warning CHEVROLET CAVALIER 1994 1.G User Guide

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2.2L L4 CLUSTER
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CAVALIER
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Instrument Panel Clusters
Your Chevrolet is equipped with one of
these instrument panel clusters, which
include indicator warning lights and
gages that are explained
on the
following pages. Be sure to read about
those that apply to the instrument panel
cluster for your vehicle.
Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your
speed in both miles per hour (mph) and
kilometers per hour (ltm/h). Your
odometer shows how far your vehicle
has been driven, in either miles (used in
the
U.S.) or kilometers (used in
Canada).
1 Tamper Resistant Odometer
Your Chevrolet has a tamper resistant
odometer.
If you see silver lines
between the numbers, you'll know that
someone has probably tried to turn it
back,
so the numbers may not be true.
You may wonder what happens if your
vehicle needs a new odometer installed.

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Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning
lights and gages that may be on your
vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that
something is wrong before it becomes
serious enough to cause an expensive
repair
or replacement. Paying attention
to your warning lights and gages could
also save you or others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may
be or is a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in
the details
on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when
you turn the ignition key just to let you
lmow they’re working.
If you are familiar
with this section, you should
not be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be
or is a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let
you
know when there’s a problem with your
vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes
on and stays on when you are driving,
or when one of the gages shows there
may be a problem, check the section
that tells you what to do about it. Please
follow the manual’s advice. Waiting to
do repairs can be costly
- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your
warning lights and gages. They’re a big
help.
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FUEL ONLY
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, your fuel gage
tells you about how much fuel you have
left. When the indicator nears
E (Empty),
you still have a little fuel left, but you
should get more soon.
Here are four things that some owners
ask about. None of these show a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts
off before the gage reads I: (Full).
8
-4

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine It takes a little more or less fuel to fill
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 fill the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn
a corner or speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to E when
you turn off the ignition.
For your fuel tank capacity, see
Service
Station Information
on the last page of
this manual.
I80 110- -
hgine Coolant Temperature
Gage
With the ignition in the Run position,
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.
If you have been operating
your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull
off the road,
stop your vehicle and turn
off the
engine as soon as possible.
HOT COOLANT CAN
BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this manual
shows what
to do. See the Index under
Engine Overheating.
Low Coolant Warning Light
(3.1 L V6 ENGINE)
If this light comes on and stays on, your
system is low on coolant and the engine
may overheat. See the
Index under
Coolant and have your vehicle serviced
as soon
as you can.
1

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Charging System Light
The charging system light will come on
briefly when you turn on the ignition
and the engine is not running, as a
check to show you it is working. Then it
should
go out. If it stays on, or comes
on while you are driving, you may have
a problem with the electrical charging
system. It could indicate that you have
a loose generator drive belt, or another
electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on
could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with
the light on, be certain to turn
off all
your accessories, such as the radio and
air conditioner.
m
9rake Sysfem Warning Light
tour Chevrolet’s hydraulic brake
;ystem is divided into two parts. If one
)art isn’t working, the other part can
;till work and stop you. For good
)raking, though, you need both parts
vorlting well.
[f the warning light comes on, there
zould be a brake problem. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
rhis light should come
on as you start
the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem.
[f the light comes on while you are
jriving, pull off the road and stop
zarefully.
You may notice that the pedal
.s harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to
stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See
Towing
Your Vehicle in the Index.)
The brake system warning light will also
come
on when you set your parking
brake, and it will stay
on if your parking
brake doesn’t release fully. If it stays on
after your parking brake is
fully
released, it means you have a brake
problem.

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With anti-lock, this light will come on
when you start your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
off. Or, if the light comes on and stays
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 Chevrolet 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
earlier in this part. If
the anti-lock brake system warning light
ever flashes, your anti-lock brake
system is still working but needs service
as soon as possible.
I SHIFT
Shift Light (MANUAL TRANSAXLE)
This light comes on when you need to
shift to the next higher gear. See the
Index under Manual Transaxle.

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CHECK ’
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Check Gages Light
This light will come on briefly when yo1
are starting the engine. If the light
comes on and stays on while you are
driving, check your various gages to see
if they are in the warning zones.
This light will also come on when the
fuel level is low,
1 to 3 gallons (3.8 to
liters)
Oil Warning Light (2.2~ ~4 ENGINE)
If you have a low engine oil pressure
Iroblem, this light will stay on after yob
start your engine, or come on when you
ue driving. This indicates that your
mgine is not receiving enough oil. The
mgine could be low on
oil, or could haw
some other oil problem. Have it fixed
immediately.
The oil light could
also come on in two
other situations:
When the ignition is on but the engin
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’l
come on with the ignition on, you
may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
If you make a hard stop, the light may
come on for a moment.
This is normal.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from
neglected oil problems can be costly and is not covered by your
warranty.

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oil PfeSSUI'e Gage (3.7L V6 ENGINE)
The oil pressure gage shows the engine
oil presure in psi (pounds per square
inch) when the engine is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate pressure in
1tPa. Oil pressure may vary with engine
speed, outside temperature, and oil
viscosity, but readings above the red
warning zone indicate the
normal
operating range.
A reading in the red zone may be
caused by a dangerously low oil level or
other problem causing low oil pressure.
Have your vehicle serviced immediately.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from
neglected oil problems can be costly
and is not covered by your
warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
And you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little while this is
going on. This is the ABS system
testing itself.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock
brake system warning light will stay on
or flash.
See
Anti-lock Brake System Warning
Light
in the Index.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly
an animal jumps out in front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are
slowing down.
If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer wil
separately work the brakes at each fro]
wheel and at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the
brake pressure faster than any driver
1
nt
could.*The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
L-
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change
the time you need to get your foot up to
the brake pedal. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you won’t
have time to apply your brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to stop,
even though you have anti-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the system
working, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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.
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
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Chevrolet’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 “mirrored surface”
- and slow down when you have any
doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking
system (ABS) helps avoid only the
braking slid.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Treat a green light as a warning
signal.
A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both
ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection
or may be
running the red light. flow. Try
to merge into the gap at close
to the prevailing speed. Switch on your
Freeway Driving ~
Mile for mile, freeways (also called
thruways, parkways, expressways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are the
safest of all roads. But they have their
own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway
driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep
to the right. Drive at the same speed
most of the other drivers are driving.
Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a
smooth traffic flow. Treat the left lane
on a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance there is usually a ramp
that leads to the freeway. If you have a
clear view of the freeway as you &ive
along the entrance ramp, you should
begin to check traffic. Try to determine
where you expect to blend with the turn
signal, check your mirrors and
glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with
the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust
your speed to the posted limit or to the
prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay in the
right lane unless
you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your
mirrors. Then use your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance
quickly over your shoulder to make sure
there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow a reasonable
following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway,
move to the proper lane well in
advance. If you miss your exit do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back
up. Drive on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
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