engine CHEVROLET CAVALIER 2004 3.G Owner's Manual

If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-29.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle is equipped
with the anti-lock brake
system, the light will come
on when your engine is
started and may stay on for
several seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon
as possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays
on, or comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning
light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-25.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN. This
is normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
If your vehicle is equipped with the Enhanced Traction
System (ETS), this warning light should come on
briey as you start the engine. If the warning light
doesn’t come on, then have it xed so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem.
If the warning light stays on, or comes on when you’re
driving, there may be a problem with your Enhanced
Traction System and your vehicle may need service.
When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by moving the shift lever
to FIRST (1) or SECOND (2), the warning light will
come on and stay on. To turn the system backon, move the shift lever back to a position other
than FIRST (1) or SECOND (2). The warning light
should go off. SeeEnhanced Traction System (ETS)
on page 4-8for more information.
The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running, and it will
stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release fully. If
the transaxle shift lever is in any position other
than FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and the warning
light stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means there’s a problem with the
system.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the vehicle is driven on an extremely rough road,
the warning light may come on momentarily but will
go off again when the vehicle leaves the rough
surface.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light comes
on and stays on for an extended period of time when the
transaxle shift lever is in any position other than
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2), your vehicle needs service. United States
Canada
3-27

Enhanced Traction System
Active Light
When your Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel
spin, this light will come on. Slippery road conditions
may exist if the Enhanced Traction System active light
comes on, so adjust your driving accordingly.
This light may also come on when the anti-lock brake
system is active.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel spin.
The Enhanced Traction System active light also comes
on briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If
the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will be
there to tell you when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
Your vehicle is equipped with one of these gages. With
the ignition in RUN, this gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine
is too hot! It means that your engine coolant has
overheated. The CHECK GAGES light should come on
if this condition exists. SeeCheck Gages Warning
Light on page 3-33for more information. If you have
been operating your vehicle under normal conditions,
you should pull off the road, stop your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-23. United States
Canada
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3-28

Low Coolant Warning Light
This light comes on
briey when you turn
your ignition on.
If this light comes on and stays on, the coolant level in
your vehicle is low. If the light is on along with an
overheat warning, you may have a serious overheating
problem. SeeEngine Coolant Temperature Gage on
page 3-28.
Notice:If you operate the engine without coolant
or fail to maintain the cooling system properly,
you could damage the engine. The repairs would not
be covered by your warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for
maintaining your cooling system. SeeCooling
System on page 5-25for more information.
SeeEngine Coolant on page 5-20for information on
what to do. Your vehicle should be serviced as soon as
possible.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine 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 CHECK ENGINE 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.
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3-29

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.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running. If the light does not come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park your vehicle. Turn the key off,
wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine. If
the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On
Steady” following. If the light is still ashing, follow the
previous steps, and see your dealer for service as soon
as possible.
3-30

If the Light Is on Steady
You also may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, misring, hesitation
on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
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.
3-31

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 Light
If you have a low engine
oil pressure problem, this
light will stay on after
you start your engine, or
come on when you
are driving. This indicates
that your engine is not
receiving enough oil.
The engine could be low on oil, or could have some
other oil problem. Have it xed immediately.The oil light could also come on in three other situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine is not
running, the light will come on as a test to show you
it is working, but the light will go out when you
turn the ignition to START. If it doesn’t come on with
the ignition on, you may have a problem with the
fuse or bulb. Have it xed right away.
If you’re idling at a stop sign, the light may blink on
and then off.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for
a moment. This is normal.
{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.
3-32

Passlock®Warning Light
This light will come on briey when you turn the key
to START.
If the light ashes, the Passlock
®system has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, seePasslock®
on page 2-15.
On vehicles equipped with the remote keyless entry
system, when the ignition is off and the security system
is armed, the light will ash to indicate that the
security system is active.
If the light comes on continuously while driving and
stays on, there may be a problem with the
Passlock
®system. Your vehicle will not be protected by
Passlock®, and you should see your dealer.
Check Gages Warning Light
This light will come on briey when you are starting the
engine. If it comes on and stays on while you are
driving, check your various gages to see if they are in
the warning zones or if you are low on fuel.
SeeEngine Coolant Temperature Gage on page 3-28
andFuel Gage on page 3-34. United States
CanadaUnited StatesCanada
3-33

Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to
ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
For your fuel tank capacity, seeCapacities and
Specications on page 5-85.
Audio System(s)
Notice:Before adding any sound equipment to
your vehicle, like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone, or two-way radio, make sure that it can
be added by checking with your dealer. Also,
check federal rules covering mobile radio and
telephone units. If sound equipment can be added,
it is very important to do it properly.Added sound equipment may interfere with the
operation of your vehicle’s engine, radio, or other
systems, and even damage them. Your vehicle’s
systems may interfere with the operation of sound
equipment that has been added improperly.
Figure out which audio system is in your vehicle, nd
out what your audio system can do, and how to operate
all of its controls.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can be
played even after the ignition is turned off. See
“Retained Accessory Power (RAP)” underIgnition
Positions on page 2-16.
Setting the Time for Radios without
Radio Data Systems (RDS)
Press and hold the HR or MIN arrow for two seconds.
Then press HR until the correct hour appears on
the display. Press and hold MIN until the correct minute
appears on the display. The time can be set with the
ignition on or off.
3-35

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briey when
you start your vehicle.When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
4-6