open hood Oldsmobile Achieva 1995 Owner's Manuals

To use the coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt outlet.
r
NOTICE:
After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts.
If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends
on the weather, the kind of oil
you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list
everything here, we
ask that you contact your
Oldsmobile retailer in the area where you’ll be parking
your vehicle. The retailer
can give you the best advice
for that particular area.
2-18

Low Coolant Level Warning Light
LOW
WASH
FLUID
LOW
COOLANT
1
If this light comes on and
stays on, the vehicle should
promptly be pulled off the
road and the coolant level
checked.
See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index. If there are visible
signs of steam, see “Engine Overheating” in the Index
before opening the hood. Have your vehicle serviced as
soon as you can.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon
Light)
I
LY
SERVICE
ENOINE
SOON
A computer monitors
operation of your fuel,
ignition and emission
control systems.
This light should come on when the ignition
is on, but
the engine is not running,
as a check to show you it is
working. If it does not come on at all, have it fixed right
away. If
it stays on, or it comes on while you are
driving, the computer is indicating that you have a
problem. You should take your vehicle in for service
soon.
2-65

You could be injured if the vehicles roll. Set the
parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put an
automatic transaxle in PARK
(P) or a manual
transaxle in NEUTRAL (N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lamps that aren’t needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. And it could
save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
5-3

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 the 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.
0 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 you have an air conditioner, 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 (03) or DRIVE (D) for
automatic transaxles.
If you
no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about ten 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, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if
the warning stops. But then, 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.
5-13

Checking Things Under the Hood
The following sections tell you how to check fluids,
lubricants and important parts underhood.
Hood Release
To open the hood, first
pull the
HOOD release
handle inside the
vehicle. Then
go to the front of the vehicle
and push the
secondary hood release down to lift the hood.
I
6-7

b b d
2.3L Quad 4 Engine (CODE D)
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Engine Oil Dipstick
Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
(if equipped)
Brake Fluid Reservoir
Air Cleaner
Hydraulic Clutch
Fluid Reservoir (if equipped)
Battery
Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
Engine Oil Fill Cap
Engine Coolant Surge Tank
6-9

P P P
3.1L V6 Engine (CODE M)
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick (if equipped)
Brake Fluid Reservoir
Air Cleaner
Battery
Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
Engine Oil Dipstick
Engine Oil
Fill Cap
Engine Coolant Surge Tank
6-10

Underhood Light
Your parking lights or headlights must be on for the
underhood light
to function when you open the hood.
Engine Oil
If the CHECK OIL light on the instrument panel comes
on, it means you need to check your engine oil level
right away. For more information, see
”CHECK OIL
LIGHT” in the Index. You should check your engine oil
level regularly; this is an added reminder.
It’s a good idea
to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel.
In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be
on level ground.
Turn
off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don’t, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual level.
To Check Engine Oil
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
Checking Engine Oil
The engine oil dipstick handle is yellow. The dipstick
handle for the
2.3L L-4 is located behind the engine.
The dipstick for the 3.1L
V-6 is located in front of the
engine behind the fan.
6-11