engine OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2003 Manual PDF

If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant message,
can indicate a serious problem. See “Low Coolant
Message” under
DIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-50.
If you get an engine overheat warning with no low
coolant message, 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. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N)
while stopped. If it is safe to do
so, pull off the road,
shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the
engine idle.
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 and you have not stopped, pull
over, stop, and park your vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can 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
“Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode” listed
previously in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
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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
S. Two Electric Engine Cooling Fans
I
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.
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If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
A low coolant level should be indicated by a LOW
ENGINE COOLANT message on the Driver Information
Center.
If it is, you may have a leak at the pressure
cap or
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.
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.
Notice: Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode’’ in the Index for information on driving to a
safe place
in an emergency.
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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.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, check to see if
coolant is visible in the surge tank. If coolant is visible
but the coolant level isn’t at or above the
FULL COLD fill
mark line (4.5 inches (1 1 cm) from the top 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
Coolant on page 5-24 for more information.
If no coolant is visible in the surge tank, add coolant as
follows:
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Steam and scalding Ii ids 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.
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1 Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the proper coolant mixture.
CAUTION: (Continued)
I I
With plain water or the wrong mixture, 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 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX COOL@ coolant.
Notice: In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant
IT-:-’=- e.
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.
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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 cooling fans.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more of the proper mixture to the coolant surge
tank until the level reaches about
4.5 inches
(1 1 cm) from the top of the filler neck.
5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the arrow
on the pressure cap lines up like this.
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Power Steering Fluid
The power steering fluid
reservoir is near the center
of the engine compartment
on the passenger’s side
of the vehicle. See
Engine
Compartment Overview
on page 5-14 for more
information
on location. I
When to Check Power Steering Fluid
It is not necessary to regularly check power steering fluid
unless you suspect there is a leak in the system or
you hear an unusual noise. A fluid
loss in this system
and repaired. See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 5-74 for reservoir location.
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How to Check Power Steering Fluid
Turn the key off, let the engine compartment cool down,
wipe the cap and the top of the reservoir clean, then
unscrew the cap and wipe the dipstick with a clean rag.
Replace the cap and completely tighten it. Then
remove the cap again and look at the fluid !eve!
on the
dipstick.
The level should be at the
FULL COLD mark. If
necessary, add only enough fluid to bring the level up to
the mark.
What to Use
To determine what kind of fluid to use, see Part D:
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-15.
Always use the proper fluid. Failure to use the proper
fluid can cause leaks and damage hoses and seals.
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Windshield Washer Fluid Notice:
What to Use
When you need windshield washer fluid, be sure to read
the manufacturer’s instructions before use.
If you will
be operating your vehicle in an area where the
temperature may fall below freezing, use a fluid that has
sufficient protection against freezing. See
Engine
Compartment Overview on page
5-14 for reservoir
location.
Adding Washer Fluid
Open the cap with the
washer symbol on it. Add
washer fluid until the
tank is full.
a
a
When using concentrated washer fluid, follow
the manufacturer’s instructions for adding water.
Don’t mix water with ready-to-use washer fluid.
Water can cause the solution to freeze and
damage your washer fluid tank and other parts
of the washer system.
Also, water doesn’t
clean as well as washer fluid.
Fill your washer fluid tank only three-quarters
full when
it’s very cold. This allows for
expansion if freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if
it is completely full.
Don’t use engine coolant (antifreeze) in your
windshield washer.
It can damage your
washer system and paint.
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Brakes
Brake Fluid
1
A DOT3
b
your brake system fixed, since a leak means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work well, or won’t
work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top
off’ your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won’t correct a leak.
If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll have too
much fluid when you get new brake linings.
You should
add (or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when
work is don
- In the brake hydraulic sys’- -n
Your master cylinder reservoir is on the driver’s side of
the engine compartment. It is filled with DOT-3 brake
fluid. See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-14
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level
in the reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake
fluid goes down to an acceptable level during normal
brake lining wear. When new linings are put
in, the fluid
level goes back up. The other reason is that fluid is
leaking out of the brake system.
If it is, you should have
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill on
the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine
is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fluid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on.
A chime will sound if you try
to drive with this warning light on. See
Brake System
Warning Light on
page 3-35.
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What to Add Notice:
When you do need brake fluid, use only DOT-3 brake
fluid. Refer
to Part D: Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page
6-75. Use new brake fluid from a
sealed container only.
Always clean the brake fluid reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before removing it. This will help
keep dirt from enteri-- the reservoir.
With the wrong kind of fluid in your brake
system, your brakes may not work well, or
they may not even work at all. This could
cause a crash. Always use the proper brake
fluid.
Using the wrong fluid can badly damage brake
system parts. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such as engine oil, in your
brake system can damage brake system
parts
so badly that they’ll have to be replaced.
Don’t let someone put in the wrong kind of fluid.
9 If you spill brake fluid on your vehicle’s painted
surfaces, the paint finish can
be damaged. Be
careful not to spill brake fluid on your vehicle.
If
you do, wash it off immediately. See
“Appearance Care” in the Index.
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