2004 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO battery

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-3
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-5
Other Warning Devices...................................3-5
Horn.............................................................3-6
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-6
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-6
Cruise Control..............................................3-10
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-13
Interior Lamps..............................................3-15
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-18
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-19
Climate Controls............................................3-20
Dual Climate Control System..........................3-20
Passenger Compartment Air Filter...................3-26
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators.............3-27
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-28
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-31
Tachometer.................................................3-32
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-32
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-33
Voltmeter Gage............................................3-34
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-34
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-36Traction Control System (TCS) Warning Light . . .3-36
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-37
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-38
Oil Pressure Indicator Light............................3-40
Cruise Control Light......................................3-41
Fuel Gage...................................................3-42
Message Center.............................................3-43
Service Traction System Warning Message......3-43
Traction Active Message................................3-43
Battery Warning Message..............................3-44
Hot Coolant Temperature Warning Message.....3-44
Low Oil Pressure Message............................3-45
Low Engine Oil Level Message.......................3-45
Change Engine Oil Message..........................3-46
Low Tire Message........................................3-46
Door Ajar Warning Message...........................3-47
Trunk Ajar Warning Message.........................3-47
Security Message.........................................3-48
Low Washer Fluid Warning Message...............3-48
Low Fuel Warning Message...........................3-49
Low Brake Fluid Warning Message.................3-49
Service Vehicle Soon Message.......................3-50
Highbeam Out Warning Message....................3-50
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave on the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor
vanity lamps, trunk lamp or glove box lamps. If you leave
any of these lamps on, they will automatically turn off
after 10 minutes, if the ignition is off. The lamps
won’t come back on again until you do the following:
Turn the ignition on or
turn the exterior lamps control off, then on again.
If your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on
the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Battery rundown protection will also work if the
headlamps are left on. After having been left on for
10 minutes, the headlamps and the parking lamps will
ash three times. They will remain on for one more
minute before turning off automatically.
Accessory Power Outlets
Your vehicle has a 12-volt outlet which can be used to
plug in electrical equipment such as a cellular telephone,
a compact disc player, etc.
It is located at the rear
of the console.
Lift the cover to access the outlet. When not using the
outlet, make sure the protective cover is in place.
Notice:Leaving electrical equipment on for
extended periods will drain the battery. Always turn
off electrical equipment when not in use and do
not plug in equipment that exceeds the maximum
amperage rating.
3-19

Voltmeter Gage
If your vehicle is equipped
with the 3800 V6 engine it
has a voltmeter gage
that indicates battery
voltage.
If the gage reads less than 12 volts or more than
16 volts while the engine is running, and it stays there,
you may have a problem with the electrical charging
system.
Also, when your gage reads less than 11 volts or more
than 16 volts, your battery life indicator will be
illuminated in the message center. For more information
seeBattery Warning Message on page 3-45.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though,
you need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
The LOW BRAKE FLUID message in the message
center will also appear when there is a brake problem.
SeeLow Brake Fluid Warning Message on page 3-50.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
United StatesCanada
3-35

Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
Check Engine light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Indicator Light
The oil pressure indicator
tells you if you have the
correct oil pressure in your
engine to operate your
vehicle.
Under normal conditions the indicator should read
slightly above the half way point.
If your oil pressure falls too low, the indicator will read
at the low setting in the red zone.3800 V6 Engine
3-41

Battery Warning Message
When the vehicle is started
this message will be
displayed for three
seconds.
If the message is displayed when the engine is running,
you may have a problem with your charging system.
If there is a problem with the charging system, four
chimes will sound when the message comes on.
The battery display will also stay on while the key is in
ON until the engine is started.
If the message stays on after starting the engine it could
indicate a problem with the generator drive belt, or
some other charging system problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving with this message on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with this message
displayed, it helps to turn off all your accessories.
Hot Coolant Temperature Warning
Message
This message is displayed when the cooling system
temperature gets hot. A chime will sound continuously,
also.
Check the coolant temperature gage and the coolant
level. SeeEngine Coolant on page 5-31,Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage on page 3-38andEngine
Overheating on page 5-34for further information.
United StatesCanada
3-45

Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
oor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can not see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
4-29

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 Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under
the Hood....................................................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-18
Supercharger Oil..........................................5-24
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-26
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-28
Engine Coolant.............................................5-31
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-34
Engine Overheating.......................................5-34
Cooling System............................................5-37Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-47
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-48
Brakes........................................................5-50
Battery........................................................5-53
Jump Starting...............................................5-54
Headlamp Aiming...........................................5-60
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-60
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-60
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker,
and Parking Lamps....................................5-60
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Sidemarker Lamps.....................................5-62
Back-Up Lamps............................................5-63
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-63
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-64
Tires..............................................................5-65
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-72
Tire Pressure Monitor System.........................5-73
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-75
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-76
Buying New Tires.........................................5-76
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-77
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-79
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

A. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir.
SeeWindshield Washer Fluid on page 5-48.
B. Battery. SeeBattery on page 5-53.
C. Remote Positive (+) Terminal.
SeeJump Starting on page 5-54.
D. Upper Underhood Fuse Block.
See “Upperhood Fuse Block (Upper)” under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-104.
E. Lower Underhood Fuse Block.
See “Underhood Fuse Block (Lower)” under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-104.
F. Radiator Pressure Cap.
SeeRadiator Pressure Cap on page 5-34.
G. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank.
SeeCooling System on page 5-37.
H. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir.
SeePower Steering Fluid on page 5-47.I. Electric Cooling Fan.
SeeCooling Systemon page 5-37.
J. Engine Oil Fill Cap.
See “Checking Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 5-18.
K. Engine Oil Dipstick.
See “Checking Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 5-18.
L. Bleed Valves (underneath engine shield).
See “How to Add Coolant to the Radiator”
underCooling System on page 5-37.
M. Transaxle Fluid Dipstick.
SeeAutomatic Transaxle Fluid on page 5-28.
N. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir.
SeeBrakes on page 5-50.
O. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter.
SeeEngine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-26.
5-13