2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU coolant

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/retailer. 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
When towing a trailer on long uphill grades while
the outside temperature is above 85°F (29°C),
reduce your vehicle speed to 45 mph (72 km/h)
to avoid overheating the engine cooling system.
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gearbefore
you 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.
Pay attention to the engine coolant gage.
If the indicator is in the red area, turn off the
air conditioning to reduce engine load. See
Engine Overheating on page 371.
338

Service........................................................ 344
Accessories and Modications................... 344
California Proposition 65 Warning.............. 345
Doing Your Own Service Work.................. 345
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle.......................................... 346
Fuel............................................................. 346
Gasoline Octane........................................ 346
Gasoline Specications.............................. 347
California Fuel........................................... 347
Additives................................................... 347
Fuels in Foreign Countries........................ 348
Filling the Tank......................................... 349
Filling a Portable Fuel Container............... 351
Checking Things Under the Hood.............. 352
Hood Release........................................... 352
Engine Compartment Overview.................. 354
Engine Oil................................................. 359
Engine Oil Life System.............................. 362
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter............................ 364
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
(2.2L L4 and 3.5L V6 Engines).............. 365Automatic Transaxle Fluid
(3.9L V6 Engine).................................... 366
Engine Coolant.......................................... 368
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap............ 371
Engine Overheating................................... 371
Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode (3.5L V6 and 3.9L V6 Engines).... 373
Cooling System......................................... 374
Power Steering Fluid................................. 379
Windshield Washer Fluid........................... 380
Brakes...................................................... 381
Battery...................................................... 384
Jump Starting............................................ 385
Bulb Replacement....................................... 389
Halogen Bulbs........................................... 389
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and
Parking Lamps....................................... 390
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps
and Back-up Lamps............................... 392
License Plate Lamp................................... 393
Replacement Bulbs................................... 394
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement....... 394
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
341

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing, and tools
away from any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine
parts and start a re. These include
liquids like fuel, oil, coolant, brake uid,
windshield washer and other uids, and
plastic or rubber. You or others could be
burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the hood
release handle with
this symbol on it.
It is located
inside the vehicle to
the left of the
steering column.
352

A. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 364.
B. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 359.
C. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine
Oil” underEngine Oil on page 359.
D. Engine Coolant Surge Tank. SeeCooling
System on page 374.E. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid” under
Brakes on page 381.
F. Battery. SeeBattery on page 384.
G. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. SeeEngine
Compartment Fuse Block on page 449.
H. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
“Adding Washer Fluid” underWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 380.
355

A. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 364.
B. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir (If Equipped).
SeePower Steering Fluid on page 379
C. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine
Oil” underEngine Oil on page 359.
D. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 359.
E. Engine Coolant Surge Tank. SeeCooling
System on page 374.F. Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap. See
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap on page 371
G. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid”
underBrakes on page 381.
H. Battery. SeeBattery on page 384.
I. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. SeeEngine
Compartment Fuse Block on page 449.
J. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
“Adding Washer Fluid” underWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 380.
357

A. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 364.
B. Engine Coolant Bleed Valve. SeeCooling
System on page 374
C. Power Steering Fluid. SeePower Steering
Fluid on page 379.
D. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick (Out of
View). See “Checking Fluid Level” under
Automatic Transaxle Fluid (2.2L L4 and
3.5L V6 Engines) on page 365orAutomatic
Transaxle Fluid (3.9L V6 Engine) on page 366.
E. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add
Engine Oil” underEngine Oil on page 359.
F. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 359.
G. Engine Coolant Surge Tank. SeeCooling
System on page 374.
H. Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap. See
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap on page 371
I. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid”
underBrakes on page 381.
J. Battery. SeeBattery on page 384.K. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
“Adding Washer Fluid” underWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 380.
L. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. SeeEngine
Compartment Fuse Block on page 449.
Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check the engine oil every time
you get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading,
the oil must be warm and the vehicle must be
on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is a yellow loop.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 354
for the location of the engine oil dipstick.
1. Turn off the engine and give the oil
several minutes to drain back into the oil pan.
If you do not do this, the oil dipstick might
not show the actual level.
2. Pull the dipstick and clean it with a paper
towel or cloth, then push it back in all the
way. Remove it again, keeping the tip down
and check the level.
359

How to Add Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine
what kind of transaxle uid to use. See
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 468.
If the uid level is low, add only enough of the
proper uid to bring the level into the crosshatched
area on the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough uid at
the dipstick hole to bring it to the proper level.
It does not take much uid, generally less
than one pint (0.5 L). Do not overll.
Notice:Use of the incorrect automatic
transaxle uid may damage your vehicle, and
the damages may not be covered by your
warranty. Always use the automatic transaxle
uid listed inRecommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 468.
3. After adding uid, recheck the uid level as
described under “How to Check Automatic
Transaxle Fluid,” 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 ve years or
150,000 miles (240 000 km), whichever occurs
rst, if you add only DEX-COOL
®extended
life coolant.
The following explains the cooling system and
how to add coolant when it is low. If there is
a problem with engine overheating, seeEngine
Overheating on page 371.
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.
368

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
the rst maintenance service after each
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.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water
and one-half DEX-COOL®coolant which will
not damage aluminum parts. If you use this coolant
mixture, you do not need to add anything else.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for
the proper coolant mixture. With plain
water or the wrong mixture, your engine
could get too hot but you would not get the
overheat warning. Your engine could catch
re and you or others could be burned. Use
a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX-COOL
®coolant.
Notice:If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly
damaged. The repair cost would not be covered
by your warranty. Too much water in the
mixture can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core, and other parts.
369