1996 CHEVROLET S10 Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
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.
I NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with
no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
5-11

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. See “Driving on Grades” in the Index
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
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (,@)
or DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.
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, 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 ofthe
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.
5-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
If your vehicle has air conditioning, the auxiliary
electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
--1 any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Engine Fan
5-13

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The coolant level should be at the ADD 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.
A CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other e Jne
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 could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE:
I
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again. See
if the fan speed increases when idle speed is doubled by
pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn’t, your
vehicle needs service. Turn off the engine.
5-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search 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
ADD, add a 50/50 mixture of clean water
(preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL TM (orange-colored,
silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant recovery tank. (See
“Engine Coolant” in the Index for more information.)
k!, CAUTICJ:
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 5W50 mix of clean
water and
DEX-COOL TM antifreeze.
I NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
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.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at
ADD, 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
cool before you do it.
is
5-16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine mu= -
~ Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn you badly. They
are under pressure, and if you turn the radiator
pressure cap
-- even a little -- they can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap,
is hot. Wait for the cooling system and
radiator pressure cap
to cool if you ever have to
turn the pressure cap.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ' How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
1. You can remove the radiator pressure cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is
no longer hot. Turn the pressure
cap slowly counterclockwise until
it first stops. (Don't
press down while
turning the pressure cap.)
If
you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there
is still some pressure left.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.