2003 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Owners Manual

Selecting the Fan Speed
9
(Fan):Turn the left knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or decrease the fan speed.
Turn the knob to OFF to turn off the fan. The fan
must be turned on for the air conditioning compressor to
operate.
If the air¯ow seems low when the fan is at the highest
setting, the passenger compartment air ®lter, if
equipped, may need to be replaced. For more
information, see
Passenger Compartment Air Filter on
page 3-28andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-5.
Selecting Outside Air or Recirculation
The outside air mode is used to bring outside air
into your vehicle; also use this mode to remove excess
moisture from the inside of the windows. The
recirculation mode is used to recirculate the air inside of
your vehicle; also use this mode to help prevent
outside odors and/or dust from entering your vehicle or
to help heat or cool the air inside of your vehicle
quickly.
:(Outside Air):Press this button to turn the
outside air mode on. When this button is pressed, an
indicator light in the button will come on to let you know
that it is activated. During daylight hours, you may
have to adjust the instrument panel brightness control to
the highest setting in order to see the indicator light.
See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
When this mode is on, outside air will circulate
throughout your vehicle. The outside air mode can be
used with all modes, except the recirculation mode.
If you are in city traffic and your vehicle is stopped and
idling, or the weather is hot, you may switch the
system from Outside Air to Recirculation. This will help
prevent the air inside of your vehicle from becoming
stale, be sure to return to Outside Air periodically.
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?(Recirculation):Press this button to turn the
recirculation mode on. When this mode is on, inside air
and a small percentage of outside air will recirculate
throughout your vehicle. This selection will reduce
the entry of outside air and odors from entering your
vehicle, it may also help heat or cool your vehicle more
quickly. When this button is pressed, an indicator
light in the button will also come on to let you know that
it is activated. During daylight hours, you may have
to adjust the instrument panel brightness control to the
highest setting in order to see the indicator light.
See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
The recirculation mode can be used with vent and
bi-level modes, but it cannot be used with ¯oor, defog,
defrost or outside air modes.
This system will default back to the outside air setting,
so you will have to re-select this setting every time
that you start the vehicle.
If the weather is cold and damp, the system may cause
the windows to fog while using the recirculation
mode. If the windows do start to fog, do the following:
1. Select the defog or defrost mode.
2. Select the temperature.
3. Select the highest fan speed.
4. Operate the system in the outside air mode, to help
prevent a recurrence.
Heating
Adjust the air temperature by using the following levers:
D (Driver):Slide this lever up or down to raise or
lower the temperature on the driver's side of the vehicle.
P (Passenger):Slide this lever up or down to raise
or lower the temperature on the passenger's side of the
vehicle.
To warm your vehicle on cold days, do the following:
1. Select the ¯oor mode.
2. Select the warmest temperature.
3. Select the fan speed.
4. Select outside air mode, after the air has warmed,
to prevent it from becoming too stale.
When it's cold outside 0ÉF (-18ÉC) or lower, use the
engine coolant heater, if equipped, to provide warmer air
faster to your vehicle. An engine coolant heater warms
the coolant that the engine uses to provide heat to
warm the inside of your vehicle. For more information,
see
Engine Coolant Heater on page 2-20.
3-24

Cooling
On hot days, open the windows to let hot air escape;
then close them. This helps to reduce the time it takes
for your vehicle to cool down. It also helps the system
to operate more efficiently.
#A/C (Air Conditioning):Press this button to turn
the air-conditioning system on or off. When the system is
on, an indicator light will come on and the system will
begin to cool and dehumidify the air inside of your
vehicle. During daylight hours, you may have to adjust
the instrument panel brightness control to the highest
setting in order to see the indicator light. See
Interior
Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
You may notice a slight change in engine performance
when the air-conditioning compressor shuts off and
turns on again. This is normal. The system is designed
to make adjustments to help with fuel economy while
still maintaining the selected temperature.
The Air Conditioning System removes moisture from the
air, so you may notice a small amount of water
dripping underneath your vehicle when idling or after
turning off the engine.For quicker cool down on hot days, do the following:
1. Select the vent mode.
2. Select A/C.
3. Select the recirculation mode.
4. Select the coolest temperature for both zones.
5. Select the highest fan speeds.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside of your vehicle to become too
dry. To prevent this, after the air inside of your vehicle
has cooled, switch to Outside Air.
On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm the upper
part of your body, but the lower part may not be
warm enough. To remedy this, do the following:
1. Select the bi-level mode.
2. Select A/C.
3. Select the temperature.
4. Select the fan speed.
The air-conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling
or after turning off the engine. This is normal.
3-25

