1998 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
B
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Two Electric Engine Cooling Fans
% CAUT IN:
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 surge tank is boiling,
don't
do anything else until it cools down.

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.
If it isn’t, the coolant level should be indicated by a
CHECK COOLANT LEVEL message on the Driver
Information Center.
If it is, you may have a leak in the
radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system,
NOTICE:
Engine damage if you keep running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode” in the Index.
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.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge 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@ coolant at
the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling system,
including the coolant surge tank pressure cap, is cool
before
you do it. (See “Engine Coolant” in the Index for
more information.)
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 coolant
surge tank pressure cap
-- even a little -- they
can come out at high speed. Never turn the cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the
cooling system and coolant surge tank pressure
cap to cool if you ever have to turn the
pressure cap.

/r CAUTION:
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:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
So
use the recommended coolant.
I 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.
1. You can remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap and upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly about
one-quarter turn to the left and then stop.
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure
left.
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2. Then keep turning the pressure cap slowly, and
remove
it.
3. Then fill the coolant surge tank with the proper
mixture, up to
FULL COLD.
5-22

4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, start the
engine and let
it run until you can feel the upper
radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the engine
cooling fans.
5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure
cap is tight.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more of the proper mixture to the coolant surge tank
until the level reaches
FULL COLD.
5-23

If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual 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 foot
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 correction 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 you 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.
I-
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.
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