coolant CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1996 1.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used
on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for
you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
These symbols have to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e
TURN
RUNNING
-0
DAYTIME
LAMPS -*
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER -
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL m
V

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
-
In very cold weather, 0°F (- 1 SOC) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help.
You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged
in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To use the coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured.
Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to store
the cord as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we
ask that you contact a
GM dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
2-16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Check Gages Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will come
on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
CHECK
GAGES
Fuel Gage
UNLEADED
FUEL ONLY
The fuel gage, when the
ignition is on, tells you
about how much fuel you
have left
in your tank.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature
and engine oil pressure
gages to see
if they are in the warning zones. The
gage will first indicate EMPTY
(E) before you
are out of fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon
as possible.
2-53

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Listed are four situations you may experience with your
fuel gage:
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before the
gage reads FULL
(F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
fuel 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.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
None
of these indicate a problem with the fuel gage.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
If the gage pointer moves
into
the red area your
engine
coolant temperature.
260 engine is too hot!
TEMP J-- vw
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal
operating conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle, and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
3 LA

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Air Conditioning
Before using your vehicle’s air conditioning, open the
windows to clear the vehicle of hot air. This reduces the
time
it takes for your vehicle to cool down. Then keep
your windows closed for the air conditioner
to work at
its best.
You can use MAX A/C with the temperature knob in the
blue area, when it’s really hot outside and you need to
cool the inside air quickly. MAX A/C lets in only a little
air from the outside.
If you first use
MAX A/C, you can then use A/C with
the temperature knob
in the blue area, as soon as the
vehicle has cooled down,
so outside air will be going
through your vehicle.
If your vehicle has rear air conditioning, setting it on LO
may enhance front A/C performance by allowing
trapped refrigerant
in rear lines to circulate.
When the air conditioning, DEFROST or
BLEND is on,
you may notice a slight increase or decrease in engine
speed, due
to compressor operation. This is normal
because the system is designed
to cycle the compressor
on and off to keep the desired temperature.
Heating
On cold days, use HEATER with the temperature knob
in the red area. Outside air will be brought in through
the floor outlets. The heater works best if
you keep your
windows closed while using
it.
If you use the optional engine coolant heater before
starting your engine, your heating system will produce
warmer air ftdster to heat the passenger compartment in
cold weather. See “Engine Coolant Heater” in the Index.
3-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and
no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce
your
speed to around 45 mph (70 kdh) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil
at a
lower temperature than at normal altitudes.
If you turn
your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar
to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission
in PARK (P) for a few
minutes before turning the engine off. If you do get the
overheat warning, see “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig
on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. ’ Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb
if facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Re-apply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and then shift
to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-36

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overheating (Gasoline Engine)
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle instrument panel.
If you have a diesel engine,
you will also find a low coolant light
on your
instrument panel.
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see "Engine
Overheating"
in the GM Diesel Engine Supplement.
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.
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.
5-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Coolant Recovery Tank
C. Engine Fan(s)
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
The coolant level should be at
or above the FULL
COLD mark.
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.
5-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
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.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again. See
if the fan speed increases when idle speed is doubled by
pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn’t, your
vehicle needs service. Turn
off the engine.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the FULL COLD mark, add a 5060 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL’”
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index for
more information.)
Adding only plain water to your cooling sy,,,m
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 could
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 DEX=COOL
TM antifreeze.
c 11

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I 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.
A CAIJTION:
-
You can be b ed 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 the
FULL COLD 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.
5-14