1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA engine overheat

The 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Oldsmobile.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to ad-just the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine. etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Oldsmobile running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Oldsmobile for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Index
Here‘s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want
to read.
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To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt AC outlet.
[ON:
-
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord as it was before to keep it away fi-om moving
engine
parts. If you don’t, it could be damaged. How
long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your Oldsrnobile retailer in the area where you’ll be
parking your vehicle. The retailer can give you the best
advice for that particular area.
Automatic Transmission Operation
P
R
N
03
3
2
1
There are several different
positions for your
shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
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You can also use SECOND (2) for starting your vehicle
from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You can
use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is
put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission won’t shift into
FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand
or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This
could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
Locking Rear Axle
Your rear axle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice,
sand or gravel. It works like a standard axle
most of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no
traction and the other does, the locking feature will
allow the wheel
with traction to move the vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive
Your engine’s driving power is sent to all four wheels
for extra traction. All-wheel drive is like four-wheel
drive, but there
is no lever or switch to engage or
disengage the front axle. It is
fully automatic and adjusts
itself as needed
for road conditions.
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking brake
pedal
with your left foot. If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light
will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal
down.
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instrument panel.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and you must park on a hill,
see ”Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first
to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
I. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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2. hlove the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this: Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running.
Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire.
You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
0 Hold in the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. TLIIII the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with YOLI. If you can
remove the key and
leave your vehicle, your vehicle
is in PARK (P).
If you have to leave your vehicle. with the engine
running,
be s111-e to firndy set your parking brake and
shifi into PARK (P) before you leave it. After you’ve
n~oved the shift lever into the PARK (P) position, hold
the reg~~lar brake pedal ckwn. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling
it toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t
FLIIIY locked into PARK (P).
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light
will come
on when you start your
ANTI - LOCK engine and may stay on for I
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your Oldsmobile needs service.
If the regular brake
system warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with
your regular brakes.
See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier in
this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t corne on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
I
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine
is
too hot!
TEMP
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows you what
to do. See ”Engine Overheating’‘
in the Index.
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If you decide you can go down a hili safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low
gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
they won’t have to do
all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
CAWTION: I
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the
hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across.
You could roll over
if you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N). This is called “free-wheeling.” Your
brakes
will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause
your brakes to overheat and fade. This could
, cause loss of control and a serious accident.
Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill
and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed
under control. ~
Q.’ Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them
you could lose
control and have a serious accident.
Q.’ Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
it happens going downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift to PARK (Pj and, while still braking, restart
the engine.
Shift back to
a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
0 If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
You should use THIRD
(3) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in THIRD
(3) when towing a
trailer will minimize heat buildup and extend the life of
your transmission.
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
PARK
(I?) yet. Then turn your wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
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.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake and shift into PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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