2002 OLDSMOBILE AURORA engine

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If the coolant temperature is over 262
F (128
C), the
message HOT...IDLE ENGINE will appear. It means
you should reduce the engine load and speed to prevent
the engine from overheating.
If the coolant temperature is over 268
F (131
C), the
message HOT...STOP ENGINE will appear. It means
that your engine coolant has overheated. You should pull
off the road, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine as
soon as possible.
Your vehicle is equipped with an Overheated Engine
Protection Operating Mode. See ªEngine Overheatingº
in the Index for more information.
If your coolant level is low, the message LOW ENGINE
COOLANT will appear on the Driver Information
Center. Check your coolant level as soon as possible.
See ªEngine Coolantº in the Index.Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light)
United States Canada
Your vehicle is equipped with a computer which
monitors operation of the fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
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This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics
-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The CHECK ENGINE light comes on to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
Modifications made to the engine, transaxle,
exhaust, intake or fuel system of your vehicle or
the replacement of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire Performance Criteria
(TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission controls
and may cause the CHECK ENGINE light to
come on. Modifications to these systems could
lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. This may also result in a failure to pass
a required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.
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This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:

Reducing vehicle speed.

Avoiding hard accelerations.

Avoiding steep uphill grades.

If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.If the light stops flashing and remains on steady,
see ªIf the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
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Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since small amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly. See
ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. It will take a few
driving trips to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
ªFuelº in the Index. Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start
-up, stalling when you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go
away once the engine is warmed up.) This will be detected
by the system and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a
vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know in order to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the CHECK
ENGINE light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is designed
to evaluate critical emission control systems during
normal driving. This may take several days of routine
driving. If you have done this and your vehicle still does
not pass the inspection for lack of OBD system
readiness, see your dealer or qualified service center to
prepare the vehicle for inspection.
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2-81 Oil Pressure Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on when
you are driving.
A warning chime and the DIC message LOW OIL
PRESSURE may also come on.
These indicate that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it cool. The engine could be low
on oil, or could have some other oil problem. Have it
fixed right away.
The oil light could also come on briefly when the
ignition is on but the engine is not running. The light
will come on as a test to show you it is working, but the
light will go out about five seconds after you turn the
ignition to START. If it doesn't come on with the
ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
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Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:

At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.

It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
a little more or less than half the tank's capacity to
fill the tank.

The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.

The tank is not necessarily empty when the gage
reads empty. There is a reserve of about 1.5 gallons
(5.6 L) in the tank. You should still get more fuel as
soon as possible.Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC has different display modes which can be
accessed by pressing the four buttons on the DIC.
These buttons are labeled ON/OFF, SELECT right
arrow, SELECT down arrow and RESET. The button
functions are detailed in the following.
Turn the system on or off by pressing the ON/OFF
button once. When you turn on the ignition, the DIC
will be in the mode last displayed when the engine was
turned off.
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To turn off messages on the DIC (except LOW OIL
PRESSURE, LOW BRAKE FLUID, PARK BRAKE
SET, STARTING DISABLED and the HOT...STOP
ENGINE warning), press the RESET button.
Pressing the SELECT right arrow button will allow you
to access the following modes, DATE/ET, FUEL,
ECON, OIL and GAGE. While in any of these modes,
warning messages can interrupt and take over the
display until you acknowledge the message, or the
condition causing the problem goes away.
English/Metric
The DIC can display information in either English or
metric. To change the display, press and hold the
ON/OFF button for about three seconds. This will also
change the digital screen for the climate control system
between English and metric.
Date/Elapsed Time
Pressing the SELECT down arrow while in DATE/ET
mode will allow you to choose between the date and the
elapsed time menus.Date
To set the date, press and hold the RESET button for
about three seconds while the date is being displayed on
the DIC. When the date set mode is entered the display
will show the following:
YEAR?_____ MM/DD/00
The year will be flashing. To increase the item that is
flashing press SELECT right arrow. To decrease the
item that is flashing press SELECT down arrow.
When you reach the current year press the RESET
button. The DIC will ask for the month. The month will
flash the same as the year. Use the SELECT buttons to
reach the current month and press RESET. The DIC will
then ask for the day. The day will flash the same as the
year. Use the SELECT buttons to reach the current day.
Press the RESET button again and the set display will
stop flashing and go back to the normal operation mode.
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2-86 Fuel Economy
Pressing the SELECT down arrow while in the
ECON mode displays average fuel economy and
instantaneous fuel economy calculated for your
specific driving conditions.
Average fuel economy will be shown in a reading
such as:
25.2 AVG MI/GAL or 9.3 AVG L/100 KM
Instantaneous fuel economy will be shown in a reading
such as:
28 INST MI/GAL or 8.4 INST L/100 KM
The average fuel economy is viewed as a long
-term
approximation of your overall driving conditions.
If you press and hold RESET for three seconds in this
mode while you're driving, the system will begin
figuring average fuel economy from that point in time.
Instantaneous fuel economy cannot be reset.
Oil Life
The GM Oil Life System
is the only function
accessible in the OIL mode. Engine oil life is displayed
in a reading such as the following:
OIL LIFE 30%
This is an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life.
It will show 100% when the system is reset after an oil
change. It will alert you to change your oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low, the system will alert
you with this message:
CHANGE OIL SOON
Always reset the OIL LIFE reminder after an oil change.
To reset the oil life system, see ªOil Life Systemº in
the Index. Also, see ªEngine Oil, When to Changeº in
the Index.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE yourself after
each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be careful
not to reset the OIL LIFE accidentally at any time other
than when the oil has just been changed. It can't be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
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