PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1997 Owners Manual

Cooling System
you’ll see:
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
E. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fans
1
’ A CAUTION:
r
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.
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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. 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: I
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 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@
(silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant recovery tank. (See
“Engine Coolant” in the Index for more information.)
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 50/58
mix of clean water and DEX-COOL@ coolant.
r--- Adding only plain water to your cooling system 1 c NOTICE:
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some o’ther
liquid like alcohol,
can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix,
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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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.
L
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
FULL COLD mark, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing
you can try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you do it.
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~ 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
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
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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3. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture, up to the base of the filler neck
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.
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6.
7.
Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fans.
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.
8. 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.
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If .a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” whde 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.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes fiat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on
you. azard
w aming flashers.
Changing
a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over
you or other
people.
You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle
from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away
from the one being changed.
That would
be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need
is in the trunk. Pull the
carpeting from the
floor of
the trunk.
Turn the center
retainer bolt on
the spare
tire cover counterclockwise
to remove it.
Lift and remove the cover. See “Compact Spare Tire”
later in this section for more information about
the
compact spare.
Remove the spare tire from the trunk.
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