1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Chevrolet dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs
are still working.
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 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer, you may want to drive in
DRIVE
(D) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0)
(or, as you need to, a lower gear),
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK
(P).
Release the regular brakes.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5-2
5-3
5-8
5-13
5- 15
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
Cooling System 5-24
5-24
5-35
5-36
If a Tire Goes Flat
Changing a Flat Tire
Compact Spare Tire
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and the
warning light about a hot engine on your instrument
panel. See “Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and
“Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the
Index.
You also have a LOW COOLANT light on your
instrument panel. See “Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
L
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 pet out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
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:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
e 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.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving
which is AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a).
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 the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
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@
(silicate-fiee) 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%oolant.
5-17
--

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE: I
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.
I A CAUTION:
- - I
You can be burned if you spill coolant OII not
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.
5-18

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
INOTICE:
~~
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
pressure cap.
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 If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you
or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle
can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 kmh) as shown
on the speedometer.
I
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rockinq Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear,
spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release the
accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on
the accelerator pedal when the transaxle
is in gear. If
that doesn’t get you out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out, see
“Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.