1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA coolant

Engine Overheating
’ You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. See “Gages” in the Index.
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 you
open 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.
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.
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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
/II CAUTION:
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.
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I
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 could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
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.
NOTICE:
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.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the
ADD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL TM
(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 coolant.
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.
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--
A CAUTION:
- I
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 is
cool before you do it.
IA
I 73-55
CAUTION: 1
Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn
~OLI badly. They
are under pressure, and if you turn the radiator
pressure cap
-- even a little -- they can come out
CAUTION: (Continued)
JTTON: (Cnntinllr I
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
1. You can remove the pressure cap when the cooling
system, including the 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.
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3. Fill the radiator with the proper coolant mixture, up
to the base of the filler neck. 4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to
5. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the pressure cap
off.
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6. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting
hot. Watch out for the
engine fan.
7. By this time, the coolant level inside the filler neck
may be lower. If the level is lower, add nm-e of the
proper coolant mixture through the filler neck ~~ntil
the level reaches the base of the filler neck.
8. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure
if coolant begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
arrows
on the pressure cap line. up like this.
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