2013 CHEVROLET CAMARO engine overheat

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-11
English
For vehicles with this gauge, it is
located near the shift lever, and
shows the engine oil temperature.
If the gauge pointer moves into the
red area, it means that the engine
oil has overheated. If the vehicle
has been operated under normal
driving conditions, pull off the road,
stop the vehicle, and turn off the
engine as soon as possible.
See Engine Oil on page 10‑10 for
more information.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
This gauge shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gauge pointer moves toward
the H or shaded icon, the engine is
too hot.
This reading indicates the same
thing as the warning message.
It means that the engine coolant has
overheated. If the vehicle has been
operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop the
vehicle, and turn off the engine as

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
5-12 Instruments and Controls
soon as possible. SeeEngine
Overheating on page 10‑24 for more
information.
Transmission
Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
For vehicles with this gauge, it is
located near the shift lever, and
shows the transmission oil
temperature when the ignition is on.
If the gauge is reading in the red
area and/or a message appears in
the DIC, the vehicle must be
stopped and the cause checked.
One possible cause is a low fluid
level in the transmission. For information on the DIC
messages see
Transmission
Messages on page 5‑38.
Notice: If the vehicle is driven
with the transmission
temperature gauge above the
normal operating range, the
transmission can be damaged.
This could lead to costly repairs
that would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Do not drive the
vehicle while the transmission
temperature gauge reading is
above normal. See your dealer for
service.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-33
UNLATCH TOP
This message displays and a sound
will be heard if you try to lower the
convertible top without first
releasing the front latch. See
Convertible Top on page 2‑18.
Cruise Control Messages
CRUISE SET TO XXX
This message displays when the
cruise control is set and shows the
speed it was set to. SeeCruise
Control on page 9‑38 for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages
DRIVER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
driver door is open. Close the door
completely.
HOOD OPEN
This message will display when the
hood is open. Close the hood
completely.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
passenger door is open. Close the
door completely.
TRUNK OPEN
This message will display when the
trunk is open. Close the trunk
completely.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
A/C OFF DUE TO HIGH
ENGINE TEMP
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
To avoid added strain on a hot
engine, the air conditioning
compressor automatically turns off.
When the coolant temperature
returns to normal, the air
conditioning compressor turns back
on. You can continue to drive the
vehicle. If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
COOLANT LEVEL LOW ADD
COOLANT
This message will display if the
coolant is low. See
Engine Coolant
on page 10‑19.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
IDLE ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
STOP ENGINE
This message displays and a
continuous chime sounds if the
engine cooling system reaches
unsafe temperatures for operation.
Stop and turn off the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so to avoid

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-11
WARNING (Continued)
For more information about
carbon monoxide, seeEngine
Exhaust on page 9‑25.
Run the engine for short periods
only as needed to keep warm, but
be careful.
To save fuel, run the engine for only
short periods as needed to warm
the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of
the way to save heat. Repeat this
until help arrives but only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the
cold. Moving about to keep warm
also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, now and then when you run
the engine, push the accelerator
pedal slightly so the engine runs
faster than the idle speed. This
keeps the battery charged to restart
the vehicle and to signal for help
with the headlamps. Do this as little
as possible to save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method.
{WARNING
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other
damage. Spin the wheels as little
as possible and avoid going
above 55 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire
chains on the vehicle, see Tire
Chains on page 10‑67.
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a forward
gear, or with a manual transmission,
between 1 (First) or 2 (Second) and
R (Reverse), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. To prevent
transmission wear, wait until the
wheels stop spinning before shifting
gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
see Towing the Vehicle on
page 10‑87.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-19
low voltage, try charging or jump
starting the battery. SeeJump
Starting on page 10‑83.
If charging or jump starting the
battery does not work, remove the
plug covering the hole below the
ignition lock. Insert a flat bladed tool
into the opening as far as it will go
and remove the key from the
ignition.
Starting the Engine
Place the transmission in the
proper gear.
Automatic Transmission
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
vehicle when it is already moving,
use N (Neutral) only.
Notice: Do not try to shift to
P (Park) if the vehicle is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped. Manual Transmission
The shift lever should be in Neutral
and the parking brake engaged.
Hold the clutch pedal down to the
floor and start the engine. The
vehicle will not start if the clutch
pedal is not all the way down.
Starting Procedure
1. With your foot off the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to
START. When the engine starts,
let go of the key. The idle speed
will go down as the engine
warms. Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it.
Allow the oil to warm up and
lubricate all moving parts.
The vehicle has a
Computer-Controlled Cranking
System. This feature assists in
starting the engine and protects
components. If the ignition key is
turned to the START position,
and then released when the
engine begins cranking, the
engine will continue cranking for
a few seconds or until the vehicle starts. If the engine does
not start and the key is held in
START for many seconds,
cranking stops after 15 seconds
to prevent cranking motor
damage. To prevent gear
damage, this system also
prevents cranking if the engine
is already running. Engine
cranking can be stopped by
turning the ignition switch to
ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF.
Notice: Cranking the engine for
long periods of time, by returning
the key to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down.
2. If the engine does not start after 5‐10 seconds, especially in very
cold weather (below −18°C or
0°F), it could be flooded with too
much gasoline. Push the
accelerator pedal all the way to

