engine CHEVROLET COBALT 2006 1.G Owner's Guide

OIL LIFE
Press the information button until OIL LIFE is displayed.
The engine oil life system shows an estimate of the
oil’s remaining useful life. It will show 100% when the
system is reset after an oil change. It will alert you
to change your oil on a schedule consistent with your
driving conditions.
In addition to the engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in
the Maintenance Schedule in this manual. SeeEngine
Oil on page 5-15andScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4.
Always reset the engine oil life system after an oil
change. See “How to Reset the Engine Oil Life System”
underEngine Oil Life System on page 5-20and
“OIL–LIFE RESET” underDIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 3-43.
COOLANT
Press the information button until COOLANT is
displayed. This mode shows the temperature of the
engine coolant in either degrees Fahrenheit (°F)
or degrees Celsius (°C).
DIC Warnings and Messages
These messages will appear if there is a problem
detected in one of your vehicle’s systems.
Any message will clear when the vehicle’s condition is
no longer present. The warning message will come back
on the next time the vehicle is turned off and back on
if the condition is still present. With most messages,
a warning chime will sound when the message is
displayed. You can also acknowledge and clear some
warning messages from the DIC display by pressing
either the reset or information buttons. Your vehicle may
have other warning messages.
AUTO (Automatic) LIGHTS OFF
This message is displayed if the automatic headlamp
system is disabled with the headlamp switch.
AUTO (Automatic) LIGHTS ON
This message is displayed if the automatic headlamp
system is enabled with the headlamp switch.
BRAKE FLUID
This message will display if the ignition is on to inform
the driver that the brake uid level is low. Have the
brake system serviced by your GM dealer as soon as
possible.
3-40

CHANGE OIL SOON
This message is displayed when the life of the engine
oil has expired and it should be changed.
When you acknowledge the CHANGE OIL SOON
message by clearing it from the display, you still must
reset the engine oil life system separately. See
“OIL-LIFE RESET” underDIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 3-43,Engine Oil Life System on page 5-20,
andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for more
information.
CHECK GAS CAP
This message is displayed if the gas cap has not been
fully tightened. You should recheck your gas cap to
ensure that it is on properly. A few driving trips with
the cap properly installed should turn the display off.
CRUISE ENGAGED
This message is displayed when the cruise control
system is active. SeeCruise Control on page 3-10
for more information.
DOOR AJAR
This message is displayed if one or more of the
vehicle’s doors are not closed properly. When this
message appears, you should make sure that the
door is closed completely.
ENGINE DISABLED
This message is displayed if the starting of the engine is
disabled. Have your vehicle serviced by your GM dealer
immediately.
ENG (Engine) PWR (Power) REDUCED
This message informs you that the vehicle has reduced
engine power to avoid damaging the engine. Reduced
engine power can affect the vehicle’s ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there is no reduction in
performance, proceed to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the next time the vehicle is
driven. The vehicle may be driven at a reduced speed
while this message is on, but acceleration and speed may
be reduced. Anytime this message stays on, the vehicle
should be taken to your GM dealer for service as soon as
possible.
ICE POSSIBLE
This message appears when the outside air temperature
is cold enough to create icy road conditions.
KEY FOB BATT (Battery) LOW
This message is displayed if the remote keyless entry
transmitter battery is low. See “Battery Replacement”
underRemote Keyless Entry System Operation on
page 2-4.
3-41

