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If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
If you get an engine 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. See″Driving on Grades” inTowing a
Trailer on page 4-35.
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 (N)
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.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
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.
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 vehicleuntil it
cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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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 Cooling 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.The coolant level should
be at the ADD 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.
{CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Do not touch them.
If you do, you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine, it could lose all coolant. That
could cause an engine re, and you could be
burned. Get any leak xed before you drive the
vehicle.
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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 is not covered by your warranty.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOL
®may
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
®(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
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 ADD mark, add a 50/50 mixture ofclean
drinkable water, and DEX-COOL
®engine coolant at the
coolant recovery tank. SeeEngine Coolant on
page 5-26for more information.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
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 would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch re and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®coolant.
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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.
{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. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
ADD mark, start your vehicle.
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