1998 CHEVROLET ASTRO engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The 1998 Chevrolet Astro Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR’ system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
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 overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
Plugging the cord iL-_ 1 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 dealer in the area where
you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
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PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If your rear 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 transmission or
transfer case or both.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission.
Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position on
a hill.
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.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come
on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the brake release lever located on the
lower left side
of the steering column.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 a hill, see
“Towing
a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
A CAUTION:
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It can be dangerous to get out of ya - -8 vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If
you have left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
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A CAUTION:
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 to PARK (P), 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.
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
transmission into PARK
(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put
too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. 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 transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Loading cargo that weighs more than 200 Ibs.
(91 kg) on the luggage carrier may damage your
vehicle. When
you carry large things, never let
them hang over the rear or the sides of your
vehicle. Load your cargo
so that it rests on the
slats and does not scratch or damage the vehicle.
Put the cargo against the side rails and fasten it securely to the luggage carrier. Put the main
weight
as far forward as you can.
Don’t exceed
the maximum vehicle capacity when
loading your vehicle. For more information on vehicle
capacity and loading, see “Loading Your Vehicle” in
the Index.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo as you’re driving,
check now and then to make sure
the luggage carrier and
cargo are still securely fastened.
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
The cigarette lighter is on the left of the engine
cover console.
To use the lighter, press it in all the way and let go.
When it’s done heating, it will pop back by itself.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when
you start your
engine and may stay
on for
several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on,
you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
“Brake System Warning Light’’ earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
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
ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
If the gage pointer moves to
the red area, your engine
is
too hot!
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.
The “Problems on the Road” section of this manual
shows
you what to do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could cause the trailer
to come in contact with the
vehicle.
Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal. Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring (included in the optional trailering package).
The arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked
up, the trailer lamps
drivers you’re about to turn, will
also flash, telling other
change lanes or stop. When
towing a trailer, the 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 kdh) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing
at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a
lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn
your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the
engine
run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in
PARK (P) for a few
minutes before turning the engine off. If you do get the
overheat warning, see “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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