LOW COOLANT
If your vehicle has a 2.0L engine, this message is
displayed when there is a low level of engine coolant.
Have the cooling system serviced by your GM dealer as
soon as possible. SeeEngine Coolant on page 5-24
for more information.
LOW FUEL
This message is displayed when your vehicle is low on
fuel. You should rell the fuel tank as soon as possible.
SeeFuel Gage on page 3-36,Filling the Tank on
page 5-8, andFuel on page 5-5for more information.
LOW TRACTION
This message is displayed when the Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) is actively limiting wheel spin. Slippery
road conditions may exist if this message is displayed,
so adjust your driving accordingly. SeeEnhanced
Traction System (ETS) on page 4-9for more
information.
PARKING BRAKE
This message is displayed if the parking brake is left
engaged. SeeParking Brake on page 2-27.
POWER STEERING
This message is displayed if a problem has been
detected with the electric power steering. Have your
vehicle serviced by your GM dealer immediately.
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message is displayed when there is a problem
with the airbag system. Let only a qualied technician
work on your vehicle. Have your vehicle serviced
by your GM dealer immediately.
TRUNK AJAR
This message is displayed when the trunk lid of your
vehicle is not closed completely. You should make sure
that the trunk lid is closed completely. SeeTrunk on
page 2-10.
3-42

DIC Vehicle Personalization
Your vehicle has personalization capabilities that allow
you to program certain features to a preferred setting.
All of the features listed may not be available on
your vehicle. Only the features available will be
displayed on your DIC.
The default settings for the features were set when your
vehicle left the factory, but may have been changed
from their default state since then.
To change feature settings, use the following procedure:
Entering Personalization Menu
1. Turn the ignition on while the vehicle is stopped.
2. Press and hold the information and reset buttons at
the same time for one second, then release to enter
the personalization menu.
If the vehicle speed is greater than 2 mph (3 km/h),
only the UNITS menu will be accessible.
3. Press the information button to scroll through the
available personalization menu modes.
Press the reset button to scroll through the available
settings for each mode.
If you do not make a selection within ten seconds,
the display will go back to the previous information
displayed.
Personalization Menu Modes
UNITS
This feature allows you to select the units of
measurement in which the DIC will display the vehicle
information. When UNITS appears on the display, press
and hold the reset button for at least one second to
scroll through the available settings:
ENGLISH (default in United States):All information
will be displayed in English units. For example, distance
will be shown in miles (mi) and fuel economy in miles
per gallon (mpg).
METRIC (default in Canada):All information will be
displayed in metric units. For example, distance will be
shown in kilometers (km) and fuel economy in liters
per 100 kilometers (L/100 km).
Choose one of the available settings and press the
information button to select it and move on to the next
feature.
OIL-LIFE RESET
When this feature is displayed, you can reset the engine
oil life system. To reset the system, seeEngine Oil
Life System on page 5-20. See “OIL LIFE” underDIC
Operation and Displays on page 3-38for more
information.
3-43

Notice:Before adding any sound equipment to your
vehicle, such as an audio system, CD player, CB
radio, mobile telephone, or two-way radio, make sure
that it can be added by checking with your dealer.
Also, check federal rules covering mobile radio and
telephone units. If sound equipment can be added,
it is very important to do it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of your
vehicle’s engine, radio, or other systems, and even
damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may interfere
with the operation of sound equipment that has been
added.
Notice:The chime signals related to safety belts,
parking brake, and other functions of your vehicle
operate through the radio/entertainment system.
If that equipment is replaced or additional equipment
is added to your vehicle, the chimes may not work.
Make sure that replacement or additional equipment
is compatible with your vehicle before installing it.
SeeAccessories and Modifications on page 5-3.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can be played
even after the ignition is turned off. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-20for more
information.Setting the Time
To set the hour, press the clock button. The clock
symbol will appear on the display and the hour number
will ash. Then turn the ADJ knob to increase or to
decrease. To set the minutes, press the clock button
again. The minute numbers will ash. Then turn the
ADJ knob to increase or to decrease. The time can be
set with the ignition on or off.
To synchronize the time with an FM station broadcasting
Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and hold
the clock button to enter the clock set mode, then press
and hold the clock button for three seconds until
UPDATED appears on the display. If the time is not
available from the station, NO UPDATE will appear on
the display.
RDS time is broadcast once a minute. After tuning to an
RDS broadcast station, it may take a few minutes for
the time to update.
3-49

