2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN open hood

Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may be equipped with an engine coolant
heater.
In very cold weather, 0°F (−18°C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You will get easier starting
and better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
At temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of the coolant
heater is not required. Your vehicle may also have
an internal thermostat in the plug end of the cord.
This will prevent operation of the engine coolant heater
when the temperature is at or above 0°F (−18°C) as
noted on the cord.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord is located on the driver’s side of the
engine compartment, near the power steering uid
reservoir.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord
will not reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you do not, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you will be parking
your vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice
for that particular area.
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Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{CAUTION:
Never ll a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from
the container can ignite the gasoline vapor.
You can be badly burned and your vehicle
damaged if this occurs. To help avoid injury to
you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
Do not ll a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed, or
on any surface other than the ground.
Bring the ll nozzle in contact with the
inside of the ll opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the lling is complete.
Do not smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake uid, windshield washer and
other uids, and plastic or rubber. You or
others could be burned. Be careful not to drop
or spill things that will burn onto a hot engine.
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Hood Release
To open the hood do the following:
1. Pull the handle with this
symbol on it. It is
located inside the
vehicle to the lower left
of the steering wheel.
2. Then go to the front of the vehicle and pull up on
the secondary hood release located near the
center of the grille.
3. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the ller caps
are on properly. Then pull down the hood and close
it rmly.
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Engine Compartment Overview
When you open the hood on the VORTEC™ 5300 V8 engine (VORTEC™ 4800 and 6000 V8 engines similar), here
is what you will see:
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When you open the hood on the VORTEC™ 8100 V8 engine, here is what you will see:
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Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap
Notice:If the pressure cap is not tightly installed,
coolant loss and possible engine damage may
occur. Be sure the cap is properly and tightly
secured.
The coolant surge tank pressure cap must be fully
installed on the coolant surge tank. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on page 5-12for more
information on location.
Engine Overheating
You will nd a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. SeeEngine Coolant
Temperature Gage on page 3-46.
In addition, you will nd an ENGINE OVERHEATED,
and a REDUCED ENGINE POWER message in
the Driver Information Center (DIC) on the instrument
panel. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-60.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
{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 re. You
or others could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
SeeOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode on page 5-30for information on driving
to a safe place in an emergency.
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Notice:If your engine catches re because you
keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle can
be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. SeeOverheated Engine
Protection Operating Mode on page 5-30for
information on driving to a safe place in an
emergency.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant condition,
can indicate a serious problem.
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. SeeTowing a Trailer on page 4-67.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam, try
this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner and it is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the windows as necessary.3. 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.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning does not come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam and your vehicle is
equipped with an engine-driven cooling fan, push down
the accelerator until the engine speed is about twice
as fast as normal idle speed for at least three minutes
while you are parked.
If there is still no sign of steam and your vehicle is
equipped with an electric cooling fan, idle the engine for
three minutes while you are parked.
If you still have the warning, turn off the engine and get
everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also,
see “Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode”
later in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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Notice:If you leave your radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Always turn off your radio and
other accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlets. Turn off
the radio and all the lamps that are not needed. This
will avoid sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!
4. Open the hood on the other vehicle and locate the
positive (+) and negative (−) terminal locations on
that vehicle.
Your vehicle has a remote positive (+) jump starting
terminal and a remote negative (−) jump starting
terminal. You should always use these remote
terminals instead of the terminals on the battery.The remote positive (+) terminal is located behind a
red plastic cover, if equipped, near the engine
accessory drive bracket. To uncover the remote
positive (+) terminal, open the red plastic cover, if
equipped.
The remote negative (−) terminal is located on
the engine drive bracket, or on the thermostat
housing on the 8.1L engine. It is marked
GND (Ground).
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 5-12
for more information on the location of the
remote positive (+) and remote negative (−)
terminals.
{CAUTION:
An electric fan 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.
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