2011 GMC TERRAIN coolant temperature

Black plate (18,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
10-18 Vehicle Care
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,
seeEngine Overheating on
page 10‑21.
What to Use
{WARNING
Adding only plain water or some
other liquid to the cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water
and other liquids, can boil before
the proper coolant mixture will.
The coolant warning system is
set for the proper coolant mixture.
With plain water or the wrong
mixture, the engine could get
too hot but you would not get the
overheat warning. The engine
could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and DEX-COOL coolant. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
coolant. If using this mixture,
nothing else needs to be added.
This mixture:
.Gives freezing protection down
to
−37°C (−34°F), outside
temperature.
.Gives boiling protection up
to 129°C (265°F), engine
temperature.
.Protects against rust and
corrosion.
.Will not damage aluminum parts.
.Helps keep the proper engine
temperature.
Notice: If an improper coolant
mixture is used, the engine could
overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Too much water in the mixture
can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core, and other
parts. Never dispose of engine coolant
by putting it in the trash, pouring
it on the ground, or into sewers,
streams, or bodies of water.
Have the coolant changed by an
authorized service center, familiar
with legal requirements regarding
used coolant disposal. This will help
protect the environment and your
health.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level
surface when checking the coolant
level.
Check to see if coolant is visible in
the coolant surge tank. If the coolant
inside the coolant surge tank is
boiling, do not do anything else until
it cools down. If coolant is visible
but the coolant level is not at or
above the COLD FILL line, add a
50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and DEX-COOL coolant at the
coolant surge tank, but be sure the
cooling system is cool before this
is done. See
Cooling System on
page 10‑16 for more information.

Black plate (21,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-21
By this time, the coolant level
inside the coolant surge tank
may be lower. If the level is
lower, add more of the proper
DEX-COOL coolant mixture to
the coolant surge tank until
the level reaches the COLD
FILL line.
5. Replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure cap is
hand-tight.
Check the level in the coolant
surge tank when the cooling system
has cooled down. If the coolant
is not at the proper level, repeat
Steps 1 through 3 and reinstall the
pressure cap. If the coolant still is
not at the proper level when the
system cools down again, see your
dealer.Engine Overheating
The vehicle has an indicator to warn
of engine overheating. There is an
engine coolant temperature warning
light on the vehicle's instrument
panel. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5‑10.
The decision may be made not
to lift the hood when this warning
appears, but instead get service
help right away. See Roadside
Assistance Program (U.S. and
Canada) on page 13‑7 orRoadside
Assistance Program (Mexico) on
page 13‑9. If the decision to lift the hood is
made, make sure the vehicle is
parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine
cooling fan(s) are running. If the
engine is overheating, the fan(s)
should be running. If they are not,
do not continue to run the engine
and have the vehicle serviced.
Notice:
Engine damage from
running the engine without
coolant is not covered by the
warranty.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
10-22 Vehicle Care
If Steam is Coming from the
Engine Compartment
{WARNING
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 the
engine is overheated, the liquids
in it can catch fire. You or others
could be badly burned. Stop the
engine if it overheats, and get out
of the vehicle until the engine
is cool.
If No Steam is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
.Stops after high-speed driving.
.Idles for long periods in traffic.
.Tows a trailer.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam:
1. Turn the air conditioning off.
2. Turn the heater on to the highest temperature and to the highest
fan speed. Open the windows as
necessary. 3. In heavy traffic, let the engine
idle in N (Neutral) while stopped.
If it is safe to do so, pull off
the road, shift to P (Park)
or N (Neutral) and let the
engine idle.
If the temperature overheat gauge
is no longer in the overheat zone
or an overheat warning no longer
displays, the vehicle can be driven.
Continue to drive the vehicle slowly
for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe
vehicle distance from the vehicle in
front. If the warning does not come
back on, continue to drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull
over, stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is no sign of steam, idle
the engine for three minutes while
parked. If the warning is still
displayed, turn off the engine until
it cools down.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-3
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5, 5-6
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-11
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Coolant
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16 Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-10
Cover Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-14
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-11
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-16
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . 7-28, 7-31 Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-4
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 9-37, 10-27
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Driving
Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-18
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19

Black plate (4,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
DVD Rear Seat EntertainmentSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
ECO Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Economy Mode Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17 Engine (cont.)
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-25
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-33
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-16
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 6-4, 10-35
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Economy Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18

Black plate (5,1)GMC Terrain Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
Fuel (cont.)Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-53
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-52
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-19
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-53
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42G
GasolineSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
H
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Heater Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1, 8-3