engine overheat CHEVROLET SONIC 2018 User Guide

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Vehicle Care 229
What to Use
{Warning
Plain water, or other liquids such
as alcohol, can boil before the
proper coolant mixture will. With
plain water or the wrong mixture,
the engine could get too hot but
there would not be an overheat
warning. The engine could catch
fire and you or others could be
burned.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
coolant. This mixture:
. Gives freezing protection down
to−37 °C (−34 °F), outside
temperature.
. Gives boiling protection up to
129 °C (265 °F), engine
temperature.
. Protects against rust and
corrosion.
. Will not damage aluminum parts. .
Helps keep the proper engine
temperature.Caution
Do not use anything other than a
mix of DEX-COOL coolant that
meets GM Standard
GMW3420 and clean, drinkable
water. Anything else can cause
damage to the engine cooling
system and the vehicle, which
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Never dispose of engine coolant by
putting it in the trash, pouring it on
the ground, or into sewers, streams,
or bodies of water. Have the coolant
changed by an authorized service
center, familiar with legal
requirements regarding used
coolant disposal. This will help
protect the environment and your
health.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level
surface when checking the coolant
level.
It is normal to see coolant moving in
the upper coolant hose return line
when the engine is running.
Check to see if coolant is visible in
the coolant surge tank. If the coolant
inside the coolant surge tank is
boiling, do not do anything else until
it cools down.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/12/17
230 Vehicle Care
If coolant is visible but the coolant
level is not at or above the mark
pointed to, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean drinkable water and
DEX-COOL coolant.
Be sure the cooling system is cool
before this is done.
If no coolant is visible in the coolant
surge tank, add coolant as follows:
How to Add Coolant to the
Coolant Surge Tank
{Warning
Steam and scalding liquids from a
hot cooling system are under
pressure. Turning the pressure
cap, even a little, can cause them
to come out at high speed and
you could be burned. Never turn
the cap when the cooling system,
including the pressure cap, is hot.
Wait for the cooling system and
pressure cap to cool.
{Warning
Plain water, or other liquids such
as alcohol, can boil before the
proper coolant mixture will. With
plain water or the wrong mixture,
the engine could get too hot but
there would not be an overheat
warning. The engine could catch
fire and you or others could be
burned.
{Warning
Spilling coolant on hot engine
parts can burn you. Coolant
contains ethylene glycol and it will
burn if the engine parts are hot
enough.
Caution
Failure to follow the specific
coolant fill procedure could cause
the engine to overheat and could
cause system damage. If coolant
is not visible in the surge tank,
contact your dealer.
If no problem is found, check to see
if coolant is visible in the coolant
surge tank. If coolant is visible but
the coolant level is not at the
indicated level mark, add a 50/
50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX-COOL coolant at the
coolant surge tank, but be sure the
cooling system, including the
coolant surge tank pressure cap, is
cool before you do it.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Vehicle Care 231
1.4L Engine Shown, 1.8L EngineSimilar
1. Remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap when the cooling
system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot.
Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise about
one-quarter of a turn. If you
hear a hiss, wait for that to
stop. This will allow any
pressure still left to be vented
out the discharge hose.
2. Keep turning the pressure cap slowly and remove it.
3. Fill the coolant surge tank withthe proper mixture to the
indicated level mark.
4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, start the
engine and let it run until you
can feel the upper radiator
hose getting hot. Watch out for
the engine cooling fan.
By this time, the coolant level
inside the coolant surge tank
may be lower. If the level is
lower, add more of the proper
mixture to the coolant surge
tank until the level reaches the
indicated level mark. 5. Replace the pressure cap
tightly.
Check the level in the coolant surge
tank when the cooling system has
cooled down. If the coolant is not at
the proper level, repeat Steps 1–
3 and reinstall the pressure cap.
If the coolant still is not at the proper
level when the system cools down
again, see your dealer.Caution
If the pressure cap is not tightly
installed, coolant loss and engine
damage may occur. Be sure the
cap is properly and tightly
secured.
Engine Overheating
The vehicle has an indicator to warn
of the engine overheating.
If the decision is made not to lift the
hood when this warning appears,
get service help right away. See
Roadside Assistance Program
0 315.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
232 Vehicle Care
If the decision is made to lift the
hood, make sure the vehicle is
parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine
cooling fan is running. If the engine
is overheating, the fan should be
running. If it is not, do not continue
to run the engine. Have the vehicle
serviced.
Caution
Do not run the engine if there is a
leak in the engine cooling system.
This can cause a loss of all
coolant and can damage the
system and vehicle. Have any
leaks fixed right away.
If Steam Is Coming from the
Engine Compartment
{Warning
Steam and scalding liquids from a
hot cooling system are under
pressure. Turning the pressure(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
cap, even a little, can cause them
to come out at high speed and
you could be burned. Never turn
the cap when the cooling system,
including the pressure cap, is hot.
Wait for the cooling system and
pressure cap to cool.
If No Steam Is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
. Stops after high-speed driving.
. Idles for long periods in traffic.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam: 1. Turn the air conditioning off. 2. Turn the heater on to the
highest temperature and to the
highest fan speed. Open the
windows as necessary.
3. When it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to P (Park) or
N (Neutral) for an automatic
transmission or Neutral for a
manual transmission, and let
the engine idle.
If the overheat warning no longer
displays, the vehicle can be driven.
Continue to drive the vehicle slowly
for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe
vehicle distance from the vehicle in
front. If the warning does not come
back on, continue to drive normally
and have the cooling system
checked for proper fill and function.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is no sign of steam, idle the
engine for three minutes while
parked. If the warning is still
displayed, turn off the engine until it
cools down.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
244 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause
the lamps to go on and off, or in
some cases to remain off. Have the
headlamp wiring checked right away
if the lamps go on and off or
remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to
heavy snow or ice, the windshield
wipers will stop until the motor cools
and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected
from electrical overload, overload
due to heavy snow or ice may
cause wiper linkage damage.
Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem and not snow or
ice, be sure to get it fixed.
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers
The wiring circuits in the vehicle are
protected from short circuits by a
combination of fuses and circuit
breakers. This greatly reduces the
chance of damage caused by
electrical problems.
{Danger
Fuses and circuit breakers are
marked with their ampere rating.
Do not exceed the
specified amperage rating when
replacing fuses and circuit
breakers. Use of an oversized
fuse or circuit breaker can result
in a vehicle fire. You and others
could be seriously injured or
killed.
To check a fuse, look at the
silver-colored band inside the fuse.
If the band is broken or melted,
replace the fuse. Be sure to replace
a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating. Fuses of the same amperage can
be temporarily borrowed from
another fuse location, if a fuse goes
out. Replace the fuse as soon as
possible.
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block
1.8L Engines
The engine compartment fuse block
is on the driver side of the vehicle,
near the battery.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
340 Index
Driving (cont'd)Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
E
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 244
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Emergency
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Check Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 219
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Engine (cont'd)
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Reduced Power Light . . . . . . . . . 121
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 191
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 323
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 132
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 134
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 225
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Forward Collision Alert
(FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 120
Requirements, California . . . . . 209
Fuses Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 244

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Index 343
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . 295 Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 113
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Media
Avoiding Untrusted Devices . . 147
Messages Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
N
Navigation OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . 181
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Off-Road
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 224
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . . . 79
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . . 314
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
OnStar Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
OnStar Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
OnStar Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
OnStar Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
OnStar Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Operate Pedal Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Operation
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . . . 320
Outlets
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . . . . 115
P
Park Shifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 237
Extended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 189
Ultrasonic Sensor Light . . . . . . . .118
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168