PONTIAC FIREBIRD 2002 Owners Manual

5-9
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
instrument panel cluster. See ªEngine Coolant
Temperature Gageº in the Index.
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 firing groups of
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. 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 ªEngine Oilº
in the Index.

5-10 If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
CAUTION:
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. See ªOverheated Engine
Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.

5-11
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 ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.
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're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or
THIRD (3) for automatic transmissions.
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, 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 vehicle until 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.

5-12
Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Electric Engine Cooling Fans
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Coolant Recovery Tank
CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling 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.
When it is cool, remove the coolant recovery tank cap
and look at the dipstick. When the engine is cold, the
coolant level should be at the FULL COLD mark.

5-13
If it isn't, you may have a leak at the pressure cap or in
the radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system.
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.
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.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
See ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Modeº in the Index.
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you
use only DEX
-COOL
(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused by the
use of coolant other than DEX
-COOL
is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.

5-14 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, drinkable water and DEX
-COOL
engine
coolant at the coolant recovery tank. See ªEngine
Coolantº in the Index for more information.
CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as 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, drinkable 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.

5-15
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.
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
mixture directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling
system is cool before you do it.
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.

5-16 How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
(3800 V6 Engine Only)
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.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.

5-17
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.
3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed valve.
There is one bleed valve. It is located on the
thermostat housing.
4. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL

coolant mixture, up to the base of the filler neck.
See ªEngine Coolantº 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.

5-18
5. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the FULL
COLD mark.
6. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank,
but leave the radiator pressure cap off.7. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fans.
8. 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.