Oldsmobile Aurora 2001 Owner's Manuals

5-5
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.
See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index
for more information on location.
Lift and move the red
positive (+) remote
terminal cover away
from the relay center.
CAUTION:
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 ACDelco
battery
installed in every new GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler 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.

5-6
6. Check that the jumper cables don't have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could also be damaged.
Before you connect the cables, here are some things
you should know. Positive (+) will go to positive (+)
and negative (
-) will go to a heavy, unpainted
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. Also, don't
connect the negative (
-) cable to the negative (-)
terminal on the dead battery.
CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
7. Connect the red
positive (+) cable to
the remote positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
8. Don't let the other end
touch metal. Connect it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
positive (+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.

5-7
9. Now connect the black
negative (
-) cable to
the good battery's
negative (
-) terminal.
Don't let the other end of the negative (
-) cable
touch anything until the next step. The other end of
the negative (
-) cable doesn't go to the dead battery.
10. If you have the 3.5L V6 engine, it goes to a heavy,
unpainted metal part on the engine of the vehicle
with the dead battery. Don't allow the red and black
handles in the jumper cable to touch each other.
If you have the 4.0L V8
engine, your vehicle has
a remote negative terminal,
marked ªGNDº, located
near the power steering
fluid reservoir. Attach
the cable to the remote
negative terminal provided.
See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index
for more information on location.
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.

5-8
13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don't
touch each other or any other metal. Replace the
red positive (+)remote terminal cover to its
original position.
A. Remote Positive (+) Terminal
B. Good Battery
C. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part
Towing Your Vehicle
CAUTION:
To help avoid serious personal injury to you
or others:

Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
being towed.

Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.

Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.

Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.

Always secure the vehicle on each side
with separate safety chains when towing it.

Use only the correct hooks.

5-9
NOTICE:
Use the proper towing equipment to avoid
damage to the bumper, fascia or fog lamp areas
of the vehicle.
With current trends in automotive styles and design,
it is essential that the correct towing equipment is used
to tow a vehicle. Your vehicle can be towed with
wheel
-lift or car-carrier equipment only.
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your vehicle towed. See ªRoadside
Assistanceº in the Index.
Engine Overheating
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 ªEngine Coolant Temperature Gageº 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
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 ªEngine Oilº in the Index.

5-10 If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
CAUTION:
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. See ªOverheated Engine
Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.

5-11
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 ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine 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.

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 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 (D)
or THIRD (3).
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, idle the engine for
three minutes while you're parked. If you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº listed previously
in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

5-12
Cooling System
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
CAUTION:
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.

5-13
A low 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.
CAUTION:
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 from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
See ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Modeº in the Index.
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.
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.

5-14 How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven't found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn't at at the proper level (below the base of the filler
neck), add a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water
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
ªEngine Coolantº in the Index for more information.
CAUTION:
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.