1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE engine overheat

Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5-2
5-3
5-3
5-8
5- 15
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5-17 Cooling System
5-25 Changing a Flat Tire
5-37 Compact Spare Tire
5-25 If a Tire Goes Flat
5-38
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
5-1

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage or the warning
light about a hot engine on your vehicle’s instrument
panel. See “Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Coolant Temperature Warning
Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
1
A CAUTION:
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.
I
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.
5-15

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat waming 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.
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 trafEc jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)
or DRIVE (D).
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 oflthe 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.
5-16

The coolant level should be at or above the FULL
COLD 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.
A CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts,
can be very hot. Don’t touch them. If you
do, you coul 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 fied 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 cooling fans are running. If the
engine is overheating, both fans should be running. If
they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
5-18

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 FULL COLD mark, 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.)
I A 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.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
5-19

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.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
FULL COLD mark, start your vehicle.
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.
5-20

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin
your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but \
you must use caution.
A CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts
of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause
an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck,
spin the wheels as little as possible. Don’t
spin
the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If’ you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth,
you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle, see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your firont wheels. If your vehicle
has traction control, you should turn the system
off. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index.) Then shift
back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear,
spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release
the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal when the transaxle is in gear. If
that doesn’t get you out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see
“Towing
Ygw Vehicle” in the Index.
5-38

Engine Coolant
The cooling s stem in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL
8 engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for
5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km) whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX-COOL’ extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and
how to add coolant when it is low. If you have a
problem with engine overheating,
see “Engine
Overheating”
in the Index.
A 50/50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL@
coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
0 Give boiling protection up to 265 “F (129°C).
0 Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you
use only DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the
engine coolant
will require change sooner -- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused by the
use of coolant other than DEX-COOL@
is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
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