engine coolant OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1996 Owners Manual

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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
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
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
These symbols have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING
.'*'**o
DAYTIME LAMPS
'**
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE c
COOLANT - r-
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(@)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
n
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V
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Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
The engine coolant heater
cord is secured on the
driver’s side of the vehicle,
by the brake controller.
In very cold weather,
0°F (- 18OC) 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 coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
~ Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
~ could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
1 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.
4. After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to 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 Oldsmobile retailer in the area where you’ll be
parking your vehicle. The retailer can give you the best
advice for that particular area.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That‘s normal.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is
too hot!
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your Oldsmobile needs service. If the regular brake
system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with your regular brakes.
See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready
to warn you if there is a problem. It
means that your engine coolant has overheated.
Tf 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.
In “Problems on the Road,”
this manual shows you what
to do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
:::o 0.0
You may have this light on
the instrument panel.
It goes on whenever the
DRL are on, the ignition is
on, the headlamp switch is
off and the parking brake
is released.
Check Gages Light
CHECK
GAGES
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
If the light comes on and
stays on while you are
driving, check your coolant
temperature and engine oil
pressure gages
to see if they
are in the warning zones.
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Air Conditioning Heating
On hot
days, open the windows long enough to let hot
inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes for your
vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best.
For quick cool-down
on very hot days, use MAX A/C
with the temperature knob turned counterclockwise.
This setting should be used to keep odors and/or dust
from entering the vehicle. For normal cooling on hot
days, use A/C with the temperature knob turned
counterclockwise.
On cool but sunny days, use
BI-LEVEL A/C to deliver
warm air to the floor and cooler air to the instrument
panel outlets.
When the air conditioner is on, you may sometimes
notice slight changes in your vehicle’s engine speed
and power.
This is normal because the system is
designed to cycle the compressor on and off to keep
the desired temperature. The
heater works best if you keep your windows closed
while using it. On cold days, use HEATER with the
temperature knob turned clockwise.
BLEND is useful in
cool weather when you have fog or ice on the
windshield or side windows.
If you use the optional engine coolant heater before
starting your engine, your heating system will produce
warmer air faster to heat the passenger compartment in
cold weather. See “Engine Coolant Heater” in the Index.
Ventilation System
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use VENT to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Airflow is through the instrument
panel outlets.
Your vehicle’s ventilation system supplies outside air to
the inside
of your vehicle when it is moving. When the
vehicle is not moving, you can get outside air to flow
through by selecting any mode and any fan speed.
3-3
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel.
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
opening 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.
3-11
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wnen you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. 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.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don't
do anything else until it cools down.
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The coolant level should be at the ADD mark. 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.
1 A 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.
I I
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again. See
if the fan speed increases when idle speed
is doubled by
pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn’t, your
vehicle needs service. Turn
off the engine.
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How to Add Coolant to the
Coolant Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the
ADD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL TM
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index for
more information.)
I
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 TM antifreeze.
I NOTICE:
r
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts. Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.
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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.
When the coolant
in the coolant recovery tank is at
ADD, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there's one more
thing you can try. You can add the proper coolant
mix
directly to the radiator but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you do it.
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 radiator
pressure cap
-- even a little -- they can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling system and
radiator pressure cap to cool if you ever have to
turn the pressure cap.
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