2010 PONTIAC G3 engine overheat

3. Plug the extension cord into a normal, grounded110-Volt AC outlet.
{WARNING:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could
cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong kind of
extension cord could overheat and cause a fire.
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 both the extension cord and under hood electrical cord,
and store them as they were before. This will keep
them away from moving engine parts, and prevent
damage.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer/retailer in the
area where you will be parking the vehicle for the best
advice on this.
Attached Extension Cord
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The cord is located in the driver side of the engine
compartment, near the battery.
3-21

3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-Volt AC outlet.
{WARNING:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could
cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong kind of
extension cord could overheat and cause a fire.
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.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer/retailer in the
area where you will be parking the vehicle for the best
advice on this.
Automatic Transmission Operation
If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, the shift
lever is located on the console between the seats.
Movement between certain positions requires pushing
the release button on the front of the shifter.
P (Park) : This position locks the front wheels. It is the
best position to use when you start the engine because
the vehicle cannot move easily.
3-22

Shifting Into Park
(Automatic Transmission)
{WARNING:
It can be dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be
sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are
on fairly level ground, use the steps that follow.
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See Parking Brake
on page 3‑28for more
information.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pressing the button on the shift lever and pushing the lever all
the way toward the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave the vehicle with the ignition key in your hand,
the vehicle is in P (Park).
Leaving the Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission)
{WARNING:
It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the
engine running. The vehicle could move suddenly
if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it could overheat
and even catch fire. You or others could be
injured. Do not leave the vehicle with the engine
running.
If you have to leave the vehicle with the engine running,
be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake
is firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved
the shift lever into P (Park), hold the brake pedal down.
Then see if you can move the shift lever away from
P (Park) without first pushing the shift lock release
button. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not
fully locked into P (Park).
3-29

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
United StatesCanada
The vehicle may have an engine coolant temperature
gage. With the ignition turned to ON/RUN, this gage
shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area, the engine
is too hot. It means that the engine coolant has
overheated.
If the vehicle has been operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop the vehicle and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on page 6‑30.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the tire
pressure monitoring
system, this light comes
on briefly when the engine
is started.
It provides information about tire pressures and the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of the tires are
significantly underinflated.
Stop and check the tires as soon as it is safe to do,
and inflate them to the proper pressure. See Tires
on
page 6‑50for more information.
4-28

WARNING: (Continued)
For more information about carbon monoxide, see
Engine Exhaust on page 3‑32.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill you.
You cannot see it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking the exhaust.
Run the engine for short periods only as needed to
keep warm, but be careful.
To save fuel, run the engine for only short periods as
needed to warm the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of the way to save heat.
Repeat this until help arrives but only when you feel
really uncomfortable from the cold. Moving about to
keep warm also helps.
If it takes some time for help to arrive, now and then
when you run the engine, push the accelerator pedal
slightly so the engine runs faster than the idle speed.
This keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle
and to signal for help with the headlamps. Do this as
little as possible to save fuel.
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow
Slowly and cautiously spin the wheels to free the
vehicle when stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 5‑14.
{WARNING:
If you let your vehicle's tires spin at high speed,
they can explode, and you or others could be
injured. The vehicle can overheat, causing an
engine compartment fire or other damage. Spin
the wheels as little as possible and avoid going
above 55 km/h (35 mph) as shown on the
speedometer.
For information about using tire chains on the vehicle,
see Tire Chains on page 6‑68.
5-13

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-11
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24 Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) (Hatchback) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) (Sedan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .6-49
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
6-1

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check Automatic
Transmission Fluid
Check the automatic transmission fluid level at least
twice a year. Add fluid if needed. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 7‑3.
How to Check Automatic Transmission
Fluid
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealer/retailer service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice: Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transmission. Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts or
exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Too little fluid
could cause the transmission to overheat. Be sure
to get an accurate reading if you check your
transmission fluid. Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission fluid level if you have been driving:
.When outside temperatures are above
90°F (32°C).
.At high speed for quite a while.
.In heavy traffic
—especially in hot weather.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 158°F to 176°F (70°C
to 80°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50°F
(10°C). If it is colder than 50°F (10°C), you may have to
drive longer.
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare the vehicle as follows: 1. Park the vehicle on a level place. Keep the engine running.
2. With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever in P (Park).
3. With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the
shift lever in P (Park).
4. Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.
6-21

{WARNING:
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 fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
Notice: Using coolant other than DEX‐COOL
®can
cause premature engine, heater core, or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at the first maintenance
service after each 30,000 miles (50 000 km) or
24 months, whichever occurs first. Any repairs
would not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always use DEX‐COOL
®(silicate‐free) coolant in
the vehicle.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in the vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL®engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in the vehicle for five years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs first.
The following explains the cooling system and how to
check and add coolant when it is low. If there is a
problem with engine overheating, see Engine
Overheating on page 6‑30.
6-25