1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE coolant

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Oldsmobile’s instrument panel. See “Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage”
in the Index. You also have a low
coolant level light on your instrument panel. See “Low
Coolant Light” in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should a low coolant condition exist, an overheat
protection mode which alternates firing groups of three
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice
a significant loss in power and engine
performance. The low coolant light may come on and
the temperature gage will indicate an overheat condition
exists. This emergency operating mode
allows your
vehicle to be driven to
a safe place in an emergency.
Towing
a trailer in the overheat protection mode should
be avoided.
I NOTICE:
After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil
will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant loss and change the oil. See
“Engine Oil, When to Change” in the Index.
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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.
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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. See “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” in the Index.
I
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.
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 (D) 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, 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 ofthe engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” listed previously
in
this section.
You may decide not to
lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Fan
C. Coolant Recovery Tank 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.
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.
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He r an ra-engine
~
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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.
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 fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
--overy Tank
lr you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant
level isn’t at or above the
FULL HOT 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 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.
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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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.
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3. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL" 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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