1997 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 220

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine If you get the overheat warning but or hear no see steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get little too hot a when you: Climb a long hill ona 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 jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N); otherwise, shift to the highest gear while driving -- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)or DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions. If you no longer havethe overheat warning, you can drive. Just tobe safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning doesn't come back on, 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 two or three minutes while you're parked, to see if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the and warning, turn ofSthe engine get everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. You may decide not to lift the hood but toget service help right away. When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what you'll see: