2002 CHEVROLET CAVALIER check engine

4-42 When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:

start your engine,

shift into a gear, and

release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you're
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don't overfill),
engine oil, drive belt, cooling system and brake system.Each of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If you're trailering,
it's a good idea to review this information before you
start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and
bolts are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See ªEngine Overheatingº
in the Index.
Towing a Trailer
(Models with 2.2L L4 (LN2) Engine
or Manual Transaxle)
Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is:

equipped with a 2.2L L4 (LN2) engine or

equipped with a manual transaxle.

5-6
CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
5. Check that the jumper cables don't have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive (+) or to a remote positive (+) terminal
if the vehicle has one. Negative (
-) will go to a
heavy, unpainted metal engine part or to a remote
negative (
-) terminal if the vehicle has one.
Don't connect positive (+) to negative (
-) or you'll
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts, too. And don't connect the negative (
-)
cable to the negative (
-) terminal on the dead battery
because this can cause sparks.
6. Remove the terminal cover and connect the red
positive (+) cable to the positive (+) terminal of
the dead battery. Use a remote positive (+) terminal
if the vehicle has one.

5-14
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
The coolant level should be
at the FULL COLD mark.
If it isn't, you may have a
leak at the pressure cap or
in the radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water pump
or somewhere in the
cooling system.
CAUTION:
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.
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.

5-15
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you
use only DEX
-COOL
(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused by the
use of coolant other than DEX
-COOL
is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
NOTICE:
This vehicle has a specific coolant fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
If you haven't found a problem yet, check to see if
coolant is visible in the surge tank. If coolant is visible
but the coolant level isn't at the FULL COLD mark,
add a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX
-COOL
coolant at the coolant surge tank, but
be sure the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap, is cool before you do it. See ªEngine
Coolantº in the Index for more information.

5-19
3. Then fill the coolant surge tank with the proper
mixture, to the hash mark on the label. Wait about
five minutes, then check to see if the level is below
the hash mark. If the level is below the hash mark,
add additional coolant to bring the level up to the
hash mark. Repeat this procedure until the level
remains constant at the hash mark for at least
five minutes.
4. With the coolant surge
tank pressure cap off,
start the engine and
let it run until you
can feel the upper
radiator hose getting
hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fan.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower. If the level is lower than
the FULL COLD mark, add more of the proper
mixture to the coolant surge tank until the level
reaches the FULL COLD mark.

6-
6-1
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6
-2 Service
6
-3 Fuel
6
-5 Fuels in Foreign Countries
6
-6 Filling Your Tank
6
-8 Filling a Portable Fuel Container
6
-9 Checking Things Under the Hood
6
-14 Engine Oil
6
-21 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
6
-23 Automatic Transaxle Fluid
6
-24 Manual Transaxle Fluid
6
-24 Hydraulic Clutch
6
-25 Engine Coolant
6
-28 Surge Tank Pressure Cap
6
-29 Power Steering Fluid6
-29 Windshield Washer Fluid
6
-31 Brakes
6
-35 Battery
6
-36 Bulb Replacement
6
-43 Tires
6
-51 Appearance Care
6
-52 Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
6
-54 Care of Safety Belts
6
-55 Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
6
-60 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
6
-61 Electrical System
6
-66 Replacement Bulbs
6
-66 Capacities and Specifications
6
-67 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

6-3
CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.

Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.

Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your dealer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
87 or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a
heavy knocking noise when you drive. If it is bad
enough, it can damage your engine. A little pinging
noise when you accelerate or drive uphill is considered
normal. This does not indicate a problem exists or that a
higher
-octane fuel is necessary.
Gasoline Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association and endorsed by the
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association for better
vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasolines
meeting these specifications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasolines.

6-5 Additives
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane
-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does
not recommend the use of such gasolines. Fuels
containing MMT can reduce the life of spark plugs and
the performance of the emission control system may be
affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer
for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work properly.
You should not have to add anything to your fuel.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be available in
your area to contribute to clean air. General Motors
recommends that you use these gasolines, particularly if
they comply with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don't use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your
fuel system and also damage plastic and rubber
parts. That damage wouldn't be covered under
your warranty.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use of improper fuel wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you'll be driving.