CHEVROLET LUMINA 1999 2.G Owners Manual

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5-17
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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5-18 How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
NOTICE:
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
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.
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.

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3. If you have the 3800 V6 engine, remove the
3800 Series II V6 engine cover shield to access
the bleed valve.
A. Clean the area around the engine oil fill tube and cap
before removing. Twist the oil fill tube, with cap
attached, counterclockwise and remove it.
B. Lift the engine cover shield at the front, slide the
catch tab out of the engine bracket and remove the
cover shield.C. Put the oil fill tube, with cap attached, in the valve
cover oil fill hole until you're ready to replace the
cover shield.
3100 V6 engine: There are two bleed valves. One is
located on the thermostat housing. The other is
located on the thermostat bypass tube.

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4. After the engine cools,
open the coolant air
bleed valve or valves.
3800 V6 engine: There is one bleed valve. It is located
on the thermostat housing.5. 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.)
If you see a stream of coolant coming from an air
bleed valve, close the valve. Otherwise, close the
valves after the radiator is filled.
6. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and the compartment.

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5-21
7. If you have the 3800 V6 engine, replace the
3800 Series II V6 engine cover shield.
A. Remove the oil fill tube, with cap attached, from
the valve cover.
B. Insert the catch tab on the cover shield under the
bracket on the engine.
C. Place the hole in the cover shield over the hole in
the valve cover. Install oil fill tube and cap by
twisting clockwise.
8. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the
COLD mark.9. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the pressure cap off.
10. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fans.
11. 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.

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5-22
12. 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.
13. Check the coolant in the recovery tank. The level in
the coolant recovery tank should be at the HOT
mark when the engine is hot or at the COLD mark
when the engine is cold.
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.

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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.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.

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5-24 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you'll need
is in the trunk. Pull the
carpeting from the floor of
the trunk. Turn the center
nut on the compact spare
cover counterclockwise to
remove it. Then lift and
remove the cover.
Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift off the
spacer and remove the spare
tire. See ªCompact Spare
Tireº in the Index for more
information about the
compact spare.
Turn the nut holding the jack and wrench
counterclockwise and remove it. Then remove the jack
and wrench.

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5-25
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A),
socket (B) and wheel wrench (C).If there is a wheel cover, loosen the nut caps with the
wheel wrench. They won't come off. Then, using the
flat end of the wheel wrench, pry along the edge of the
wheel cover until it comes off. Be careful; the edge may
be sharp. Don't try to remove the cover with your
bare hands.

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To remove a center cap, use the wrench to pry gently at
the notch. Don't use a tool that is narrower than the
wrench to pry at this notch.
If your vehicle has wheel nut caps, remove them using
the wheel wrench.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don't remove them yet.
2. Turn the jack handle clockwise to raise the jack lift
head a few inches.