engine CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 2003 6.G Owner's Manual

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-4
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-6
Other Warning Devices...................................3-6
Horn.............................................................3-7
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-7
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-7
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-15
Interior Lamps..............................................3-17
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-20
Auxiliary Power Connection (Power Drop).........3-21
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-21
Climate Controls............................................3-22
Dual Climate Control System..........................3-22
Passenger Compartment Air Filter...................3-28
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators.............3-30
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-31
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-33
Tachometer.................................................3-33
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-34
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-34
Voltmeter Gage............................................3-35
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-36
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-37Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light...........................................3-37
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-38
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-38
Oil Pressure Indicator Light............................3-42
Cruise Control Light......................................3-43
Fuel Gage...................................................3-43
Message Center.............................................3-44
Service Traction System Warning Message......3-44
Traction Active Message................................3-45
Battery Warning Message..............................3-45
Hot Coolant Temperature Warning Message.....3-46
Low Oil Pressure Message............................3-46
Low Engine Oil Level Message.......................3-47
Change Engine Oil Message..........................3-47
Low Tire Message........................................3-48
Door Ajar Warning Message...........................3-48
Trunk Ajar Warning Message.........................3-49
Security Message.........................................3-49
Low Washer Fluid Warning Message...............3-50
Low Fuel Warning Message...........................3-50
Low Brake Fluid Warning Message.................3-51
Service Vehicle Soon Message.......................3-51
Highbeam Out Warning Message....................3-52
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

?(Recirculation):Press this button to turn the
recirculation mode on. When this mode is on, inside air
and a small percentage of outside air will recirculate
throughout your vehicle. This selection will reduce
the entry of outside air and odors from entering your
vehicle, it may also help heat or cool your vehicle more
quickly. When this button is pressed, an indicator
light in the button will also come on to let you know that
it is activated. During daylight hours, you may have
to adjust the instrument panel brightness control to the
highest setting in order to see the indicator light.
See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
The recirculation mode can be used with vent and
bi-level modes, but it cannot be used with ¯oor, defog,
defrost or outside air modes.
This system will default back to the outside air setting,
so you will have to re-select this setting every time
that you start the vehicle.
If the weather is cold and damp, the system may cause
the windows to fog while using the recirculation
mode. If the windows do start to fog, do the following:
1. Select the defog or defrost mode.
2. Select the temperature.
3. Select the highest fan speed.
4. Operate the system in the outside air mode, to help
prevent a recurrence.
Heating
Adjust the air temperature by using the following levers:
D (Driver):Slide this lever up or down to raise or
lower the temperature on the driver's side of the vehicle.
P (Passenger):Slide this lever up or down to raise
or lower the temperature on the passenger's side of the
vehicle.
To warm your vehicle on cold days, do the following:
1. Select the ¯oor mode.
2. Select the warmest temperature.
3. Select the fan speed.
4. Select outside air mode, after the air has warmed,
to prevent it from becoming too stale.
When it's cold outside 0ÉF (-18ÉC) or lower, use the
engine coolant heater, if equipped, to provide warmer air
faster to your vehicle. An engine coolant heater warms
the coolant that the engine uses to provide heat to
warm the inside of your vehicle. For more information,
see
Engine Coolant Heater on page 2-20.
3-24

Cooling
On hot days, open the windows to let hot air escape;
then close them. This helps to reduce the time it takes
for your vehicle to cool down. It also helps the system
to operate more efficiently.
#A/C (Air Conditioning):Press this button to turn
the air-conditioning system on or off. When the system is
on, an indicator light will come on and the system will
begin to cool and dehumidify the air inside of your
vehicle. During daylight hours, you may have to adjust
the instrument panel brightness control to the highest
setting in order to see the indicator light. See
Interior
Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
You may notice a slight change in engine performance
when the air-conditioning compressor shuts off and
turns on again. This is normal. The system is designed
to make adjustments to help with fuel economy while
still maintaining the selected temperature.
The Air Conditioning System removes moisture from the
air, so you may notice a small amount of water
dripping underneath your vehicle when idling or after
turning off the engine.For quicker cool down on hot days, do the following:
1. Select the vent mode.
2. Select A/C.
3. Select the recirculation mode.
4. Select the coolest temperature for both zones.
5. Select the highest fan speeds.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside of your vehicle to become too
dry. To prevent this, after the air inside of your vehicle
has cooled, switch to Outside Air.
On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm the upper
part of your body, but the lower part may not be
warm enough. To remedy this, do the following:
1. Select the bi-level mode.
2. Select A/C.
3. Select the temperature.
4. Select the fan speed.
The air-conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling
or after turning off the engine. This is normal.
3-25

Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear window.
<(REAR):Press this button to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light in the button
will come on to let you know that the rear window
defogger is activated. During daylight hours, you may
have to adjust the instrument panel brightness control to
the highest setting in order to see the indicator light.
See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
The rear window defogger will turn off approximately
20 minutes after the button is pressed. If turned on
again, the defogger will run for the same amount of time.
The defogger can also be turned off by pressing the
button again or by turning off the engine.
If your vehicle has heated outside rearview mirrors, the
Rear Window Defogger also warms the heated
driver's and passenger's outside rearview mirrors to
help clear them of ice, snow and condensation.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the windows are clear.
Notice:Don't use a razor blade or something
else sharp on the inside of the rear window. If you
do, you could cut or damage the defogger and
the repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Do not attach a temporary vehicle license, tape,
a decal or anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
The ¯ow through ventilation system on your vehicle
allows outside air to enter your vehicle when it is moving.
Outside air will also enter your vehicle when the
air-conditioning compressor is running and even in small
amounts when the recirculation mode is activated.
Use the control located
below or to the side of the
vent, to change the
direction of the air ¯owing
through them or to shut
them off.
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, do the following:
1. Select the vent mode.
2. Select outside air mode.
3. Select the temperature.
4. Select the fan speed.
3-27

Ventilation Tips
·
Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets on the hood that may block the ¯ow of air
into your vehicle. This will help to remove fog
or frost from the windows it will also improve
heating.
·Select the ¯oor mode and set the fan at the highest
speed when ®rst starting your vehicle to help clear
the air intake ducts of moisture or snow. This
will also help to remove fog from the windows.
·Keep the path under the front seats clear of objects
to help circulate the air inside of your vehicle more
effectively.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passenger
compartment particulate air ®lter. It is located
underneath the hood just below the windshield wiper
arm on the passenger's side of the vehicle, underneath
the air inlet grille.
The ®lter traps most of the pollen from air entering the
Climate Control System. Like your engine's air
cleaner/®lter, it may need to be changed periodically to
insure system performance. For information on how
often to change the passenger compartment air
®lter, see
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-5.
3-28

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part 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 come 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 brie¯y when you start the engine
just to let you know 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 this
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.
Your vehicle may also have a Driver Information Center
(DIC) that works along with the warning lights and
gages. See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 3-52.
3-30

Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You'll know how
fast you're going, about how much fuel is in your tank and many other things you need to drive safely and
economically.
Uplevel 3400 V6 Engine Cluster: United States version with ABS and Traction Control shown, Canada similar
3-31

Uplevel 3800 V6 Engine Cluster: United States version with ABS and Traction Control shown, Canada similar
3-32

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has
been driven in either miles (used in the United States)
or in kilometers (used in Canada).
Your vehicle has a tamper-resistant odometer. If you
see ERROR, you'll know someone has probably
tampered with it and the numbers may not be accurate.
You may wonder what happens if your vehicle needs
a new odometer installed. If the new one can be set to
the mileage total of the old odometer, then that will
be done. But if it can't, then it will be set at zero and a
label must be put on the driver's door to show the
old mileage reading when the new odometer was
installed.
Trip Odometer
Your trip odometer tells how far you have driven since
you last reset it.
Your trip/select reset switch will go back and forth
between the odometer and the trip odometer if the
button is pressed and released within 1.5 seconds. If the
button is pressed and held for longer than 1.5 seconds
while in the trip odometer mode, it will be reset tozero. If the button is pressed and held for longer than
1.5 seconds while in the odometer mode, it will have
no effect.
Your trip odometer will work no matter what position
your key is in, and even if the key isn't in.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays
the engine speed in
thousands of revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:Do not operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, or engine
damage may occur.The 3800 V6 Engine
Shown
3-33

If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your air
bag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not in¯ate in a crash, or they
could even in¯ate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the air bag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The air bag readiness light should ¯ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Voltmeter Gage
If your vehicle is equipped
with the 3800 V6 engine it
has a voltmeter gage
that indicates battery
voltage.
If the gage reads less than 12 volts or more than
16 volts while the engine is running, and it stays there,
you may have a problem with the electrical charging
system.
Also, when your gage reads less than 11 volts or
more than 16 volts, your battery life indicator will be
illuminated in the message center. For more information
see
Battery Warning Message on page 3-45.
3-35