1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a Chevrolet dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket
items like fog
lamps, aero skirting or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment.
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
@ The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
1 A CAUTIOIl:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted
by the tow truck.
0 Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing it.
Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead. being towed.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine CAUTION:
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook
slots. Never use
J-hooks. They
will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition
turned to the
OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The transaxle
should be in NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the dnve wheels,
unless you must.
If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow the speed and distance
restrictions later in this section or your transaxle will be
damaged.
If these limitations must be exceeded, then the
drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
5-9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Front Towing
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascidfog lamp damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for carcarrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps. Use the T-slots for
car-carrier securing.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment.
To
help avoid damage, raise the vehicle until
adequate clearance
is obtained between the
ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
5-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Attach T-hook chains in
front of the wheels, into the
side slots of the cradle, on
both sides. Rear Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (55 kdh), 50 miles (80 km)
A towing dolly must be used under the drive wheels
when towing
from the reaK
These slots are to be used when loading or securing to
car-carrier equipment.
.
Attach a separate
safety chain around the
outboard end of each lower
control
arm.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper valance
will be damaged. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for carcarrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps. Use the T-slots for
car-carrier securing.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage
can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment. To
help avoid damage, install
a towing dolly and raise
the vehicle until adequate clearance
is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
Attach T-hook chains into
the slots in the bottom
of
the floor pan support rails,
These slots are to be used when securing to
car-carrier equipment.
Attach a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end
of both lateral arms.

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 Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
3100 (Code M) Engine
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fans
3.4L DOHC (Code X) Engine
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fans