engine OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1998 Workshop Manual

NOTICE:
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put an
automatic transaxle in
PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet. Turn
off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
In addition, it
could save your radio!
I NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
JTION:
--
An electric fan 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.
Your vehicle has a remote
positive
(+) jump starting
terminal. The terminal is
under a tethered cap at the
front of the underhood fuse
and relay center. Pull up the
cap to access the remote
positive
(+) terminal.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. You
should always use
the remote positive (+) terminal
instead
of the positive (+) terminal on your battery.
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- CAUTICA
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 Freedom@
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. Fans or other moving engine parts can injure
you
badly. Keep your hands
away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
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5. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
6. 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.
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7. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch anything until the next
step.
The other end of the negative (-) cable doesn’t go
to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy unpainted metal
part on the engine of the vehicle with the dead battery. 8. Attach the
cable at least
18 inches
(45 cm) away
from the dead battery,
but not near engine parts
that move.
The electrical
connection is just as
good there, but the
chance of sparks getting
back to the battery
is
much less.
9. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for
a while.
10. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
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11. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. They can provide the right
equipment and
know how to tow it without damage. See
“Roadside Assistance” in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since
it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
things can be damaged during towing.
Before you do anything, turn
on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. See “Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage” in the Index. You also have a low
coolant level light on your instrument panel. See “LOW
Coolant Light” in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should an overheated engine condition exist, an
overheat protection mode which alternates firing groups
of three cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this
mode, you will notice a significant loss in power and
engine performance. The
low coolant light may come on
and the temperature gage will indicate an overheat
condition exists. This emergency operating mode allows
your vehicle to be driven to a safe place in an
emergency. Towing a trailer in the overheat protection
mode should be avoided.
1 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 and change the oil. See
“Engine Oil, When to Change” in the Index.
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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 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.
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 “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” in the Index.
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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.
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. Turn off your air conditioner.
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, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if
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. 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.
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When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Radiator Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Fans
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
I A CAUTION:
An electric engine ling 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 or above the
FULL 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.
’ 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.
~
NOTICE:
Engine damage from 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.
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IN:
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery
Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant
level isn’t at or above the FULL 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.
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