stop start CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 2002 6.G User Guide

3-13
When a traffic announcement comes on the current
radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is
muted or a cassette tape is playing. The traffic symbol
and TRAFFIC will appear on the display while the
traffic announcement plays. If the cassette tape player
was being used, the tape will stay in the player and
resume play at the point where it stopped.
Radio Messages
CAL ERR (Calibration Error): This message is
displayed when the radio has not been calibrated
properly for the vehicle. You must return to the
dealership for service.
LOCKED: This message is displayed when the
THEFTLOCK

system has locked up. You must
return to the dealership for service.
Playing a Cassette Tape
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer
than that are so thin they may not work well in this
player. The longer side with the tape visible should face
to the right. If the ignition is on and the radio is off,
the tape can be inserted and will begin playing. A tape
symbol is shown on the display whenever a tape is
inserted. If you hear nothing but a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press EJT to remove
the tape and start over. If you want to insert a tape when
the ignition is off, first press EJT or DISP.
While the tape is playing, use VOL, TUNE, SEEK and
PSCAN controls just as you do for the radio. The radio
will display TAPE and an arrow showing which side of
the tape is playing.
If an error appears on the display, see ªCassette Tape
Messagesº later in this section.
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the
previous selection on the tape if the selection has been
playing for less than three seconds. If this pushbutton is
pressed and the current selection has been playing for
more than 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the
current selection. If this pushbutton is pressed and the
current selection has been playing from 3 to 13 seconds,
it will go to the beginning of the previous selection or the
beginning of the current selection, depending upon the
position on the tape. SEEK and a
-1 will appear on the
display while the cassette player is in the previous mode.
If this pushbutton is pressed additional times or held, the
radio will go to the displayed number of previous
selections up to 9. SEEK and a negative number will
appear on the display. Your tape must have at least three
seconds of silence between each selection for previous to
work. The sound will mute while seeking.

3-22
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the
previous track if the current track has been playing for
less than eight seconds. If this pushbutton is pressed and
the current track has been playing for more than eight
seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current track.
TRACK and the track number will appear on the
display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than
once, the player will continue moving back through the
disc. The sound will mute while seeking.
2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track.
TRACK and the track number will appear on the
display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than
once, the player will continue moving forward through
the disc. The sound will mute while seeking.
3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at six
times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the normal
playing speed. Release it to play the track. The display
will show ET and the elapsed time.
4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at six
times the normal playing speed.Press and hold it for more than two seconds to
advance at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release
it to play the track. The display will show ET and the
elapsed time.
6 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM
ON will appear on the display. RDM T and the track
number will appear on the display when each track starts
to play. Press RDM again to turn off random play. RDM
OFF will appear on the display.
 SEEK
: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the
current or previous track. Press the right arrow to go to
the start of the next track. If either of the arrows is held
or pressed more then once, the player will continue
moving backward or forward through the CD.
DISP (Display): Press this knob to see how long the
current track has been playing. ET and the elapsed time
will appear on the display. To change what is normally
shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press the
knob until you see the display you want, then hold the
knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep.
BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when
a CD is playing. The CD will stop but remain in
the player.

4-7
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're driving, brake
normally but don't 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 has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
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.
If there's a problem with
the anti
-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
on. See ªAnti
-Lock Brake
System Warning Lightº in
the Index.

4-14

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you're awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you're following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won't have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.

When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don't get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have
a ªrunning startº that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.

If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)

Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two
-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.

Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it
may be slowing down or starting to turn.

If you're being passed, make it easy for
the following driver to get ahead of you.
Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.

4-15
Loss of Control
Let's review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don't have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don't give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or area
of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren't rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety,
you'll want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on
slippery surfaces because stopping distance will be
longer and vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº
-- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti
-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.

4-18
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can't stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire
-to-road traction isn't as good as on dry roads.And, if your tires don't have much tread left, you'll
get even less traction. It's always wise to go slower
and be cautious if rain starts to fall while you are
driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when
your reflexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It's wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank
filled with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start
to separate from the inserts.

4-40 When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:

start your engine,

shift into a gear, and

release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
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 fluid (don't overfill),
engine oil, drive belts, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find 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. See ªEngine Overheatingº
in the Index.

6-17
NOTICE:
Use only engine oil with the American Petroleum
Institute Certified For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use the
recommended oil can result in engine damage not
covered by your warranty.
GM Goodwrench
oil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
If you are in an area where the temperature falls
below
-20F (-29C), consider using either an
SAE 5W
-30 synthetic oil or an SAE 0W-30 oil. Both
will provide easier cold starting and better protection for
your engine at extremely low temperatures.
Engine Oil Additives
Don't add anything to your oil. The recommended oils
with the starburst symbol are all you will need for good
performance and engine protection.
When to Change Engine Oil
(GM Oil Life System)
Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you
know when to change the engine oil and filter. This is
based on engine revolutions and engine temperature,
and not on mileage. Based on driving conditions, the
mileage at which an oil change will be indicated can
vary considerably. For the oil life system to work
properly, you must reset the system every time the
oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has been
diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is
necessary. A CHANGE ENGINE OIL message will
come on. Change your oil as soon as possible within
the next two times you stop for fuel. It is possible that,
if you are driving under the best conditions, the oil life
system may not indicate that an oil change is necessary
for over a year. However, your engine oil and filter must
be changed at least once a year and at this time the
system must be reset. It is also important to check your
oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must change
your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your last oil
change. Remember to reset the oil life system whenever
the oil is changed.