AUTOu(Automatic Volume):With automatic
volume, the audio system adjusts automatically to
make up for road and wind noise as you drive.
Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to
select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. AUTO VOL LOW, AUTO
VOL MEDIUM, or AUTO VOL HIGH will appear on the
display. Each higher setting will allow for more volume
compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you
drive, automatic volume increases the volume, as
necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume
level should always sound the same to you as you drive.
AUTO VOL NONE will appear on the display if the radio
cannot determine the vehicle speed or if the engine is not
running. To turn automatic volume off, press this button
until AUTO VOL OFF appears on the display.
DISP (Display):When the ignition is off, press this
knob to display the time.
For RDS, press the DISP knob to change what appears
on the display. The display options are station name,
RDS station frequency, PTY, and the name of the
program (if available).
For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISP knob, while in
XM™ mode, to retrieve four different categories of
information related to the current song or channel:
Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/
Channel Name.To change the default on the display, press the
DISP knob until you see the display you want, then hold
the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce a beep
and the selected display will now be the default.
Finding a Station
BAND:Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2,
AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display will
show the selection.
ADJ (Adjust):Turn this knob to select radio stations.
©SEEK¨:Press the right or the left arrow to
go to the next or to the previous station and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for
two seconds until you hear a beep. The radio will go to
a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the
next station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning.
To scan preset stations, press and hold either arrow
for more than four seconds until you hear two beeps.
The radio will go to the rst preset station stored on
the pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on
to the next preset station. Press either arrow again
to stop scanning presets.
The radio will only seek and scan stations with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.
3-51

Playing the Radio
O
(Power):Press this knob to turn the system on
and off.
u(Volume):Turn this knob to increase or to decrease
the volume.
AUTO
u(Automatic Volume):With automatic
volume, the audio system adjusts automatically to make
up for road and wind noise as you drive.
Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to
select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. AUTO VOL LOW, AUTO
VOL MEDIUM, or AUTO VOL HIGH will appear on the
display. Each higher setting will allow for more volume
compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you
drive, automatic volume increases the volume, as
necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume
level should always sound the same to you as you drive.
AUTO VOL NONE will appear on the display if the radio
cannot determine the vehicle speed or if the engine is not
running. To turn automatic volume off, press this button
until AUTO VOL OFF appears on the display.
DISP (Display):When the ignition is off, press this
knob to display the time.
For RDS, press the DISP knob to change what appears
on the display. The display options are station name,
RDS station frequency, PTY, and the name of the
program (if available).For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISP knob while in
XM™ mode to retrieve four different categories of
information related to the current song or channel:
Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel
Number/Channel Name.
To change the default on the display, press the DISP
knob until you see the display you want, then hold
the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce a beep
and the selected display will now be the default.
Finding a Station
BAND:Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2,
AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display will
show the selection.
ADJ (Adjust):Turn this knob to select radio stations.
©SEEK¨:Press the right or the left arrow to
go to the next or to the previous station and stay there.
To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for
two seconds until you hear a beep. The radio will go to
a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the
next station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning.
To scan preset stations, press and hold either arrow for
more than four seconds until you hear two beeps. The
radio will go to the rst preset station stored on the
pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the
next preset station. Press either arrow again to stop
scanning presets.
3-58

And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or 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 — 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 are driving, brake
normally but do not 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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that will
help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light on the
instrument panel will come
on briey when you
start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your ABS 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.
4-7

Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the same
time. However, if you do not have ABS, your rst
reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down — may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can
stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle cannot respond
to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel
the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help
you retain steering control. If you do have ABS, it is
different. SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on
page 4-7.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning
or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power and may also upshift the
transaxle to limit wheel spin. You may feel or hear the
system working, but this is normal.
A LOW TRACTION message will appear on the Driver
Information Center (DIC) when the traction control
system is actively limiting wheel spin. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this message is displayed, so
adjust your driving accordingly.
4-9

If your vehicle is in cruise control when the Enhanced
Traction System begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-10.
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on to let you know
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), 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).
The warning light should go off.
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 does not release fully.
If the transaxle shift lever is in any position other
than FIRST (1) and the warning light stays on after
your parking brake is fully released, it means
there is 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 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), your vehicle needs service.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3for more information.
4-10