If your vehicle has the DURAMAX® Diesel engine, see the DURAMAX® Diesel manual for more information.
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your vehicle's instrument panel. See Engine Coolant Temperature Gage .
In addition, you will find ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE, ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE, and ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED messages in the Driver Information Center (DIC) on the instrument panel. See DIC Warnings and Messages .
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. 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 the vehicles engine is overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or others could be badly burned. Stop the engine if it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the engine is cool. See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency.Notice: If the engine catches fire while driving with no coolant, the vehicle can be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
The ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE or the ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE message, along with a low coolant condition, can indicate a serious problem.
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. See Towing a Trailer . |
If you get the ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE or the ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE message with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
- If you have an air conditioner and it is on, turn it off.
- Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan speed and open the windows as necessary.
- If you are stopped in a traffic jam, apply the brake, shift to N (NEUTRAL); otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving -- D (DRIVE) or 3 (THIRD).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning does not come back on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your vehicle immediately.
If there is still no sign of steam and your vehicle has an engine-driven cooling fan, push down the accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal idle speed for at least five minutes while you are parked.
If there is still no sign of steam and your vehicle has an electric cooling fan, idle the engine for five minutes while you are parked.
If you still have the warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see "Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode" later in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service help right away.
You will find an engine coolant temperature gage on the instrument panel cluster. For pickup models, the ENGINE OVERHEATED message may appear in the Driver Information Center (DIC). See your owner's manual for more information.
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.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 No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
The ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE, or ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE Driver Information Center (DIC) message, along with a low coolant condition can indicate a serious problem.
If you get an engine overheat warning and do not have a low coolant condition, 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. See "Driving on Grades" in the Index of the vehicle's owner manual. |
If you get the ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP ENGINE, or ENGINE OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE Driver Information Center (DIC) message with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
- In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in N (Neutral) while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to P (Park) or N (Neutral) and let the engine idle.
- Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan speed and open the window as necessary.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning does not come back on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam and your vehicle is equipped with an engine driven cooling fan, push down the accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal idle speed for at least five minutes while you are parked. If you still have the warning, turn off the 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.
