you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Chevrolet, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved
in the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transaxle in
PARK (P) or a manual transaxle in
NEUTRAL (N) before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter.
Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios.
This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. In addition,
it could save your radio.
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
An electric fan 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overh - -rting
YOU will find a coolant temperature gage and a low coolant
warning light on your Chevrolet’s instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
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 you
open 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.

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:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
e 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. 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
OVERDRIVE
(D) for four-speed automatic or
DRIVE
(D) for three-speed automatic transaxles. 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 off 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Be sure the posted octane is at least 87. If the octane is
less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at 87 octane or higher and you
hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service. But
don’t worry if you hear a little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up
a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy a higher octane fuel to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have
a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications.
If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on and/or
your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Chevrolet dealer for diagnosis to determine
the cause of failure. In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for
low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT, General Motors does not recommend
the
use of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected.
The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may
turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
Chevrolet dealer for service.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Checking Things Under the Hood Hood Release
To open the hood,
first pull the handle
inside the vehicle. A CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
I A C IUTION:
that rn can get on hot t jne parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber.
You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.
The following sections tell you how to check fluids,
lubricants and important parts underhood.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2.21, Engine (Code 4)
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
A. Coolant Surge Tank D. Engine Oil Fill CapDipstick
G. Air Cleaner
B. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir E. Brake Fluid Reservoir H. Battery
C. Automatic Transaxle Fluid E Hydraulic Clutch Fluid I. Windshield Washer
Dipstick
(If Equipped) Reservoir (If Equipped) Fluid Reservoir