1997 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
2.4L Engine
k
t
3100 Engine
A. Coolant Surge Tank With Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Fans
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search 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.
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it cools down.
The coolant level should be at or above
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.
I 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge 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 TM coolant
at the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling system,
including the coolant surge tank pressure cap, is cool
before you do it. (See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index for
more information.)
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 coolant surge
tank pressure cap -- even a little -- they can come
out at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank
pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling system
and coolant surge tank pressure cap to cool if you
ever have
to turn the pressure cap.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 fM coolant.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
So
use the recommended coolant.
A CAUTION:
I
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 L
1. You can remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap and upper radiator hose,
is no
longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly about
one-quarter
of a turn to the left and then stop.
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 slowly, and
remove
it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 3. Then fill the coolant surge tank with the proper mix,
up to FULL COLD.
4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, start the
engine and let it
run until you can feel the upper
radiator hose getting hot. Watch out
for the
engine fans.
By
this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may
be lower. If the level is lower, add
more of the proper
mix to the coolant surge tank
until the level reaches FULL COLD.
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- ~. ...

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine -.
5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure
cap is tight.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If
air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel
firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use
in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning
fls ers. *
A CAU-ION:
--
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. 'hrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't move,
you can put blocks
at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side
of the
vehicle,
at the opposite end.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
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