engine overheat CHEVROLET S10 2003 2.G Owners Manual

Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may be equipped with this feature.
In very cold weather, 0ÉF (±18ÉC) 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. At
temperatures above 32ÉF (0ÉC), use of the coolant
heater is not required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The
cord is located in the engine compartment behind
the underhood fuse block on the driver's side of the
vehicle.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110±volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a ®re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will
not reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
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
your dealer in the area where you'll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
2-24

·Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the key, your vehicle is in
PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake ®rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch ®re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is ®rmly set before you leave it. After
you've moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold
the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can
move the shift lever away from PARK (P) without ®rst
pulling it toward you. If you can, it means that the
shift lever wasn't fully locked into PARK (P).
2-34

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds. That's
normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you're driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake
system warning light isn't on, you still have brakes, but
you don't have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don't have anti-lock
brakes and there's a problem with your regular
brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-31.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
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
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
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. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-30for more
information.
United StatesCanada
3-32

Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you'll want to
consider a number of things:
·How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
·What's the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
·Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
·What's at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom with large
rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes
and they won't have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
{CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This
could cause loss of control and a serious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low gear to keep
vehicle speed under control.
4-22

Q:Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A:Yes! These are important because if you ignore
them you could lose control and have a serious
accident.
·When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that's not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive
across. You could roll over if you don't drive
straight down.
·Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal pressed
down in a manual shift. This is called
ªfree-wheelingº. Your brakes will have to do all the
work and could overheat and fade.
Q:Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A:It's much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
it happens going downhill, here's what to do.
·Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
·Shift to PARK (P) (or to neutral with the manual
transmission) and, while still braking, restart the
engine.
·Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
·If the engine won't start, get out and get help.
4-23

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don't want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as ªrockingº can
help you get out when you're stuck, but you must
use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transmission or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment ®re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Do not spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, see
Tire Chains on page 5-70.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, shift into 4HI. Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear (or with a manual transmission, between FIRST (1)
or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R)), spinning the
wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the transmission is in gear. By slowly
spinning your wheels in the forward and reverse
directions, you will cause a rocking motion that may free
your vehicle. If that doesn't get you out after a few
tries, you may need to be towed out. Or, you can use
your recovery hooks if your vehicle has them. If you do
need to be towed out, see
Towing Your Vehicle on
page 4-44.
4-42

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.
If you have an automatic transmission, you should use
THIRD (3) when towing a trailer. Operating your
vehicle in THIRD (3) when towing a trailer will minimize
heat buildup and extend the life of your transmission.
Or, if you have a manual transmission, it's better not to
use FIFTH (5). Just drive in FOURTH (4) (or, as you
need to, a lower gear).
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) (or
the manual transmission out of gear and the parking
brake applied) for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If you do get the overheat warning,
see
Engine Overheating on page 5-30.
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
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, or into gear for a manual
transmission. When parking uphill, turn your wheels
away from the curb. When parking downhill, turn
your wheels into the curb.
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.
4-62

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under
the Hood....................................................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-22
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-25
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-26
Engine Coolant.............................................5-27Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-29
Engine Overheating.......................................5-30
Cooling System............................................5-32
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-39
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-39
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-40
Brakes........................................................5-41
Battery........................................................5-45
Jump Starting...............................................5-46
Rear Axle.......................................................5-51
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-52
Front Axle......................................................5-53
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-54
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-54
Headlamps..................................................5-54
One-Piece Front Turn Signal Lamps................5-56
Two-Piece Front Turn Signal Lamps................5-57
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-58
Taillamps.....................................................5-59
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-59
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-60
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 15,000 miles
(25 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every
50,000 miles (83 000 km).
See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice:Too much or too little ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission ¯uid level if you have been driving:
·When outside temperatures are above 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic±especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
5-22

Manual Transmission Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have it checked is when the engine oil is
changed. However, the ¯uid in your manual transmission
doesn't require changing.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your GM dealership
service department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading.
Notice:Too much or too little ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Check the ¯uid level only when your engine is off, the
vehicle is parked on a level place and the transmission
is cool enough for you to rest your ®ngers on the
transmission case.Then, follow these steps:
1. Remove the ®ller plug.
2. Check that the lubricant level is up to the bottom of
the ®ller plug hole.
3. If the ¯uid level is good, install the plug and be sure
it is fully seated. If the ¯uid level is low, add more
¯uid as described in the next steps.
5-25