Page 233 of 402

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 (a) or
DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions. 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.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-15
Page 234 of 402
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll
see:
c‘
I
A. Electric Engine Cooling Fans
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
I A CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling 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.
When it
is cool, remove the coolant recovery tank cap
and look at
the dipstick.
5-16
Page 235 of 402

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The coolant level should be FULL COLD.
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.
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.
I
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 cooling 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
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at FULL COLD, add a
50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@ engine
coolant
at the coolant recovery tank. (See “Engine
Coolant”
in the Index for more information.)
5-17
Page 236 of 402

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
I
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 mixture will. Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
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 mixture of clean water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
I NOTICE: I
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
I /1 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
FULL COLD, start your vehicle.
5-18
Page 237 of 402
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can try.
You can add the proper coolant
mixture directly
to the radiator, but be sure the cooling
system is cool before you do it.
A CAUTION:
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.
5-19
Page 238 of 402
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
(3800 V6 Engine Only)
I NOTICE:
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
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.
5-20
Page 239 of 402
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
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.
3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed valve.
3800 V6 (VIN Code K): There is one bleed valve. It
is located on the thermostat housing.
4. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture, up to the base of the filler neck.
(See “Engine Coolant” in the Index
for more
information about the proper coolant mixture.)
If you see a stream of coolant coming from an air
bleed valve, close the valve. Otherwise, close the
valve after the radiator is filled.
5-21
Page 240 of 402
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 5. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to FULL COLD.
6. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap
off.
7. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fans.
8. By this time, the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more
of the proper DEX-COOL@ coolant mixture
through the filler neck until the level reaches the
base of the filler neck.
5-22