1996 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

/11 CA JTILV:
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:
r
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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.
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.
0 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. Turn off your air conditioner.
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 THLRD (D).
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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. When you
decide it’s safe to
lift the hood, here’s what
you‘ll see:
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 08 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.
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fan
D. Electric Engine Fan
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An 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
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until
it cools down.
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.
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A CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
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.
1 parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them. If you
~
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see
if the electric engine fan(s) are running. If the engine
is overheating, both fan(s) should be running.
If they
aren’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 501.50
mixture of den72 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.)
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
DEX-COOL TM antifreeze.
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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. 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 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.
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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.
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How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
I. 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.
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3. Fill the radiator with the proper mix, up to the base
of the filler neck.
4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the FULL
HOT mark.
5. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap
off.
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