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When your engine is cold, let it run for a few minutes before you move your
vehicle. This lets oil pressure build up. Your engine will sound louder when
it's cold.
NOTIP
-
If you're not in an idling vehicle and the engine overheats, you wouldn't
there to see the coolant temperature gage. This could damage your
hicle. Don't let vour enaine run when you're not
in vour vehicle.
Cold Weather Starting (Diesel Engine)
The following tips will help you get good starting in cold weather.
Use
SAE IOW-30 oil when the outside temperature drops below freezing.
When the outside temperature drops below
0°F (-18"C), use your engine
block heater.
If you park your vehicle in a garage, you shouldn't need to use \
the block
heater until the garage temperature goes below
0°F (-18"C), no matter how
cold it is outside.
To use the engine block heater, first turn
off the engine. Then open the hood,
unwrap the electrical cord and plug it in. It uses normal house voltage
(110
volts), but:
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Features & Controls
To use the block heater:
1.
Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could cause an electrical
- shock. Also, the wrong extension cord could overheat and cause a
fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the cord into a properly
grounded three-prong 110-volt outlet.
If the cord won’t reach, use a
! heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
After you’ve used the block heater, be sure
to store the cord in the
manner it was, to help keep it away from moving engine parts. If
you
don’t, it could be torn and damaged.
How long should you keep the block heater plugged in? The ans\
wer depends
on the weather, the kind of oil you have, and some other thi\
ngs. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact a Gen\
eral Motors
dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your vehicle. Th\
e dealer can give
you the best advice for that particular area.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I CAUTION
* If you get gasoline on you and then something ignites it, you co\
uld
1 be badly burned. Gasoline can spray out on you if you open the fuel
filler cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly
full, and is more likely in hot weather. Open the fuel filler\
cap slowly and wait for any "hiss" noise
to stop.
I Then unscrew the cap all the way. I
When you put the cap back on, turn it tc "le :clo-'hise) until you hear
a clicking noise.
I NOTICE
~f you need a new cap, be sure to get the right type. Your dealer can get 1
me for you. If you get the wrong type, it may not fit or -have proper
denting, and your fuel tank and emissions system might be damaged.
Checking Things Under the Hood
U
K2609
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull the handle inside the vehicle. Then \
go to the
front of the vehicle and pull up on the secondary hood release. Lift t\
he hood.
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