engine overheat BUICK LESABRE 2000 User Guide

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5-11
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.
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.If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If your air conditioner is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
)
or THIRD (3).
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, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, idle the engine for 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. Also, see ªOverheated Engine Protection
Operating Modeº listed previously in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

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5-13
If it isn't, you may have a leak 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. 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.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
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.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine cooling fans are running. If the
engine is overheating, both fans should be running. If
they aren't, your vehicle needs service.

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5-14 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 ªEngine
Coolantº in the Index for more information.)
CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like 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.

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5-15
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. 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.
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 before you do it.
CAUTION:
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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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5-30
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don't take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts of your vehicle.
Don't use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don't mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won't fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won't fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don't use tire chains on your
compact spare.
If You're Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don't want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as ªrockingº can help
you get out when you're stuck, but you must use caution.
CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle
can overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you're
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible. Don't
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.

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6-21 How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transaxle fluid to use. See ªRecommended
Fluids and Lubricantsº in the Index.
If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid to bring the level into the cross
-hatched area
on the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long
-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole to bring it to the proper level.
It doesn't take much fluid, generally less than one
pint (0.5 L). Don't overfill.
NOTICE:
We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON
-III, because fluid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRON

-III
is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under ªHow to Check.º
4. When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is filled with
DEX
-COOL
engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX
-COOL
extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem with
engine overheating, see ªEngine Overheatingº in
the Index.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX
-COOL
coolant will:

Give freezing protection down to
-34F (-37C).

Give boiling protection up to 265F (129C).

Protect against rust and corrosion.

Help keep the proper engine temperature.

Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.

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6-22
NOTICE:
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.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water and
one
-half DEX-COOL
coolant which won't damage
aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture, you
don't need to add anything else.
CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like 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.

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6-23
NOTICE:
If you use an improper coolant mixture, your
engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost wouldn't be covered by your
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can
freeze and crack the engine, radiator, heater core
and other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
NOTICE:
If you use the proper coolant, you don't have to
add extra inhibitors or additives which claim to
improve the system. These can be harmful.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a
level surface. When your
engine is cold, the coolant
level should be at FULL
COLD or a little higher.
When your engine is warm,
the level should be up
to FULL HOT or a
little higher.
If this ENG COOLANT
LOW
- CHECK LEVEL
message on the DIC comes
on and stays on, it
means you're low on
engine coolant.

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6-24
Adding Coolant
If you need more coolant, add the proper DEX
-COOL

coolant mixture at the coolant recovery tank, but be
careful not to spill it.
CAUTION:
Turning the radiator pressure cap when the
engine and radiator are hot can allow steam and
scalding liquids to blow out and burn you badly.
With the coolant recovery tank, you will almost
never have to add coolant at the radiator.
Never turn the radiator pressure cap
-- even a
little
-- when the engine and radiator are hot.
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. Don't spill coolant on a hot engine.
Radiator Pressure Cap
NOTICE:
Your radiator cap is a 15 psi (105 kPa)
pressure
-type cap and must be tightly installed to
prevent coolant loss and possible engine damage
from overheating. Be sure the arrows on the cap
line up with the overflow tube on the radiator
filler neck.
When you replace your radiator pressure cap, a GM cap
is recommended.