engine coolant Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1995 Owner's Manuals

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
3.
For example,
these sym%ols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR
FLAME ,I#$,
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your vehicle is
driven:
POWER
WINDOW n-
These symbols
have to do with your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
pA;:z
pf
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
HIGH
LAMPSoR BEAM = =o
FOG LAMPS 3 0 '
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
'r' -4
WINDSHIELD 6$
WASHER I
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
b
. FAN
These symbols are used
on
warning and
indicator lights:
CHARGING ,I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
RADIATOR COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE Wh
. TEMP OIL
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKE
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
RADIO
k
VOLUME a
CONDITIONING AIR 43
LIGHTER k
SPEAKER
b
V

Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come
in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
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 coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
NOTICE:
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.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt outlet.
2-14.
’
. ..

Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the LOW TRAC light will
come on.
Slippery road conditions will exist if this light comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will stay on
for a few seconds after the system stops adjusting brake
pressure.
The LOW TRAC light also comes on briefly, as a bulb
check, when the engine is started. If the light doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be there to tell you
when the system is active.
‘ This light tells.you that
your engine coolant has
, overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
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.
Hot Coolant Can Burn You Badly!
In “Problems on the~Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.

2-50

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
APPLY BRAKE TO SHIF1
You have a gage that shows
the engine coolant
temperature.
If the gage
pointer moves into the red
area, your engine is too hot!
Low Coolant Warning Light
If this light comes on, your
system is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat. See “Engine
Coolsint” in the Index and
have your vehicle serviced
as soon as you can.
i COOLANT
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
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.
Hot Coolant Can Burn You Badly!
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Ennine Overheatine” in the Index.

Air Conditioning
On very hot days, open the windows long enough to let
hot inside air escape. This reduces the time the
compressor has to run, which should help fuel economy.
For quick cool-down on very hot days, use
MAX with
the temperature knob all the way in the blue area. If this
setting is used. for long periods of time, the air in your
vehicle may become too dry.
For normal cooling on hot days, use
VENT with the
temperature knob
in the blue area and the NC'button
pushed
in. The system will bring in outside air and cool it.
On cool but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body, but your lower body may not be warm enough.
You can use BI-LEVEL with the,terhperature
knob in
the middle and the
A/C button pushed in. The system
will bring
in outside air and direct it to your upper body,
while sending slightly warmed
air to your lower body.
You may notice this temperature difference more at
. '
some times than others.
J
Heating
On cold days use FLOOR with the temperature knob all
the way
in the red area. The system will bring in outside
air, heat it and send it to the floor ducts.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heatkr, you can use
it to help your system provide warm air faster when it's
cold outside
(0" F (-1 8 O C) or lower). An engine coolant-
heater
warms the coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See "Engine Coolant
Heater" in the Index.
Ventilation
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use
VENT to direct outside air through
your vehicle. Your vehicle also has the flow-through
ventilation system described later in this section.
Defogging and Defrosting Windows
Your system' has two settings for clearing the front and
side windows. To defrost the windows'quickly, use
DEFROST with the temperature knob all the way in the
red area. To warrn passengers while keeping the
windows' clean, use
QEFOG.
3-3

Automatic Control
For the most efficient operation, you ,should.set the
system temperature and press the knob. The system will
select the best fan speed and air flow, settings to keep
you comfortable. The air conditioning compressor will
run
if the outside temperature is above 40°F (4.5 ” C).
YOU may notice
a delay of three to four minutes before
the fan comes on.
Manual Control
If you prefer to manually control the heating, cooling
and ventilation
in your vehicle, push UPPER, BI-LEV,
LOWER, DEFOG or
DEE AUTO will go off the
display. Set the system to the temperature and fan
speed you want. The system will try to maintain the
temperature you set using the mode you select. The
following suggestions will help the system run more
efficiently in manual mode.
Air Conditioning
On very hot days, open the windows long enough to
let hot inside
air escape. This reduces the time the
compressor has to run, which should help fuel economy.
For quick cool-down on very hot days, use RECIRC. If
this setting is used for long periods
of time, the air in
your vehicle may become too dry. For normal cooling on hot days, use UPPER with the
A/C button pushed
in. The system will.bring in outside
air and cool it.
On
cool but .sunny days, the sun may warm your upper ,
body, but your lower body may not be warm enough. You
can use BI-LEV with the A/C’ button pushed in.’
The system will bring in outside air and direct it to your
upper body, while sending slightly warmed air to your
lower body. You may notice this temperature difference
more at some times than.others.
Heating
On cold days use LOWER. The system will bring in
outside air, heat it and send it to the floor ducts.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you, can use
it to help your system provide warm air faster when it’s
cold outside
(0°F (-18°C) or lower). An engine coolant
heater warms the‘coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See “Engine Coolant
Heater” in the Index.
Ventilation
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use-UPPER to direct outside air through
your vehicle.
Your vehicle also has the flow-through
ventilation system described later in
this section.
3-6
-

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Oldsmobile in good shape for winter. Be
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
sure your
engine coolant
mix is correct.
your
trunk.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of .windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel,
.a flashlight, a red cloth, and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditidns, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide .traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
4-22

Engine Overheating
You will find a,coolant temperature gage and a w&ng
light about a hot engine on your instrument panel.
See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Engine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the Index. You
also have a low’coolant light on your instrument panel.
See
“Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is, Coming From Your Engine
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.
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.
5-13

If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
tw this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
speed and open the window as necessary.
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving
--
DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about ten 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.
3.1L L82 (Code M) Engine
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
B. Radiator pressure cap
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
A. Coolant recovery tank ,
C. Electric engine fans
5-14

3.4L LO1 (Code X) Engine Y The coolant level should be at or above the COLD 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.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else (until it
cools down.
5-15