Page 246 of 436

Pmbkms on the Road
not be able to get enough power from a single battery in another vehicle
to start your diesel engine.
If your vehicle has more than one battery, use the battery that’\
s closest
to the starter-this will reduce electrical resistance.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach, but be
sure the vehicles aren’t touching each other.
If they are, it could cause a
ground connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able
to start your
vehicle, and the bad grounding could damage the electrical syst\
ems.
You could be injured
if the vehicles roll. Set the parking brake firmly
manual transmission in
N (Neutral).
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the transfer c\
ase is
not in
N (Neutral).
1 on each vehicle. Put an automatic transmission in P (Park) or a
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all lights that aren’t need-
ed, and radios. This will avoid sparks and help save both bat\
teries. And
it could save your radio!
ou leave your radio on, it could be badly damaged. The repairs
r.,Jldn’t be covered by your warranty. I
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
Find the positive
(t) and negative (-) terminals on each battery.
5-4
ProCarManuals.com
Page 247 of 436

IA
Using a match near a battery can cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been blinded. Use
a flashiight if you need more light.
Be sure the batteries have enough water. You-don? need
to adb
water to the Delco Freedom* battery (or batteries) instailed in every
new
GM vehicle. But if a battery has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid
is there. If it is low, add water to take care of that
first.
If you don’t, explosive gas could be present. .hr~ic;. -- ,
Battery fluid conbins acid that can burn you. Don’t. get it. on you.
. you accidentally get it in your eyes or on your skin, ftush the placl
~~~~-,~~~~.~-:~~.~.~. -2-
.with water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or missing insulation. If
they do, you could get a shock. The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some things you should\
know.
Positive
(t) will go to positive (t) and negative (-) will go to negative
(-) or a metal engine part. Don’t connect (t) to (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other parts, too\
.
I
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you badly. Keep your
hands away from moving parts once the engines are running.
6. Connect the red positive (t) cable to the positive (t) terminal of the
vehicle with the dead battery. Use a remote positive
(t) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
5-5
ProCarManuals.com
Page 248 of 436
Problents on the Road
Dead Battery Good Battery
K2504
7. Don’t let the other end touch metal. Connect it to the positive (+)
terminal of the good battery. Use a remote positive (+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
8. Now connect the black negative (-) cable to the good battery’s negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch anything until the next step.\
The other end
of the negative cable doesn’t go to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy
unpainted metal part on the engine of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away from the dead battery,
but not near engine parts that move. The electrical connection is just
as
good there, but the chance of sparks getting back to the battery is much
less.
5-6
ProCarManuals.com
Page 249 of 436
Good Battery Dead Battery
K2506
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run the engine for
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. awhile.
If it
won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs service.
12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent electrical shorting.
Take care that they don’t touch each other or any other metal.
REMOVE CABLES IN THIS ORDER
5-7
ProCarManuals.com
Page 251 of 436
If your vehicle has the four-wheel-drive option and the transfer c\
ase is
engaged, a dolly must be used under the rear wheels when towi\
ng from the
front.
Engine Overheating
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 Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
K2509
I CAUTION
A
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.
5-9
ProCarManuals.com
Page 252 of 436

Problems on the Road
If your engine catches fire because you keep driving with no cool\
ant, your
vehicle can be bac"lI damaged.
T- ! costly rep; 1 would not be Iverec
by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no steam, th\
e problem may
not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too\
hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam, try t\
his 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
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to N (Neutral).
window as necessary.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just
to be safe,
drive slower for about ten minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your vehic\
le right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, push the accelerator until the engine speed is
about twice
as fast as normal idle speed. Bring the engine speed back to
normal idle speed after two or three minutes. Now 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.
5-1 0
ProCarManuals.com
Page 253 of 436
Cooling System
PO21 0
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what you’ll see:
A. Coolant recovery tank
B. Radiator pressure cap
C. Engine fan
CAUTION
‘4
An electric fan under the hood can start up even when the engine\
is
not running and can injure you. Keep hands, clothing, and tool\
s
away from any electric fan.
m
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling, don’t do anything
else until it cools down.
5-1 1
ProCarManuals.com
Page 254 of 436

I
I
‘4
!b P4
LL
1
PO593
The coolant level should be at or above the 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.
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 cou
lose all coolant. That could cause an engine fire, and you could be
burned. Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I I
NOTICE
Engine damage from running your engine without coolant isn’t covered by
I your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, check to see if the electric engine fan (if you
have one) is running.
If the engine is overheating, the fan should be running.
If it isn’t, your vehicle needs service.
Start the engine again to see
if the regular fan runs when the engine does.
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 or above
COLD, add a 50hO mixture of clean water (preferably distilled) and a proper
5-1 2
ProCarManuals.com