engine coolant OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE 1998 User Guide

The coolant level should be at or above the GOLD mark
on the overflow hose in the coolant recovery reservoir.
To check the coolant level, remove the cap on the
coolant recovery reservoir.
Make sure to check that the
coolant level
is up to the COLD fill level on the hose
attached
to the cap.
If it isn’t, you my have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else
in the COO& 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.
I NOTICE:
r
Engine damage if you keep running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your 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.
5-18
ProCarManuals.com

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 COLD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@
engine coolant at the coolant recovery tank. (See
“Engine Coolant” in the
Index for more information.)
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 mixture will. Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. 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 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 mixture.
5-19
ProCarManuals.com

-4 the COLD mark, start your vehicle.
When the coolant
in the coolant recovery tank is at
A CAUTION:
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.
If the overheat waning continues, there’s one more
thing YOU can try. You can add the proper coolant
mixture directly to the radiator, but be sure the
cooling system is cool before you do it.
I A 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 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.
5-20
ProCarManuals.com

How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
NOTICE:
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause
your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
1. You can remove the radiator pressure cap when
the cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap and upper radiator hose, is no longer hot. Turn
the pressure cap
slowly counterclockwise until it
first stops. (Don't press down while turning the
pressure cap.)
If
you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure left.
5-21
ProCarManuals.com

2. Then keep turning the pressure C&5, but now push
down
as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
3. After the engine cools,
open the coolant
air
bleed valve.
There
is one bleed valve. It is located on the
thermostat housing.
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.
5-22
ProCarManuals.com

4. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture, up to the base
of the filler neck.
(See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index for more
information about the proper coolant mixture.)
If you see a stream of coolant coming from an air
bleed valve, close the valve. Otherwise, close the
valve after the radiator is filled.
5. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and the compartment.
6. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the
COLD mark.
7. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap off.
8. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fans.
9. By this time, the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may be lower. If
the level is lower, add
more of the proper
DEX-COOL@ coolant mixture
through the filler neck until the level reaches the
base of the filler neck.
5-23
ProCarManuals.com

If a Tire Goes Flat
I --
10. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure if coolant begins to flow out
of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
arrows on the pressure cap line up like this.
1 1. Check the coolant in the recovery tank. The level
in the coolant recovery tank should be at the
HOT
mark when the engine is hot or at the COLD mark
when the engine
is cold. It’s
unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if
you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if
you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create
a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off
the accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake
to a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like
a skid and may require the same correction you’d use
in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
5-24
ProCarManuals.com

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how
to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6-2 Service
6-3 Fuel
6-5 Fuels in Foreign Countries
6-5 Filling Your Tank
6-
8 Filling a Portable Fuel Container
6-
8 Checking Things Under the Hood
6-1 1 Engine Oil
6-
16 Air Cleaner
6-18 Automatic Transaxle Fluid
6-2
1 Engine Coolant
6-25 Power Steering Fluid
6-26 Windshield Washer Fluid
6- 27 Brakes
6-30 Battery
6-38 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
6-3
1 Bulb Replacement
6-39 Tires 6-47
6-47
6-49
6-50
6-50
6-52
6-52
6-53
6-53
6-53
6-54
6-55
6-55
6-56
6-62
6-63
6-64 Appearance
Care
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
Care of Safety Belts
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels
Sheet Metal Damage
Finish Damage
Underbody Maintenance Chemical Paint Spotting
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Service Parts Identification Label
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs Capacities and Specifications
Normal Maintenance Replacement
Parts
6-1
ProCarManuals.com

~ Filling a Portable
Fuel Container
I
I
1 1 Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor. You can
I be badly burned and your vehicle damaged if this
i occurs. To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
0 Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
inside of the fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling
is complete.
I Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
~ I 0 Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under the Hood
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine
is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools
away from any
underhood electric fan.
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that
will burn onto a hot engine.
6-8
ProCarManuals.com

I. Engine Coolant Reservoir
J. Air Cleaner
Windshield
Washer Fluid
Battery
Radiator Fill Cap
Power Steering Fluid Reservoir E.
Engine Oil Dipstick F. Engine Oil Fill Cap
G. Automatic Transaxle Dipstick
H. Brake Fluid Reservoir
A.
B.
C.
D.
6-10
ProCarManuals.com