Defogging and Defrosting
Fog on the inside of your windows is a result of high
humidity (moisture) condensing on the cool window
glass. This can be minimized if the climate control
system is used properly.
There are two modes to choose from to clear fog or
frost from your windshield. Use the defog mode to clear
fog or moisture from the windows and warm the
passengers. Use the defrost mode to quickly remove
fog or frost from the windshield.
Turn the right knob clockwise or counterclockwise to
select one of the following modes:
/(Defog):This mode directs half of the air to the
windshield and side window vents and half to the ¯oor
vents. In this mode, the system will automatically
force outside air into your vehicle. The recirculation
mode cannot be selected while in the defog mode. The
air conditioning compressor will run automatically in
this setting, unless the outside temperature is below
40ÉF (4ÉC).
Do not drive the vehicle until all the windows are clear.
0(Defrost):This mode directs most of the air to the
windshield and the side window vents, with only a
little air directed to the ¯oor vents. In this mode, the
system will automatically force outside air into your
vehicle. There is a 5 minute timer linked to this function.
The recirculation mode cannot be selected while in
the defrost mode. The air conditioning compressor will
run automatically in this setting, unless the outside
temperature is below 40ÉF (4ÉC).
Do not drive the vehicle until all the windows are clear.
To circulate outside air and clear the windshield
quickly and bring outside air into your vehicle, do the
following:
1. Select defrost mode.
2. Select the temperature.
3. Select the highest fan speed.
3-26

Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear window.
<(REAR):Press this button to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light in the button
will come on to let you know that the rear window
defogger is activated. During daylight hours, you may
have to adjust the instrument panel brightness control to
the highest setting in order to see the indicator light.
See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
The rear window defogger will turn off approximately
20 minutes after the button is pressed. If turned on
again, the defogger will run for the same amount of time.
The defogger can also be turned off by pressing the
button again or by turning off the engine.
If your vehicle has heated outside rearview mirrors, the
Rear Window Defogger also warms the heated
driver's and passenger's outside rearview mirrors to
help clear them of ice, snow and condensation.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the windows are clear.
Notice:Don't use a razor blade or something
else sharp on the inside of the rear window. If you
do, you could cut or damage the defogger and
the repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Do not attach a temporary vehicle license, tape,
a decal or anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
The ¯ow through ventilation system on your vehicle
allows outside air to enter your vehicle when it is moving.
Outside air will also enter your vehicle when the
air-conditioning compressor is running and even in small
amounts when the recirculation mode is activated.
Use the control located
below or to the side of the
vent, to change the
direction of the air ¯owing
through them or to shut
them off.
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, do the following:
1. Select the vent mode.
2. Select outside air mode.
3. Select the temperature.
4. Select the fan speed.
3-27

Ventilation Tips
·
Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets on the hood that may block the ¯ow of air
into your vehicle. This will help to remove fog
or frost from the windows it will also improve
heating.
·Select the ¯oor mode and set the fan at the highest
speed when ®rst starting your vehicle to help clear
the air intake ducts of moisture or snow. This
will also help to remove fog from the windows.
·Keep the path under the front seats clear of objects
to help circulate the air inside of your vehicle more
effectively.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passenger
compartment particulate air ®lter. It is located
underneath the hood just below the windshield wiper
arm on the passenger's side of the vehicle, underneath
the air inlet grille.
The ®lter traps most of the pollen from air entering the
Climate Control System. Like your engine's air
cleaner/®lter, it may need to be changed periodically to
insure system performance. For information on how
often to change the passenger compartment air
®lter, see
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-5.
3-28

To change the passenger compartment air ®lter, use the
following steps:
1. Turn off the ignition when the windshield wipers are
in the up position.
2. Raise the vehicle hood.
3. Disconnect the windshield washer pump hose from
the fender rail and air inlet grille.
4. Peel back the hood weatherstrip from the
passenger's side of the vehicle halfway to center.5. Remove the air inlet grille retainers.
6. Remove the air inlet grille.
7. Remove the air de¯ector grille in the compartment.
8. Remove the old passenger compartment
air ®lter.
9. Reverse the steps to install the new air ®lter.
For the type of ®lter to use, see
Normal Maintenance
Replacement Parts on page 5-100.
3-29

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle's functions. As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on brie¯y when you start the engine
just to let you know they're working. If you are familiar
with this section, you should not be alarmed when
this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle's functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there's a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays
on when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section
that tells you what to do about it. Please follow this
manual's advice. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly ± and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They're a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a Driver Information Center
(DIC) that works along with the warning lights and
gages. See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 3-52.
3-30