2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 339

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 Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode on page 5-28 for information on driving to a safe place in an emergency. 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: 1. If the vehicle has an air conditioner and it is on, turn it off. 2. Turn on the heater to the highest temperature and at the highest fan speed and open the windows as necessary. 3. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N) while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the engine idle. 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 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 on page 4-41. 5-27