engine Oldsmobile Aurora 1997 s Workshop Manual

@ Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-3
5-3
5-8
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14
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5-23
If a Tire Goes Flat
5-24 Changing a Flat Tire
5-34 Compact Spare Tire
5-35 If You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
5-1

2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Aurora, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility
of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic transaxle
in
PARK (P) before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet.
Turn off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, 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 other vehicle’s battery
and the Aurora’s remote positive
(+) jump starting
terminal in the box on the passenger side
of the
engine compartment.
(Your Aurora’s battery isn’t
under the hood.)
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tsols away from any underhood
electric fan.
5-4

5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery or remote terminal. You should always
use the remote positive
(+) terminal instead of the
positive
(+) terminal on your battery.
To open the remote positive (+) terminal box, pull
the tab and open the cover.
6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some things
you should how. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+)
and negative (-) will go to negative (-) or a metal
engine part. Don’t connect positive
(+) to negative (-)
or you’ll get a short that would damage the battery
and maybe other parts too.
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You don’t
need to add water to the Delco Freedom@ battery
installed
in every new GM vehicle. But if a battery
has fier caps, be sure the right amount of fluid is
there.
If it is low, add water to take care of that
first.
If you don’t, explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately. Fans
or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
5-5

9. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch anything until the next
step. The other end of the negative cable
doesn’t go to
the dead battery. It goes to a heavy unpainted metal part
on the engine of the vehicle with the dead battery.
10. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine parts that
move. The electrical connection is just as good
there, but the chance of sparks getting back to
the
battery is much less.
11. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
12. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it
won’t
start after a few tries, it probably needs service.
5-7

13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have an Oldsmobile retailer or a professional
towing service tow your Aurora. See “Roadside
Assistance” in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero-skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you
do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
0 That your vehicle can only be towed from the front
with sling-type equipment.
0 That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can still move the shift lever.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want
to
see them.
5-8

Attach a separate
safety chain around the
outboard end of each
lower control arm.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Aurora’s instrument panel. Your information center will
also display messages about engine overheating. See
“Coolant Temperature Gage” in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should a low coolant condition exist and the message
HOT STOP ENGINE is displayed, an overheat
protection mode which alternates firing groups of four
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; you may drive up to
50 miles (80 km). Towing a trailer in the overheat
protection mode should be avoided.
I NOTICE:
~ 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 indicator. See “Engine Oil, When to
Change” in the Index.
5-14

If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
ontin d)
I
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
CAUTION: (Continued) 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.
I 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.
5-15

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.
0 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. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open
the window as necessary.
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, 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 0fSth.e engine and get 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 eet service
help right away.
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).
5-16

When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll
see:
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Two Electric Engine Cooling Fans
I A CAUTION:
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.
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it cools down.
5-17

If it isn’t, the coolant level should be indicated by a
CHECK
COOLANT LEVEL message on the Driver
Information Center. If it
is, you may have a leak in the
radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system.
.
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 if you keep running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode” in the Index.
If there seems to be
no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
5-18