2004 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO heating

Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns while trailering
could cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this so your trailer won’t strike
soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need additional
wiring. Check with your dealer. The arrows on your
instrument panel will ash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also ash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument
panel will ash 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 gearbeforeyou 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 transaxle overheating.
If you have overdrive, you may want to drive in
THIRD (3), instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
X).
4-43

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 uid (don’t overll),
engine oil, drive belts, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you nd 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. SeeEngine Overheating on
page 5-34.
4-45

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

Notice:Use of automatic transaxle uid labeled
other than DEXRON®-III may damage your vehicle,
and the damages may not be covered by your
warranty. Always use DEXRON
®-III labeled automatic
transaxle uid.
3. After adding uid, recheck the uid level as described
under “How to Check” earlier in this section.
4. When the correct uid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is lled with
DEX-COOL®engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs rst, if you add
only DEX-COOL
®extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating or if you need to add coolant to
your radiator, seeEngine Overheating on page 5-34.A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
®coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to−34°F (−37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOL
®may
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
®(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
5-31

Checking Coolant
The coolant recovery tank
is located between the
power steering uid
reservoir and the
underhood fuse block in
the engine compartment
on the passenger’s side of
the vehicle. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for more
information on location.
The vehicle must be on a level surface. When your
engine is cold, the coolant level should be at the COLD
mark or a little higher. When your engine is warm,
the level should be up to the HOT mark or a little higher.
Adding Coolant
If you need more coolant, add the proper DEX-COOL®
coolant mixtureat the coolant recovery tank,but be
careful not to spill it.
If the coolant recovery tank is completely empty, add
coolant to the radiator. SeeEngine Overheating
on page 5-34.
{CAUTION:
Turning the radiator pressure cap when the
engine and radiator are hot can allow steam
and scalding liquids to blow out and burn you
badly. With the coolant recovery tank, you will
almost never have to add coolant at the
radiator. Never turn the radiator pressure
cap — even a little — when the engine and
radiator are hot.
{CAUTION:
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. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
Occasionally check the coolant level in the radiator.
For information on how to add coolant to the radiator,
seeCooling System on page 5-37.
5-33

Radiator Pressure Cap
Notice:The radiator cap on your vehicle is a
pressure-type cap and must be tightly installed to
prevent coolant loss and possible engine damage
from overheating. Be sure the arrows on the cap
line up with the overow tube on the radiator
ller neck.
The radiator pressure cap is located in the front of the
engine compartment on the passenger’s side, near
the diagonal cross brace. SeeEngine Compartment
Overview on page 5-12for more information on location.
Engine Overheating
You will nd a coolant temperature gage and a warning
message about a hot engine on your instrument
panel cluster. SeeEngine Coolant Temperature Gage
on page 3-38andHot Coolant Temperature Warning
Message on page 3-45.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
This emergency operating mode allows your vehicle to
be driven to a safe place in an emergency situation.
If an overheated engine condition exists, an overheat
protection mode which alternates ring groups of
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a signicant loss in power and engine
performance. The low coolant light may come on
and the temperature gage will indicate an overheat
condition exists. Driving extended miles (km) and/or
towing a trailer in the overheat protection mode should
be avoided.
Notice:After driving in the overheated engine
protection operating mode, to avoid engine damage,
allow the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair the
cause of coolant loss, change the oil and reset the
oil life system. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-18.
5-34

If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
{CAUTION:
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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 re. You
or others could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode” underEngine Overheating on page 5-34
for information on driving to a safe place in an
emergency.
Notice:If your engine catches re because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be badly
damaged. The costly repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. See “Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode” underEngine Overheating on
page 5-34for information on driving to a safe place
in an emergency.
5-35

{CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling fan under the hood
can start up even when the engine is not
running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery 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 or above
the COLD mark on
the coolant recovery tank.
To check the coolant
level, look for the COLD
mark on the side of
the coolant recovery tank
that faces the engine.Check to make sure that the coolant level is up to the
COLD ll level on the side of the coolant recovery tank.
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 else in the cooling system.
{CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Do not touch them.
If you do, you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine, it could lose all coolant. That
could cause an engine re, and you could be
burned. Get any leak xed before you drive the
vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check
to see if the electric engine cooling fans are running.
If the engine is overheating, both fans should be
running. If they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
5-38