engine CHEVROLET TRACKER 1996 Workshop Manual
Page 206 of 387
6. Positive (+) goes to positive (+) and negative (-)
goes to negative (-) or a metal engine part. Don’t
connect positive (+) to negative (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other
parts,
too. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the
positive
(+) terminal of the vehicle with the dead
battery. Use a remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
7. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect
it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
8.
positive (+> terminal if
the vehicle has one.
Now connect the black
negative (-> cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the
other end
touch anything until the
next step.
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9. The other end of the negative (-) cable doesn’t go to the
dead battery.
It goes to a heavy unpainted metal part on
the engine of the vehicle with the dead battery. Attach
the
cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away from the
dead battery, but not near engine parts that move.
The electrical connection is just as good there, but the
chance
of sparks getting back to the battery is much less.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it won’t
the engine for a while.
start after a few tries, it probably needs service.
12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
€3. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
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Page 213 of 387
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your Geo
instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
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 everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign
of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out
of the vehicle until the
engine
is cool.
I NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant,
your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered
by your warranty.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little
too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window
as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
or
DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE @
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can dnve.
Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the
warning doesn’t come back on, you can dnve normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to
see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll
see:
c
A. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Fan
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
A CAUTION:
An electric 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. Don’t reach through
the grille to release the underhood lever.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything
else until it cools down.
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The coolant level should be at or above FULL. If it
isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water
pump or somewhere else in the
cooling system.
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine
if there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose
all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fan is running. If the engine is
overheating, the
fan should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at or above the
FULL mark, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and a proper antifi-eeze at
the coolant recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant” in the
Index for more information about the proper coolant mix.)
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can
be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid
like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix
will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set
for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine couId
get
too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and
you or
others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix of clean
water and a proper antifreeze.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant
mix.
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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. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at or
above the FULL mark start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you do it.
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6. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fan.
filler neck may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more
of the proper mix through the filler neck until
the level reaches the base
of the filler neck.
7. By this time the coolant level inside the radiator
8. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure if coolant begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
arrows on the pressure cap line up like this.
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If a Tire Goes Plat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especiaIIy
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak put slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal
and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go.
It may be
very
bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly
to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
I
’ A CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people.
You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle
from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift
lever in PARK (P) or shift a manual
transmission to FIRST (1) or
REVERSE
(R).
3. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle,
be sure the transfer case is in
a drive
gear
-- not in NEUTRAL (N).
4. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle,
at the opposite end.
~~
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