BUICK RIVIERA 1999 Owner's Manual

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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and the
warning light about a hot engine on your instrument
panel. See ªEngine Coolant Temperature Gageº and
ªLow Coolant Warning Lightº in the Index.
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 fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.

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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.
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.
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. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Two Electric Engine Cooling Fans
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling fan under the hood 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.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down.
The coolant level should be at or above FULL COLD. 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.

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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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5-13 How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven't found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn't at FULL COLD, 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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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
FULL COLD, 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 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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5-15 How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
1. You can remove the
radiator pressure cap
when the cooling
system, including the
radiator pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is
no longer hot. Turn the
pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise until it
first stops. (Don't press
down while turning the
pressure cap.)
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure left.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
3. Fill the radiator with the
proper DEX
-COOL

coolant mixture, up to
the base of the filler
neck. (See ªEngine
Coolantº in the Index
for more information
about the proper
coolant mixture.)
4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to FULL COLD.

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5. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap off.
6. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fans.7. By this time, the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may be lower. If the level is lower, add
more of the proper DEX
-COOL
coolant mixture
through the filler neck until the level reaches the
base of the filler neck.
8. Then replace the
pressure cap. At any
time during this
procedure if coolant
begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the
pressure cap. Be sure the
arrows on the pressure
cap line up like this.

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If a Tire Goes Flat
It's unusual for a tire to ªblow outº while you're driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it's much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a ªblowout,º here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you'd use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.

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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you'll need is in the trunk.
Instructions for changing your tires are on the inside of
the tire cover. You can rest the cover near you for easy
reference while you change the tire.
1. Lift and remove the spare tire cover for access to the
spare tire and jack.