1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA warning

Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-3
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5-7
5- 10
5-11
5-12
5- 12
5- 14 How
to Use
Warning Flashers
Other Types of Warning Devices
Step-by-step Procedure for Jump Starting
Information You Should Know Before Towing
Towing Your Vehicle From the Front
Towing Your Vehicle From the Rear
If Your Engine
is Overheating
If Steam is Coming From Your Engine
Cooling System 5-16
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5-29
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5-3 1
5-32
5-32 How to Add
Coolant
What to do if a Tire Goes Flat
How to Change a Flat Tire
Where to Store the Flat Tire and Tools
Information on the Compact Spare Tire
If You’re Stuck in Sand, Mud, Snow or on Ice
How to Rock Your Vehicle to Get Unstuck
Using Recovery Hooks
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Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have
a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash
on and off. Press the button
on top
of
the steering column all the
way down to make your
front and rear turn signal
lamps flash on and off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key isn’t in.
To turn off the flashers, press the button until the first
click and release.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn
signals won’t work. The flashers will stop if you step
on the brake.
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Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. But please use the following steps
to do it safely.
1 NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn’t be
covered by your warranty.
Do not try to start your vehicle by pushing or
pulling it. This could damage your vehicle and
it won’t start that way.
~~
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
Batteries can
hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to burn
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
you.
1. Check the
other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
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12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal. Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM retailer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance”
in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was factory-new
by adding things like
fog lamps, aero skirting, or special
tires and wheels, these instructions may not be conect.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has all-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the
transmission.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains these towing
instructions.
The operator may want to see them.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If YOLI 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 01- so:
I. 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 (0)
or THIRD (3).
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, tLm off
the engine ulld get el)eryolw 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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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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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s Llnusual for a tire to ”blow out.’ while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your
f-bot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel
firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout. particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same conxxtion you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way
you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but
YOLI can still steer. Gently
brake to
a stop -- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
c
A CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you
or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire.
To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
The following steps
will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
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