engine overheat GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 User Guide

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
Engine Overheating on
page
5-27.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F ( -37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
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.
Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
5-24

What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half dean, drinkable water and
one-half
DEX-COOL@ coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts.
If you use this coolant mixture,
vou don’t need
to add anvthing else.
I
Addir - mi- -)lain water to lr cooling s- tem
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as 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: 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.
5-25

Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap
The coolant surge tank
pressure cap must be fully
installed on the coolant
surge tank.
Nofice: Your pressure cap is a pressure-type cap
and must be tightly installed to prevent coolant loss
and possible engine damage from overheating. See “Capacities and Specifications” for more
information.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. See
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage
on page 3-36. In addition, you will
find a LOW COOLANT, ENGINE OVERHEATED and a
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message in the DIC on
the instrument panel. See
Driver lnformation Center
(DIC)
on page 3-43.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
If an overheated engine condition exists and the
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message is displayed, an
overheat protection mode which alternates firing groups
of cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a
loss in power and engine performance.
This operating mode allows your vehicle to be driven to
a
safe place in an emergency. Driving extended miles (km)
and/or towing a trailer in the overheat protection mode
should be avoided.
Nofice: After driving in the overheated engine
protection operating mode, to avoid engine damage,
allow the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair the
cause of coolant
loss, change the oil and reset the oil
life system. See “Engine
Oil” in the Index.
5-27

If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
I
1 Steam from an overheated engine can b
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
I
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.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode”
in the Index for information on driving
to a safe place in an emergency.
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 “Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode” in the Index for information on
driving to a safe place in an emergency.
5-28

If No Steam Is Coming From
Your Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant message,
can indicate
a serious problem. See “Low Coolant”
under
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53.
If you get an engine overheat warning with no low
coolant message, 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. See “Driving on Grades” under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-51.
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 (@ ).
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, push down the accelerator
until the engine speed
is about twice as fast as normal
idle speed for at least three minutes while you’re parked.
If you still have the warning, turn off the engine andget
everyone out
of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode listed
previously in this section.
You may decide not
to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-29

I
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.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
The engine cooling fan speed should increase when idle
speed
is doubled by pushing the accelerator pedal
down.
If it doesn’t, your vehicle needs service. Turn off
the engine.
Notice: Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode”
in the Index for information on driving to
a safe place in an emergency.
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.
5-31

Adding ~.ly p.-.n water to your coa....g system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as 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 i i 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.
I
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.
5-33

Driving Through Flowing Water ..................... 4-32
Driving with a Trailer
....................................... 4-56
Dual Automatic Climate Control System
.......... 3-18
E
Easy Exit Seat .................... .... 2-43
Electrical System
Add-on Equipment
...................................... 5-95
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
........................... 5-95
Power Windows and Other Power Options
...... 5-95
Windshield Wiper Fuses
............................... 5-95
Electrochromic Mirror Operation
........................ 2-28
Maintenance Programs
................................. 3-40
Air CleanedFilter
......................................... 5-1 9
Battery
....................................................... 5-42
Check and Service Engine Soon Light
............ 3-38
Coolant
...................................................... 5-24
Coolant Heater
............................................ 2-17
Coolant Temperature Gage
........................ 3-36
Cooling System Inspection
......................... 6-14
Engine Compartment Overview
...................... 5-1 2
Exhaust
..................................................... 2-26
Fan Noise
.................................................. 5-36
Oil
............................................................. 5-13
Overheating
................................................ 5-27
Starting
...................................................... 2-1 6
Emissions
Inspection and
Engine ENGINE COOLANT HOT
................................. 3-54
Engine Coolant Level Check
............................. 6-10
Engine Hour Meter Display
............................... 3-26
Engine
Oil and Chassis Lubrication Scheduled
Engine
Oil Additives
........................................ 5-17
Engine Oil Level Check
................................... 6-10
Entry Lighting
......................... ............. 3-15
Maintenance
................................................. 6-5
ENGINE OVERHEATED
.................................. 3-54
Erasing HomeLink@ Buttons
...... ......... 2-38
Exit Lighting
............................... ............. 3-15
Express-Down Windows
................................... 2-11
Extender, Safety Belt
....................................... 1-29
Exterior Lamps
............................................... 3-11
F
FabridCarpet ................................................. 5-87
Engine Air Cleaner
...................................... 5-19
Filter
Finding
a PTY Station
(RDS, XMTM and DAB)
................................. 3-67
Finding a Station
............................................ 3-64
Finish Care
.................................................... 5-89
Finish Damage
............................................... 5-91
Fixed Mast Antenna
........................................ 3-84
Flash-To-Pass Feature
....................................... 3-6
Flat Tire
........................................................ 5-68
Flat Tire, Changing
......................................... 5-69

OIL PRESSURE LOW ..................................... 3-54
Older Children. Restraints
................................ 1-30
Online Owner Center ........................................ 7-3
Onstar@ Personal Calling
................................. 2-34
Onstar@ Services
............................................ 2-33
Onstar@ Steering Wheel Controls
...................... 2-34
Onstar@ System
............................................. 2-33
Onstar@ Virtual Advisor
.................................... 2-34
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
Off
Paved Roads ..................
Other Warning Devices ........
Outlet Adjustment ................
Outside
Automatic Dimming Mirror
.
Convex Mirror .................
Curb View Assist Mirrors ..
Heated Mirrors ................
Power Foldaway Mirrors ...
...
......................... 4-16
........................... 3-4
......................... 3-23
......................... 2-31
......................... 2-32
......................... 2-32
......................... 2-32
......................... 2-31
Power Mirrors
............................................. 2-31
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
.......................................... 5-27
Owners, Canadian
............................................... ii
Owner’s Information ........................................ 7-1 0
P
Park (P)
Parking Shifting
Out
of ............................................ 2-25
Brake
........................................................ 2-22
Over Things That Burn
................................. 2-26
Park (P) Mechanism Check
........................... 6-13
Parking on
Hills .............................................. 4-58
Shifting Into
................................................ 2-23
Parking
Brake and Automatic Transmission
Park (P)
Part A
- Scheduled Maintenance Services ............ 6-4
Part B
- Owner Checks and Services ................ 6-10
Part C
- Periodic Maintenance Inspections .......... 6-14
Part D
- Recommended Fluids and Lubricants .... 6-16
Part E
- Maintenance Record ........................... 6-18
Passenger Air Bag Indicator
............................. 2-30
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator
................... 3-30
PASSENGER DOOR AJAR
.............................. 3-60
Passenger Sensing System
.............................. 1-68
Passing
......................................................... 4-14
Passlock@
...................................................... 2-14
10