1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE cooling

Features & Controls
60
Liitgate Ajar Warning light (CONT.) New Vehicle “Break-In”
It can be dangerous to dr’ A
b with the liftgate open. Cam
lllvnoxide
(CO) gas can come in1
your vehicle. You can’t see or
smell
CO. It can cause uncon-
sciousness and even death.
If you must drive with
tk lifti
open:
Make sure all window
Turn the fan on your heatinl
cooling system to its high--*
speed
with the setting on
LEV (Bi-Level) or UPPER
That will force outside air ir
your vehicle. See
the Index under I
Comfort Controls.
If you have air vents on or under
the instrument panel, open the1
all the way.
I
four modern Olasmobile doesnt
need
an elaborate “break-in.” But
it will
perform better in the long
run if you follow these guidelines:
Don’t drive at any one speed-
fast or slow-for the first 500
miles (804 km). Don’t make full- I
throttle starts.
Avoid making hard stops for the
first
200 miles (322 km) or so.
During this time your new brake
linings aren’t yet broken in. Hard
stops with new linings can mean
I
premature wear and earlier
I
lgnition Switch
With the ignition key in the ignition switch,
you can turn the switch to five positions:
Accessory: An “on” position in which
you can operate your electrical power
accessories. Press in the ignition switch
as you turn the top of it toward you.
Lock: The only position in which you
can remove the key. This locks your
steering wheel, ignition and transaxle.
Off: Unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition, and transaxle, but does not
send electrical power to any accessories.
Use this position if your vehicle must be
pushed or towed, but never try to push-
start your vehicle. A warning chime will
sound if
you open the driver’s door
when the ignition is off and the key is in
the ignition.
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' A It can be dangerous to drive
monoxide
(CO) gas can come into
your vehicle. You can't
see or
smell CO. It can cause uncon-
sciousness and even
death.
If you must drive with the liftgate
open:
Make sure all windows are shut.
* Turn the fan on your heating or
cooling system to its highest
speed with the setting on BI-
LEV (Bi-Level) or UPPER.
That will force outside air into
your vehicle.
See the Index under
Comfort Controls.
If you have air vents on or under
the instrument panel, open them
all
the way.
SLIDING DOOR
GATE AJAR
-
I U2173
Sliding Door Ajar Warning Light
With the optional power sliding door,
the SLIDING DOOR light on your
instrument panel will come on if your
sliding door is not completely closed.
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When the air conditioner compressor is
on, you may sometimes notice slight
changes in your vehicle’s engine
performance and power. This is normal,
because the system is designed to help
fuel economy while it maintains the
desired cooling level.
The air conditioner removes moisture
from the air,
so you may sometimes
notice water dripping from under your
vehicle when it is idling or after it has
been turned off. This is normal.
On very hot days, your vehicle will cool
down more quickly and economically if
you open the windows long enough to
let hot inside air escape. For all settings,
adjust the temperature control lever and
fan speed as desired.
Directional Controls
RECIRC (Recirculate): Press to get
maximum cooling or quick cool-down
on very hot days. This setting
recirculates much of the air inside your
vehicle.
It should not be used for long
periods
of time because the air may
become too cold and dry.
Slide the temperature control lever down
to the coolest setting and adjust the fan
speed as desired.
UPPER: For normal cooling on hot
days, press
A/C along with UPPER.
This setting cools outside air and directs
it through the instrument panel outlets.
Adjust the temperature of the air with
the temperature control lever.
BI-LEV (Bi-Level): This setting is
designed for use
on sunny days when
the air is only moderately warm or cool.
On days like these, the sun may
adequately warm your upper body, but
your lower body may not be warm
enough.
The
BI-LEV setting directs outside air
into your vehicle
in two ways. Cooler
air is directed toward your upper body
through the front instrument panel
outlets, while warmed air
is directed
through the heater ducts at your feet.
At
times this temperature difference may be
more apparent than others. For best
results, slide
the temperature control
lever to the middle position, and then
adjust for comfort.
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Hi// and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep
country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to
know is this: let
your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
use
of your brakes.
GAU I IUN
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that I
they wouldn’t work well. You
1 would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
1 could crash. Shift down to let your
engine assist your brakes on a
steep downhill slope.
Coasting downhill in
N
C L (Neutral) or with the ignition
OII is dangerous. Your brakes will
have
to do all the work of slowing
down. They could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well. You
could crash. Always have your
engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you
go downhill.
I
Know how to go uphill. You may want
to shift down to a lower gear. The
lower gears help
cool your engine and
transaxle, and you can climb
the hill
better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on
two-lane roads in hills or mountains.
Don’t swing wide or cut across
the
center of the road. Drive at speeds that
let you stay
in your own lane. That
way, you won’t be surprised by
a
vehicle coming toward you in the
same lane.
It takes longer to pass another vehicle
when you’re going uphill. You’ll want
to leave extra room to pass. If a
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Parking on Hills
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
P (Park) yet.
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.
apply your parking brake, and then shift to
P (Park).
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold
the pedal down while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
of the chocks.
store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer
Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you’re pulling a trailer. See
the Maintenance Schedule for more on
this. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are
automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill)
engine oil, belts, cooling system, and
brake adjustment. Each
of these is
covered in this manual, and the
Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start
your trip.
Check periodically
to see that all hitch
nuts and bolts are tight.
183
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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.
Cooling System
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) Electric engine fan, or fans if you
have the rear climate control system
or the
3800 V6 engine.
I A An electric fan under the hod
L can start up even when the
engine is not running and can
injure
you. Keep hands, clothing
and‘tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant
recovery
tank is boiling, don’t do
anything else
until it cools down.
197
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Engine Overheating (CONTI)
The coolant level should be at or above
the
FULL HOT 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.
I, rn Heater and radiator hoses, and
b other engine parts, can be
VGI~ 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
could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you
cou
be burned. Get any leak fix
before you drive the vehicle Engine damage from running your
: engine without coolant isn’t
i.: covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, check to
see if the electric engine fan(s) is
running. If the engine is overheating, the
fan(s) should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
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 the
FULL HOT mark, add a 50/50 mixture
of
clean water (preferably distilled) and
a proper antifreeze at the coolant
recovery
tank. (See the Index under
Coolant for more information about the
proper coolant mix.)
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A
Adding only plain water to
your cooling system can be
dangerous. Plain water, or some
other liquid like alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mix will.
Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant
mix. With plain water or the
wrong
mix, your engine could get
too hot but
you wouldn’t get the
overheat warning. Your engine
could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a
50/50 mix
of clean water and a proper
antifreeze.
I
In cold- weatl , w r can .
and crack the engine, radial
heater core
and other parts. ‘,A
You can be burned if you spill
coolant on hot engine parts.
Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn
if the engine parts
are hot enough. Don’t spill coolant
on a hot engine.
I
When the coolant in the coolant
recovery
tank is at or above the FULL
HOT mark, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues,
there’s one more thing you can try. You
can add the proper coolant
mix directly
to the radiator, but be sure the cooling
system is cool before
you do it.
199
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