light CHEVROLET CAVALIER 2003 3.G Owner's 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
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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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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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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:Modi®cations 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.
Modi®cations 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 doesn't come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
·Light FlashingÐ A mis®re condition has been
detected. A mis®re increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
·Light On SteadyÐ 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 ªIf
the Light Is On Steadyº 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 ªIf the Light Is On
Steadyº following. If the light is still ¯ashing, follow the
previous steps, and see your dealer for service as soon
as possible.
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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. See
Filling 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 5-4. 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, mis®ring, 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.
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.
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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:
Don't 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:Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
3-33

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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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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3-35

Theft-Deterrent Feature
(Non RDS Radios)
THEFTLOCKžis designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN). If
the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOC will be displayed.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
(RDS Radios)
THEFTLOCKžis designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN). If
the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOCKED will be displayed.
When the ignition is off and RAP is not active, the
blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not
operate if stolen.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
XMŸ Satellite Radio Service
(USA Only)
XMŸ Satellite Radio gives you digital radio reception
from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings
or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing
the sound to come and go. Your radio may display
NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
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Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren't, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN to
indicate that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this
message appears on the display, your cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes,
but you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to your tapes and player. If you notice
a reduction in sound quality, try a known good
cassette to see if the tape or the tape player is at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement in sound
quality, clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealership.The broken tape detection feature of your cassette tape
player may identify the cleaning cassette as a
damaged tape, in error. To prevent the cleaning cassette
from being ejected, use the following steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press and hold the TAPE CD button for ®ve
seconds. READY will appear on the display and a
cassette symbol will ¯ash for ®ve seconds.
4. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette.
5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer's
recommended cleaning time.
After the cleaning cassette is ejected, the broken tape
detection feature will be active again.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to
clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will
not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner
may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type
cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type
cleaning cassette is not recommended.
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