PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1996 Owners Manual

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 af'ter high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of stem,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
driv'e. Just to be
safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If
the warning doesn't come back on, you can
driv'e 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 oJjcthe 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.
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
or DRIVE (D).
driving -- AUTUMbaTz[c OVERDRIVE (@)
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Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
C
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.
.
A. Coolant recovery tank
B. Radiator pressure cap
C. Electric engine fans
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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 CAWTION:
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 mn 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:
I
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
I
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine 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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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
FULL COLD 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 Coolarit” in the Index for
more information.)
Adding only plain water to your cooning system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
CAUTION: (Continued) -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.
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 mix.
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I
I A CAUTION:
If the overheat warning continues, there's one more
thing you can
try. You can add the proper coolant mix
dire'ctly to the radiator, but b'e sure the cooling system is
cool before you do it.
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 the
FULL COLD mark, start your vehicle. 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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How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
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.
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2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
3. Fill the radiator with the proper mix, up to the base
of the filler neck.
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4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the FULL
COLD mark.
5. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
leave the radiator pressure cap
off.
6. Start the engine and let it mn until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fans.
filler neck
may be lower. If the level is lower, add '
more of the proper mix through the filler neck until
the level reaches the base of the filler neck.
7. By this time the coolant level inside the radiator
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Air Inflator System
Some vehicles have an air inflator for use in maintaining
proper air pressure for the tires. The air inflator is
located
in the trunk. The ON switch will work only with
the ignition on.
A CAUTION:
Inflating something too much can make it
explode, and you or others could be injured. Be
sure to read the inflator instructions, and inflate
any object only to its recommended pressure.
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