engine coolant PONTIAC G3 2010 User Guide

How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
{WARNING:
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.
Notice: This vehicle has a specific coolant fill
procedure. Failure to follow this procedure could
cause the engine to overheat and be severely
damaged.
{WARNING:
An electric engine cooling fan under the hood can
start up even when the engine is not running and
can cause injury. Keep hands, clothing, and tools
away from any underhood electric fan.
{WARNING:
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 surge tank
pressure cap —even a little —they can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the surge tank pressure
cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling system and surge
tank pressure cap to cool if you ever have to turn
the pressure cap.
If no coolant is visible in the surge tank, add coolant as
follows: 1. Remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap when the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap and upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise about two or two and one-half
turns.
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. This will
allow any pressure still left to be vented out the
discharge hose.
6-28

4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, startthe engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fan.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower. If the level is lower than
the Maximum mark, add more of the proper
mixture to the coolant surge tank until the level
reaches the mark.
5. Replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure cap is hand-tight and fully seated.
Notice: If the pressure cap is not tightly installed,
coolant loss and possible engine damage may
occur. Be sure the cap is properly and tightly
secured.
Engine Overheating
The vehicle has an indicator to warn of the engine
overheating.
There is a coolant temperature gage on the instrument
panel cluster. See Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
on page 4‑28.
You may decide not to lift the hood when this warning
appears, but instead get service help right away. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 8‑6.
If you do decide to lift the hood, make sure the vehicle
is parked on a level surface. Then check to see if the engine cooling fan is running.
If the engine is overheating, the fan should be running.
If it is not, do not continue to run the engine and have
the vehicle serviced.
Notice:
Engine damage from running the engine
without coolant is not covered by the warranty.
Notice: If the engine catches fire because of being
driven with no coolant, your vehicle can be badly
damaged. The costly repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
If Steam Is Coming From The Engine
Compartment
{WARNING:
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.
(Continued)
6-30

What to Use
To determine what kind of fluid to use, see
Recommended Fluids and Lubricantson page 7‑12.
Always use the proper fluid. Failure to use the proper
fluid can cause leaks and damage hoses and seals.
Windshield Washer Fluid
What to Use
When you need windshield washer fluid, be sure to
read the manufacturer's instructions before use. If you
will be operating your vehicle in an area where the
temperature may fall below freezing, use a fluid that has
sufficient protection against freezing.
Adding Washer Fluid
Open the cap with the
washer symbol on it. Add
washer fluid until the tank
is full. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on page 6‑14for
reservoir location. Notice:
.When using concentrated washer fluid,
follow the manufacturer's instructions for
adding water.
.Do not mix water with ready-to-use washer
fluid. Water can cause the solution to freeze
and damage the washer fluid tank and other
parts of the washer system. Also, water does
not clean as well as washer fluid.
.Fill the washer fluid tank only three-quarters
full when it is very cold. This allows for fluid
expansion if freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if it is completely full.
.Do not use engine coolant (antifreeze) in the
windshield washer. It can damage the
vehicle's windshield washer system and
paint.
6-33

MaintenanceI
.Change engine oil and filter. See Engine Oilon
page 6‑15. An Emission Control Service.
.Engine coolant level check. See Engine Coolanton page 6‑25.
.Windshield washer fluid level check. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 6‑33.
.Tire inflation check. SeeInflation - Tire Pressureon page 6‑57.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑61.
.Rotate tires. See Tire Inspection and Rotationon
page 6‑61.
.Fluids visual leak check (or every 12 months,
whichever occurs first). A leak in any system must
be repaired and the fluid level checked.
.Engine air cleaner filter inspection (vehicles driven
in dusty conditions only). See Engine Air Cleaner/
Filter on page 6‑19.
.Brake system inspection (or every 12 months,
whichever occurs first).
Maintenance II
.Perform all services described in Maintenance I.
.Steering and suspension inspection. Visual
inspection for damaged, loose, or missing parts or
signs of wear.
.Engine cooling system inspection. Visual
inspection of hoses, pipes, fittings, and clamps and
replacement, if needed.
.Windshield wiper blade inspection for wear,
cracking, or contamination and windshield and
wiper blade cleaning, if contaminated. See
Windshield and Wiper Blades
on page 6‑83. Worn
or damaged wiper blade replacement. See
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
on
page 6‑49.
.Body hinges and latches, key lock cylinders, and
trunk lid hinges and latches lubrication. See
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on
page 7‑12. More frequent lubrication may be
required when vehicle is exposed to a corrosive
environment. Applying silicone grease on
weatherstrips with a clean cloth makes them last
longer, seal better, and not stick or squeak.
.Restraint system component check. See Checking
the Restraint Systems on page 2‑72.
7-4

