tow Oldsmobile Silhouette 2004 s Workshop Manual

{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. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
Occasionally check the coolant level in the radiator.
For information on how to add coolant to the radiator,
see
Cooling System on page 5-28.
Radiator Pressure Cap
Notice:The radiator cap on your vehicle is a
pressure-type cap and must be tightly installed to
prevent coolant loss and possible engine damage
from overheating. Be sure the arrows on the cap line
up with the over¯ow tube on the radiator ®ller neck.
The radiator pressure cap is located at the front of the
engine compartment on the passenger's side of the
vehicle. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for more information on location.
Engine Overheating
You will ®nd an engine coolant temperature gage on
your vehicle's instrument panel cluster. SeeEngine
Coolant Temperature Gage on page 3-48. You
also have an engine coolant temperature warning
message on your instrument panel. See
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning Message on page 3-54.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
This emergency operating mode allows your vehicle to
be driven to a safe place in an emergency situation.
If an overheated engine condition exists, an overheat
protection mode which alternates ®ring groups of
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a signi®cant loss in power and engine
performance. The temperature gage will indicate
an overheat condition exists. Driving extended
miles (km) and/or towing a trailer in the overheat
protection mode should be avoided.
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, change the oil and reset the oil
life system. See
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
5-25

If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
If you get an engine 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
·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. If your air conditioner is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you are 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 does not come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam, 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 vehicleuntil it cools down. Also, see ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº listed previously
in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-27

To remove the windshield wiper blade(s):
1. Turn the wipers on to the lowest intermittent setting.
2. Turn the ignition to OFF while the wipers are at
the outer position of the wipe pattern.
3. Pull the windshield wiper arm away from the
windshield or backglass.
4. While holding the
wiper arm away from
the glass, push
the release clip from
under the blade.
5. Push the release clip at the connecting point of the
blade and the arm up. Then pull the blade assembly
down toward the glass to remove it from the
wiper arm.
6. Push the new wiper blade securely on the wiper
arm until you hear the release clip ªclickº into
place.
7. Push the release clip, from Step 4, down to secure
the wiper blade into place.
5-57

When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don't include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and rear
in¯ation pressures as shown on the Certi®cation/Tire
label or the Tire and Loading Information label.
Make certain that all wheel nuts are properly tightened.
See ªWheel Nut Torqueº under
Capacities and
Speci®cations on page 5-108.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an emergency, you can use a cloth or a
paper towel to do this; but be sure to use a
scraper or wire brush later, if you need to,
to get all the rust or dirt off. See ªChanging
a Flat Tireº in the Index.
5-69

If a Tire Goes Flat
It's unusual for a tire to ªblowoutº 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 ªblowout,º here are a
few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the ¯at tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel ®rmly.
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.{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is designed
only for changing a ¯at tire. If it is used for
anything else, you or others could be badly
injured or killed if the vehicle slips off the jack.
Use the jack provided with your vehicle only for
changing a ¯at tire.
If a tire goes ¯at, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a ¯at tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes ¯at, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning ¯ashers.
5-76

3. To remove the compact spare tire from the cable,
tilt the retainer at the end of the cable so it can be
pulled up through the wheel opening.
4. If your vehicle is an AWD vehicle, after removing
the compact spare tire, turn the wrench clockwise
to raise the cable back up.On an AWD vehicle, you can not store a full-size
tire under the vehicle. It should be stowed inside
the vehicle by the cable provided. See ªStoring the
Flat Tire on an All-Wheel-Drive Vehicleº later in
this section.
If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the hoist is
used to store a full-size or a ¯at road tire under
the vehicle. See ªStoring the Spare Tire and Toolsº
and ªStoring the Flat Tire on a Front-Wheel Drive
Vehicleº later in this section.
If the compact spare tire will not lower, check under the
vehicle to see if the tire is hanging loose and the
cable end and spring under the wheel plate are missing.
If so, the secondary latch system is engaged. See
ªSecondary Latch Systemº later in this section.
To continue changing the ¯at tire see ªRemoving the Flat
Tire and Installing the Spare Tireº later in this section.
5-80

Secondary Latch System
Your vehicle may have an underbody mounted tire hoist
assembly equipped with a secondary latch system. It
is designed to stop a tire from suddenly falling off your
vehicle if the cable holding the spare tire is damaged.
For the secondary latch to work, the tire must be stowed
with the valve stem pointing down.
Front-wheel-drive vehicles use the underbody tire hoist
assembly to store either the compact spare or a ¯at
road tire. See ªStoring a Flat or Spare Tire and Toolsº
later in this section for instructions on storing the
spare or ¯at tire correctly.
If your vehicle is equipped with AWD, the underbody
tire hoist assembly stores only the compact spare
tire. See ªStoring the Spare Tire and Toolsº later in
this section for instructions. To store a ¯at full-size
tire correctly, see ªStoring the Flat Tire on an
All-Wheel-Drive Vehicleº later in this section.{CAUTION:
Before beginning this procedure read all the
instructions. Failure to read and follow the
instructions could damage the hoist assembly
and you and others could get hurt. Read and
follow the instructions listed below.
To release the spare tire from the secondary latch,
do the following:
{CAUTION:
Someone standing too close during the
procedure could be injured by the jack.
If the spare tire does not slide off the jack
completely, make sure no one is behind you
or on either side of you as you pull the jack
out from the spare.
5-81

3. Attach the folding
wrench to the jack,
and turn the wrench
clockwise to raise
the jack head a few
inches.
4. Raise the vehicle by turning the folding wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground so there is enough room for the
compact spare tire to ®t under the wheel well.
5. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the ¯at tire.
6. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
the places where the wheel attaches to the
vehicle. In an emergency, you can use a cloth
or a paper towel to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire brush later, if you need to,
to get all the rust or dirt off.
{CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts.
If you do, the nuts might come loose. Your
wheel could fall off, causing a serious
accident.
5-85

7. Install the compact spare tire and put the wheel
nuts back on with the rounded end of the nuts
toward the wheel. Tighten each nut by hand until
the wheel is held against the hub.
8. Lower the vehicle by attaching the folding wheel
wrench to the jack and turning the wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.9. Tighten the wheel nuts
®rmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to come loose
and even come off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use the correct wheel
nuts. If you have to replace them, be sure to
get new GM original equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the
proper torque speci®cation. See ªCapacities
and Speci®cationsº in the Index for wheel nut
torque speci®cation.
5-86

Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
1. Lay the tire near the rear of the vehicle with the
valve stem down.
2. If the vehicle has aluminum wheels, remove the
small center cap by tapping the back of the cap
with the extension of the shaft.
3. Slide the cable retainer through the center of the
wheel and start to raise the tire.
Make sure the retainer is fully seated across the
underside of the wheel.
4. When the tire is almost in the stored position,
turn the tire so the valve is towards the rear of
the vehicle.
This will help when you check and maintain tire
pressure in the spare.
5. Raise the tire fully against the underside of the
vehicle. Continue turning the folding wrench
until you feel more than two clicks. This indicates
that the compact spare tire is secure and the
cable is tight. The spare tire hoist cannot be
overtightened.A. Push and Pull B. Turn Tire
6. Make sure the tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to turn the tire. If the tire moves, use
the folding wrench to tighten the cable.
Put back all tools as they were stored in the jack storage
compartment and put the compartment cover back on.
5-88