2003 CHEVROLET TRACKER engine overheat

To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. It is
located at the front of the engine compartment on
the driver's side.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a ®re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will
not reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.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.
2-18

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{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 ®rmly set.
If you have four-wheel drive and your transfer
case is in NEUTRAL, your vehicle will be free
to roll, even if your shift lever is in PARK (P).
So be sure the transfer case is in a drive
gear ± not in NEUTRAL.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch ®re.
You or others could be injured. Don't leave
your vehicle with the engine running unless
you have to.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your
automatic transmission into PARK (P) properly,
the weight of the vehicle may put too much force on
the parking pawl in the transmission. You may ®nd
it difficult to pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). This is
called ªtorque lock.º To prevent torque lock, set the
parking brake and then shift into PARK (P) properly
before you leave the driver's seat. To ®nd out how,
see
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 2-28.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out
of PARK (P)
beforeyou 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).
2-29

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
engine coolant
temperature. If the gage
pointer moves to the
H (red) side, your engine
is too hot.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated and
you should stop your vehicle and turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-31.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Service Engine Soon Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics-
Second Generation) and is intended to assure that
emissions are at acceptable levels for the life of
the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner environment.
The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light comes on to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that
may not be covered by your warranty.
3-31

Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you'll want to
consider a number of things:
·How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
·What's the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
·Are there any hidden surface obstacles? Ruts?
Logs? Boulders?
·What's at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom with large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes
and they won't have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
{CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause loss of control and a serious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low gear to keep
vehicle speed under control.
4-24

Q:Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A:Yes! These are important because if you ignore
them you could lose control and have a serious
accident.
·When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that's not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could roll over if you don't drive
straight down.
·Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal pressed
down in a manual shift. This is called ªfree-wheeling.º
Your brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
·Unless you have anti-lock: Avoid braking so hard that
you lock the wheels when going downhill. If your
wheels are locked, you can't steer your vehicle.
If your wheels lock up during downhill braking,
you may feel the vehicle starting to slide sideways.
To regain your direction, just ease off the brakes and
steer to keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight
downhill.
Q:Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A:It's much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
it happens going downhill, here's what to do.
·Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
·Shift to PARK (P) (or to neutral with the manual
transmission) and, while still braking, restart the
engine.
·Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
·If the engine won't start, get out and get help.
4-25

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will need
to spin the wheels, but you don't want to spin your wheels
too fast. The method known as ªrockingº can help you get
out when you're stuck, but you must use caution.
{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 ®re or other damage.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Do not 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 on page 5-66.
4-44

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle...........................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-5
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-6
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood.....................5-9
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-16
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-20
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-23
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-26
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-27
Engine Coolant.............................................5-28
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-30
Engine Overheating.......................................5-31
Cooling System............................................5-33
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-40Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-41
Brakes........................................................5-42
Battery........................................................5-45
Jump Starting...............................................5-46
Rear Axle.......................................................5-52
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-53
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-55
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-55
Headlamps..................................................5-55
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps..............5-57
Sidemarker Lamps........................................5-57
Rear Combination Lamps...............................5-58
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-59
Tires..............................................................5-59
In¯ation - Tire Pressure.................................5-60
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-60
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-62
Buying New Tires.........................................5-62
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-63
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-64
Wheel Replacement......................................5-64
Tire Chains..................................................5-66
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-66
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-67
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 15,000 miles
(25 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See
Maintenance Requirements on page 6-2.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice:Too much or too little ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission ¯uid level if you have been driving:
·When outside temperatures are above 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic ± especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the ¯uid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180ÉF to 200ÉF
(82ÉC to 93ÉC).
5-23