1998 CHEVROLET TRACKER engine overheat

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine lbrn Signals When Towing a nailer
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 will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, 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 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
If
you are towing a trailer and you have a manual
transmission with
FIFTH (5) gear, you may prefer not to
use FIFTH
(5). Just drive in FOURTH (4) (or, as you
need to, a lower gear).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-12 Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing
Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
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5-32 Cooling System If a Tire Goes Flat
Changing a Flat Tire
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I I I /
Attach a separate safety chain around the end
of each
axle, inboard of the spring.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~____
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.
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.
Tow a trailer.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
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
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a) or
DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.
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 ojjfthe 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.
Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what \
you’ll see:
A. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Cooling Fan
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I A
A C ,U ION:
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 cooling fan
is running. If the
engine is overheating, the fan should be running. If it
isn’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 or above the
FULL mark, add a 50/50
mixture of clean water (preferably distilled) and a
proper coolant at the coolant recovery tank. (See
“Engine Coolant” in the Index for more information
about
the proper coolant mixture.)
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 mixture will. Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
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 mixture of clean water and a
proper coolant.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
A CAUT,JN:
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.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank
is at or
above the
FULL mark, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can try.
You can add the proper coolant
mixture directly
to the radiator, but be sure the cooling
system is cool before you do it.
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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 transmission 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 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
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 transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
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