Chevrolet 1997 Cavalier Owner's Manual page 221

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
0
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0
Stop after high-speed driving.
e Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving
OVERDRIVE (D) for four-speed automatic or
DRIVE (D) for three-speed automatic transaxles.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't
come
back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop,
and park
your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you're parked, to see
if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning, turn
off
the engine and get everyone out
of the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.