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-21
Using the Engine Coolant
Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap theelectrical cord.
The electrical cord is located on
the passenger side of the engine
compartment, next to the engine
compartment fuse block for
V6 models.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING
Plugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause an
electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could
overheat and cause a fire. 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.
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 do not it could be
damaged.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories may be
used for up to 10 minutes after the
engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Power Windows
.Sunroof (if equipped)
The power windows and sunroof
will continue to work for up to
10 minutes or until any door is
opened. The radio will work when
the key is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY. Once the key is
turned from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF,
the radio will continue to work for
10 minutes, or until the driver door is
opened or the key is removed from
the ignition.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
9-22 Driving and Operating
Shifting Into Park
(Automatic Transmission)
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, seeDriving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑49.
Use this procedure to shift into
P (Park):
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake.
See Parking Brake on page 9‑33
for more information. 2. Hold the button on the shift lever
and push the lever toward the
front of the vehicle into P (Park).
3. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key.Leaving the Vehicle with the
Engine Running
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the engine running.
The vehicle could move suddenly
if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it
could overheat and even catch
fire. You or others could be
injured. Do not leave the vehicle
with the engine running.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, the vehicle must
be in P (Park) and the parking
brake set. Release the button and check that
the shift lever cannot be moved out
of P (Park).
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight
of the vehicle puts too much
force on the parking pawl in the
transmission. This happens when
parking on a hill and shifting the
transmission into P (Park) is not
done properly and then it is difficult
to shift out of P (Park). To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into P (Park). To find
out how, see
“Shifting Into Park”
listed previously.
If torque lock does occur, the
vehicle may need to be pushed
uphill by another vehicle to relieve
the parking pawl pressure, so you
can shift out of P (Park).

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-51
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees
or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn Signals when Towing a
Trailer
The arrows on the instrument panel
flash whenever signaling a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps also flash, telling
other drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes, or stopping.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on
the instrument panel flash for turns
even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. For this reason you may
think other drivers are seeing the
signal when they are not. It is
important to check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before starting down a long
or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, thebrakes might have to be used so
much that they would get hot and no
longer work well. Vehicles with
automatic transmissions can tow in
D (Drive), but M (Manual Mode) is
recommended. See
“Manual Mode”
in Automatic Transmission on
page 9‑26 for more information. Use
a lower gear if the transmission
shifts too often. For vehicles with a
manual transmission, it is better not
to use the highest gear.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, consider the
following: Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal
altitudes. If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades, the
vehicle may show signs similar to
engine overheating. To avoid this,
let the engine run while parked,
preferably on level ground, with the
automatic transmission in P (Park)
for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. For vehicles with manual
transmissions, let the engine run
while parked, preferably on level ground, with the transmission out of
gear and the parking brake applied,
for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If the overheat warning
comes on, see
Engine Overheating
on page 10‑24.
Parking on Hills
{WARNING
Parking the vehicle on a hill with
the trailer attached can be
dangerous. If something goes
wrong, the rig could start to move.
People can be injured, and both
the vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged. When possible, always
park the rig on a flat surface.
If parking the rig on a hill:
1. Press the brake pedal, but do not shift into P (Park) yet for
vehicles with an automatic
transmission, or into gear for
vehicles with a manual