1996 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual - Page 203

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no steam, the problem may not betoo serious. Sometimes fne engine can get a ~ Q O hol 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 you have an air conditioner, 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 j m shift to NEUTRAL (N); a , otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving -- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) for four-speed automatic or DRIVE (D) for three-speed automatic transaxles. If you no longer havethe overheat warning, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about minutes. If the 10 warning doesn't come backon, 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, you can idle the engine for twx3 m three minutes whik ly'0ti'l-eparked, t'0 see if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the warning, turn ofSthe 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. When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what you'll see: 2.2L Engine