Oldsmobile Achieva 1997 Owner's Manuals

When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
2.4L Engine
3100 Engine
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Fan
An electric 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.
5-15

If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until
it cools down.
Lne 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.
J AUTION:
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.
I NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see
if the electric engine fan is running. If the engine is
overheating, the
fan should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
5-16

How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge 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
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@ coolant at
the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling system,
including the coolant surge tank pressure cap,
is cool
before you do
it. (See “Engine Coolant” in the Index for
more information.)
A CAUTIOP
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 coolant
surge tank pressure cap
-- even a little -- they
can come out at high speed. Never turn the cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap,
is hot. Wait for the
cooling system and coolant surge tank pressure
cap
to cool if you ever have to turn the
pressure cap.
-
5-17

A 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 mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water
or the wrong mix, 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 mix of clean
water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
I NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
So
use the recommended coolant.
A 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.
5-18

1. You can remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap and upper radiator hose,
is no
longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly about
one-quarter turn to the left and then stop.
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 slowly, and
remove it.
5-19

3. Then fill the coolant surge tank with the proper mix,
up to FULL COLD, or just above the small cylinder
at the base
of the opening.
4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, start the
engine and let it run until
you can feel the upper
radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fan.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower. If the level is lower, add
more
of the proper mix to the coolant surge tank
until the level reaches
FULL COLD, or just above
the small cylinder at the base
of the opening.
5-20

5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure
cap is tight.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” 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 “blowout,” 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.
5-21

ianging 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.
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 an automatic transaxle shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST
(1) or REVERSE (R).
3. I'urn 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.
5-22

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
Lift and remove the cover. (See “Compact Spare Tire”
later in this section for more information about the
compact spare.) You will find
the jacking instructions
label on the underside of the tire cover. Turn the wing
nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift off the
adapter and remove the
spare tire.
Remove the jack and wheel wrench
from the trunk.
Your vehicle’s jack and wheel wrench are store in
a
foam tray.
5-23

The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench
(B).
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Remove the wheel nut caps, if your vehicle has them
(you may need to use the wheel wrench to loosen
and remove them, if your fingers do not fit into this
small area).
2. On some models, a cover plate must be removed to
find the wheel nuts. Carefully use the wedge end
of
the wheel wrench to pry it off.
5-24