engine coolant Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these
symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever
your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
RUNNING
* 0
DAYTIME - a
LAMPS .
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
h
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE -%-
LIGHTER n
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL E3
V

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting
and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
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2-1s
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2-30
2-3
1
Keys
Door Locks
Remote Lock Control TrUIlk
Theft
Universal Theft-Deterrent
PASS-Key(%
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions Starting Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn 2-3 1
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3
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2-48
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2-55 2-55
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2-60
2-64
2-75 Engine Exhaust
Windows
Tilt Wheel
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps Interior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Cellular Telephone (Option)
Accessory Power Outlet
Sunroof (Option)
Universal Transmitter
Instrument Panel
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
Driver Information Center
2-1

Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use
a heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated
for
at least 15 amps.
In very cold weather,
0 OF (- 18 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To Use the Engine 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 AC outlet.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and 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 outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your retailer
in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle.
The retailer can give you the best advice for
that particular area.
2-23

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red warning zone,
your engine is hot.
To prevent engine overheating, the
air conditioning compressor will turn
off automatically,
a fast-pulsed chime will sound, and the message
ENGINE
HOT ... A/C OW will appear in the information
center.
As the engine cools down, the air conditioning
compressor will automatically turn back on. If
the coolant temperature is over
261 OF (127 “C),
the message HOT. ..STOP ENGINE will appear. It
means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
The section “Problems on the Road,”
in this manual
explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
If your coolant level
is low, the message LOW ENGINE
COOLANT will appear on the Driver Information
Center. Check your coolant level
as soon as possible.
See “Engine Coolant” in the Index.
2-70

Automatic Operation
Press the AUTO-PUSH knob when you want the system
to automatically adjust the interior temperature to your
preference. When the system
is set for automatic
operation, air will come from the floor, upper or the
windshield outlets depending on the temperature inside
the vehicle, the outside temperature and the
sun load.
Fan speed will vary as the system reaches and maintains
the comfort setting you have selected.
To find your comfort setting, start with the system in
automatic mode by pressing the AUTO-PUSH knob.
Adjust the comfort setting by using the red and blue
buttons located below the digital display until
you reach
a setting of
75°F (24"C), on the display. Give the
vehicle about 20 minutes to stabilize and then readjust
the comfort setting
if necessary. The display will show
the comfort setting for five seconds and then it will
show the outside temperature.
In cold weather, the system will delay turning on the fan
to avoid blowing cold air. The length of the delay
depends
on the engine coolant temperature and the
outside temperature. Rotating the AUTO
FAN knob will
override this delay by turning off the automatic fan
mode and changing the fan speed.
...................................... ...................................................
Your automatic electronic climate control system has
two sun sensors located on the top of the instrument
panel that detect direct sunlight.
To keep you and your
passengers comfortable, the system may supply cooler
air to the side toward the sun. Be careful not to put
anything over these sun sensors. The automatic
electronic climate control system may not operate
correctly
if these sensors are covered.
To change the automatic electronic climate control
display from an English display to a Metric display,
push the
OFF button located in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) for two seconds. The display in the DIC
will also change from an English to a Metric display. To
return to an English display, repeat the above procedure.

Heating
In cold weather, if the automatic mode is selected
(AUTO-PUSH knob indicator light is on), the system
will automatically direct the airflow out of the lower
floor outlets and the temperature door will be positioned
at the full hot position. You can choose the extreme
comfort setting of
90°F (32°C) but the system will not
warm
up any faster by selecting the extreme
comfort setting.
In cold weather, the system will delay turning on the fan
to avoid blowing cold air. The length of the delay
depends on the engine coolant temperature and the
outside temperature. The fan speed will increase as the
temperature
of the engine coolant increases. Rotating the
AUTO FAN
knob will override this delay by turning off
the automatic fan control mode and changing the
fan speed.
Ventilation System
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system always
allows outside air
to flow through your vehicle when it
is moving, even when the system is off.
The direction of the air can be controlled by adjusting or
closing the outlets
in the instrument panel. Rotate the
control between the front outlets upward to open the
outlets and downward to close the outlets. Adjust the
direction of airflow
from side to side with the controls in
each outlet.

Engine Overheating
Attach a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end of each lower
control
arm.
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. Your driver information
center will also display messages about engine
overheating. See “Coolant Temperature Gage”
in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should an overheated engine 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.
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
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
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.
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.

Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
B
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Two Electric Engine Cooling Fans
% CAUT IN:
An electric engine cooling 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.

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 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,
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 cooling fans are running. If the
engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If
they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
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