1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 The 1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Owner’s Manual
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9-1 Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also expl\
ains the “air bag” system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Chevrolet.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio \
system.
Your
Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road\
and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheat\
ed engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Chevrolet running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and \
what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
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 8-10.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
i

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Coolant Heater (Option) 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.
In very cold weather, 0 OF (- 1 8 O C) 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, located
behind the vehicle’s passenger side headlamp fixture.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
1 NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (41 km) at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
OVERDRIVE(@) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 kmh), or you can
damage your engine.
~
I Use DRIVE (D) or AUTOMATIC 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
shift lever is put in
FIRST (l), the transaxle won’t shift
into first gear until the vehicle is going slow enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against
a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle.
Use your brakes or shift into PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your left
foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
released position.
I 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.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
A C ,UTIOP‘
-
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.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK(P) and your
parking brake
is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK
(P)
without first pulling it toward you (or, if you have the
console shift lever, without first pushing the button). If
you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked
into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put
too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. 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 parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Ashtrays and Lighter
The center front ashtray may be on the instrument panel
or on the console.
To remove the instrument panel
ashtray, open
it, push down on the locking tab and pull
out the ashtray.
For the console ashtray, open the lid and lift out the
ashtray using the snuffer.
Your vehicle may have a rear ashtray.
It is located within
a small door at the rear
of your console or rear of your
front seat storage armrest. Push
on the right side of the
door. The ashtray will then rotate to the right for usage.
You can only access the ashtray by pushing on the door’s
right side.
To remove the ashtray, push down on the
snuffer located in the middle of the ashtray and lift
it out.
I NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtrays.
If you do, cigarettes or other
smoking materials could set them on fire,
causing damage.
To use the lighter, just push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
I NOTICE:
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while
it is heating. If you do, it won’t be able to
back away from the heating element when
it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter
and the heating element.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also move them from side to side.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brake system
active light will come on.
Engine Coolant Temperature Light
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your
radiator cooling fan(
s)
are not working.
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
The anti-lock brake system active light also comes on
briefly when you turn the ignition key
to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
there to tell
you when the system is active. If you have been
operating your vehicle under normal
driving 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
You have a gage that
shows the engine coolant
temperature. If the gage
pointer moves into the red
area, your engine
is too hot!
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
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.
Low Coolant Warning Light
LOW
COOLANT
If this light comes on, your
system is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat. See “Engine Coolant” in the Index and
have your vehicle serviced
as soon as you can.
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