.Automatic transmission fluid level check and
adding fluid, if needed. SeeAutomatic
Transmission Fluid on page 6‑21.
.Engine air cleaner filter inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 6‑19.
.Passenger compartment air filter (if equipped)
replacement (or every 12 months, whichever
occurs first). More frequent replacement may be
required if vehicle is driven regularly under dusty
conditions.
.PCV system inspection. An Emission Control
Service. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency or the California Air Resources Board has
determined that the failure to perform this
maintenance item will not nullify the emission
warranty or limit recall liability prior to the
completion of the vehicle's useful life. We,
however, urge that all recommended maintenance
services be performed at the indicated intervals
and the maintenance be recorded.
Additional Required Services
At Each Fuel Stop
.Engine oil level check. See Engine Oilon
page 6‑15.
.Engine coolant level check. See Engine Coolanton page 6‑25.
.Windshield washer fluid level check. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 6‑33.
Once a Month
.Tire inflation check. SeeInflation - Tire Pressureon page 6‑57.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑61.
7-5

First Engine Oil Change After Every
80 000 km/50,000 Miles
.Automatic transmission fluid and filter change
(severe service only) for vehicles mainly driven in
heavy city traffic in hot weather, in hilly or
mountainous terrain, when frequently towing a
trailer, or used for taxi, police, or delivery service.
SeeAutomatic Transmission Fluid on page 6‑21.
.Power steering pump accessory drive belt
replacement.
.Evaporative control system inspection. Check all
fuel and vapor lines and hoses for proper hook‐up,
routing, and condition. EVAP vent solenoid valve
replacement. An Emission Control Service. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board has determined
that the failure to perform this maintenance item
will not nullify the emission warranty or limit recall
liability prior to the completion of the vehicle's
useful life. We, however, urge that all
recommended maintenance services be performed
at the indicated intervals and the maintenance be
recorded.
First Engine Oil Change After Every
160 000 km/100,000 Miles
.Timing belt replacement.
.Valve clearance adjustment.
First Engine Oil Change After Every
240 000 km/150,000 Miles
.Engine cooling system drain, flush, and refill,
cooling system and cap pressure check, and
cleaning of outside of radiator and air conditioning
condenser (or every 5 years, whichever occurs
first). See Engine Coolant
on page 6‑25.An
Emission Control Service.
7-7

Scheduled Maintenance
ServiceMaintenanceIMaintenance II
Change engine oil and filter. Reset oil life system. ••
Engine coolant level check. ••
Windshield washer fluid level check. ••
Tire inflation pressures check. ••
Tire wear inspection. ••
Rotate tires. ••
Fluids visual leak check. ••
Engine air cleaner filter inspection (vehicles driven in dusty conditions only). ••
Brake system inspection. ••
Steering and suspension inspection. •
Engine cooling system inspection. •
Windshield wiper blades inspection. •
Body components lubrication. •
Restraint system components check. •
Automatic transmission fluid level check. •
Engine air cleaner filter inspection (vehicles not driven in dusty conditions). •
Passenger compartment air filter (if equipped) replacement. •
PCV system inspection. •
7-8

Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part
number, or specification can be obtained from your
dealer/retailer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil Engine oil which meets GM
Standard GM6094M and displays
the American Petroleum Institute
Certified for Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. To determine the
proper viscosity for your vehicle's
engine, see
Engine Oil
on
page 6‑15.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and use only DEX-COOL
®
Coolant. See
Engine Coolanton
page 6‑25
Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Hydraulic
Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 12377967, in
Canada 89021320).
Windshield
Washer Solvent Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System DEXRON
®‐VI Automatic
Transmission Fluid.
Automatic
Transmission Use only T-IV Automatic
Transmission Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 88900925, in
Canada 22689186).
Manual
Transmission Manual Transmission Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 89021806, in
Canada 89021807).
Key Lock
Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube
(GM Part No. U.S. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
7-12

Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15Outlet Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-78
Content Theft-Deterrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Engine Temperature Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-8 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-5 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Customer Information
Service Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . 8-15
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-2D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2
Disc, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4
Dome Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Ajar Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Central Door Unlocking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Driver
Seat Height Adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Driving At Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Before a Long Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
i - 4

Driving (cont.)Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
In Rain and on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
E
EDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-86
Electrical System
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-89
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-87
Headlamp Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-86
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-87
Power Windows and Other Power Options . . . . . . . 6-86
Windshield Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-86
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Change Engine Oil Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Check and Service Engine Soon Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14 Engine (cont.)
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Coolant Temperature Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Exterior Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
F
Filter Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Finish Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-84
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-53
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-69
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-70
i - 5