warning light CHEVROLET CAVALIER 2003 3.G User Guide

Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
If your vehicle is equipped with the Enhanced Traction
System (ETS), this warning light should come on
brie¯y 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 back
on, move the shift lever back to a position other than
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2). The warning light
should go off. See
Enhanced 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
3-28

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 brie¯y 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. See
Check Gages Warning
Light on page 3-34for 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.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-25. United States
Canada
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3-29

Low Coolant Warning Light
This light comes on brie¯y
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. See
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage on
page 3-29.
Notice:Damage to your engine from neglected
coolant problems can be costly and is not covered
by your warranty.
See
Engine Coolant on page 5-22for 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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PasslockžWarning Light
This light will come on brie¯y when you turn the key to
START.
If the light ¯ashes, the Passlock
žsystem has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, seePasslockž
on page 2-16.
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
žsystem. Your vehicle will not be protected by
Passlockž, and you should see your dealer.
Check Gages Warning Light
This light will come on brie¯y 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.
See
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage on page 3-29andFuel Gage on page 3-35. United States
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3-34

Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
brie¯y when you turn on
the ignition.
It will stay on or come on if it detects a problem on the
vehicle. If this happens, see your dealer's service
department as soon as possible.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left. When the indicator nears empty, the CHECK
GAGES light will come on. You still have about
1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of fuel left, but you should get more
soon. See
Check Gages Warning Light on page 3-34earlier in this section for more information.
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, see
Capacities and
Speci®cations on page 5-85.
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Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could
be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough
space between your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 pacewith 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 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 brie¯y 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.
4-6

This light will come on when your Enhanced Traction
System is limiting wheel spin. SeeEnhanced Traction
System Active Light on page 3-29.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
When the transaxle shift lever is in any position other
than FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and the parking brake is
fully released, this warning light will come on to let
you know if there's a problem with the system.See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-28. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The Enhanced Traction System can operate when the
transaxle shift lever is in any position other than
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2). To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
use REVERSE (R), THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D). See
Automatic Transaxle Operation
on page 2-22. If your vehicle ever gets stuck in
sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required,
see
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-29.
When you move the shift lever to FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2), the system will turn off. The Enhanced
Traction System warning light will come on and stay on.
If the Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel
spin when you move the shift lever to another position,
the system won't turn off right away. It will wait until
there's no longer a current need to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by moving
the shift lever to any position other than FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2). The Enhanced Traction System warning
light should go off. United States
Canada
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4-9

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you're going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if
your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see re¯ections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops ªdimpleº the water's surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine's air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you can't avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through ¯owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
¯owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Don't ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through ¯owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
·Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
·Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-51
.
4-18

City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You'll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
·Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into
an unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
·Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You'll save time and energy.
See the next part, ªFreeway Driving.º
·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.
4-19

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
·Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
·You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer ¯uid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a ¯ashlight, a red
cloth and a couple of re¯ective warning triangles. And, if
you will be driving under severe conditions, include a
small bag of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of
burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
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