engine coolant PONTIAC G3 2010 Owners Manual

Safety Warnings and Symbols
Warning messages found on vehicle labels and in this
manual describe hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
Dangerindicates a hazard with a high level of risk
which will result in serious injury or death.
Warning orCaution indicates a hazard that could result
in injury or death.
{WARNING:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
Notice: This means there is something that could
result in property or vehicle damage. This would not
be covered by the vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash
through it is a safety
symbol which means
“Do Not,” “Do not do
this,” or“Do not let this
happen.”
Vehicle Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information relating
to a specific component, control, message, gage,
or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when you need to see your
owner manual for additional instructions or information.
*: This symbol is shown when you need to see a
service manual for additional instructions or information.
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may be found on
the vehicle and what they mean. For more information
on the symbol, refer to the index.
9: Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
iv

Section 4 Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Tilt Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Windshield Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Windshield Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Exterior Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Instrument Panel Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Dome Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Accessory Power Outlet(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Outlet Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . .4-20
Instrument Panel Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Speedometer and Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . 4-27
Hold Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
4-1

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
United StatesCanada
The vehicle may have an engine coolant temperature
gage. With the ignition turned to ON/RUN, this gage
shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area, the engine
is too hot. It means that the engine coolant has
overheated.
If the vehicle has been operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop the vehicle and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on page 6‑30.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the tire
pressure monitoring
system, this light comes
on briefly when the engine
is started.
It provides information about tire pressures and the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of the tires are
significantly underinflated.
Stop and check the tires as soon as it is safe to do,
and inflate them to the proper pressure. See Tires
on
page 6‑50for more information.
4-28

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-11
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24 Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) (Hatchback) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) (Sedan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .6-49
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
6-1

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{WARNING:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing, and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like fuel, oil,
coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and other
fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others could
be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill things
that will burn onto a hot engine.
6-11

A.Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 6‑19.
B. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine Oil”
under Engine Oil on page 6‑15.
C. Brake/Clutch Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid”
under Brakes
on page 6‑34andHydraulic Clutchon page 6‑23.
D. Engine Coolant Surge Tank. See Cooling System
on page 6‑24.
E. Engine Compartment Fuse Block on page 6‑89.
F. Battery on page 6‑37.
G. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding
Washer Fluid” underWindshield Washer Fluid
on
page 6‑33.
H. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
under Engine Oil on page 6‑15.
I. Automatic Transmission Dipstick. See Automatic
Transmission Fluid on page 6‑21.
J. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See Power
Steering Fluid on page 6‑32.
Engine Oil
If the engine oil pressure
light comes on, check the
engine oil level right away.
The oil pressure light is on the instrument panel cluster.
See Oil Pressure Light
on page 4‑31. Check the
engine oil level regularly; this is an added reminder.
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check the engine oil level at each
fuel fill. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is a yellow loop. See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 6‑14for the
location of the engine oil dipstick.
1. Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to drain back into the oil pan. If this is not done, the
oil dipstick might not show the actual level.
2. Pull the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it
again, keeping the tip down and check the level.
6-15

Cooling System
The cooling system allows the engine to maintain the
correct working temperature.
A. Electric Engine Cooling Fan
B. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
{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.
6-24

{WARNING:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Do not touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Do not 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.
Notice: Using coolant other than DEX‐COOL
®can
cause premature engine, heater core, or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at the first maintenance
service after each 30,000 miles (50 000 km) or
24 months, whichever occurs first. Any repairs
would not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always use DEX‐COOL
®(silicate‐free) coolant in
the vehicle.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in the vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL®engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in the vehicle for five years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs first.
The following explains the cooling system and how to
check and add coolant when it is low. If there is a
problem with engine overheating, see Engine
Overheating on page 6‑30.
6-25

What to Use
{WARNING:
Adding only plain water to the cooling system can
be dangerous. Plain water, or some other liquid
such as alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will. The vehicle's coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mixture. With
plain water or the wrong mixture, the engine could
get too hot but you would not get the overheat
warning. The engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of
clean, drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®coolant.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
®coolant. If using this mixture, nothing else
needs to be added. This mixture:
.Gives freezing protection down to −34°F (−37°C),
outside temperature.
.Gives boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C),
engine temperature.
.Protects against rust and corrosion.
.Will not damage aluminum parts.
.Helps keep the proper engine temperature. Notice:
If an improper coolant mixture is used, the
engine could overheat and be badly damaged. The
repair cost would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core, and
other parts.
Notice: If extra inhibitors and/or additives are used
in the vehicle's cooling system, the vehicle could be
damaged. Use only the proper mixture of the engine
coolant listed in this manual for the cooling system.
See Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on
page 7‑12for more information.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level surface when checking
the coolant level.
Check to see if coolant is visible in the coolant surge
tank. If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is
boiling, do not do anything else until it cools down.
If coolant is visible but the coolant level is not between
the Minimum and Maximum marks, add a 50/50 mixture
of clean, drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®coolant at
the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling system
is cool before this is done. See Engine Coolant
on
page 6‑25for more information.
6-26

The engine coolant surge tank is located in the rear of
the engine compartment on the driver side of the
vehicle. SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on
page 6‑14for more information on location.
{WARNING:
Turning the surge tank pressure cap when the
engine and radiator are hot can allow steam and
scalding liquids to blow out and burn you badly.
Never turn the surge tank pressure cap —even a
little —when the engine and radiator are hot.
When the engine is cold, the coolant level should be
between the Maximum (A) and Minimum (B) marks on
the coolant surge tank. The level rises at engine
operation temperature and drops again when the engine
cools down.
The coolant should be between the Maximum (A) and
Minimum (B) marks, when the engine is cold. If it is not,
there could be a leak in the cooling system.
6-27