2003 Oldsmobile Bravada coolant

If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in neutral while
stopped.
If it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift
to
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the
engine idle.
speed and open the window as necessary.
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 and you have not stopped, pull
over, stop, and park your vehicle right away.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can push down the
accelerator until the engine speed
is about twice as
fast as normal idle speed for at least three minutes while
you’re parked.
If you still have the warning, turn off
the 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.
Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Engine Fan
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it
cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
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The coolant level should
be at least up to the
FULL
COLD mark. If it isn’t,
you may have a leak at the
pressure cap or 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. If
there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
The engine cooling fan speed should increase when idle
speed is doubled by pushing the accelerator pedal
down.
If it doesn’t, your vehicle needs service. Turn off
the engine.
Notice: Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
Nofice: 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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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, drinkable water and DEX-COOL@ engine coolant
at the coolant recovery tank. See
Engine Coolant on
page 5-22 for more information.
water to your cooli
-
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as 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,
drinkable water and
DEX COOL@ coolant.
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. You
can be burned
.. jou 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.
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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 be-
e you do it.
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.
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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
about one full turn.
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. Remove the
pressure cap.
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3. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture, up to the base of the filler
neck. See
Engine Coolant on page 5-22 for more
information about the proper coolant mixture.
4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the FULL
COLD mark.
5. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap
off.
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Engine Fan Noise
6. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fan.
7. 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.
8. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure
if coolant begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure
the pressure cap is hand-tight. This vehicle has a clutched engine cooling
fan. When
the clutch is engaged, the fan spins faster to provide
more air to cool the engine. In most everyday driving
conditions the clutch is not engaged. This improves fuel
economy and reduces fan noise. Under heavy vehicle
loading, trailer towing, and/or high outside temperatures,
the fan speed increases when the clutch engages.
So
you may hear an increase in fan noise. This is
normal and should not be mistaken as the transmission
slipping or making extra shifts.
It is merely the cooling
system functioning properly. The fan will slow down
when additional cooling is not required and the clutch
disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start the
engine.
It will go away as the fan clutch disengages.
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Adding Washer Fluid
Open the cap with the
washer symbol on it. Add
washer fluid until the
tank is full.
Notice:
e
0
0
e
When using concentrated washer fluid, follow
the manufacturer’s instructions
for adding
water.
Don’t
mix water with ready-to-use washer fluid.
Water can cause the solution to freeze and
damage your washer fluid tank and other parts of the washer system.
Also, water doesn’t
clean
as well as washer fluid.
Fill your washer fluid tank only three-quarters
full when it’s very cold. This allows for expansion if freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if
it is completely full.
Don’t use engine coolant (antifreeze)
in your
windshield washer.
It can damage your
washer system and paint.
Brakes
Brake Fluid
L A
L
L
1
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is filled with DOT-3
brake fluid. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page
5-72 for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
the reservoir might
go down. The first is that the
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is
that fluid is leaking out of the brake system.
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