GMC T-Series 1999 Owner's Manual page 47

Cold Weather Starting
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(Caterpillar Diesel)
Because the diesel engine uses compression ignition, it
is harder to start in cold weather than a gasoline engine.
The air intake heater and use of the proper engine oil,
optional engine coolant heaters and optional ether
injection systems help cold weather starting. See the
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Caterpillar Operation & Maintenance Manual for
more information.
Engine Automatic Shutdown (If Equipped)
Your CHECK GAGES light will come on if the system
senses high engine coolant temperature, low coolant or
low engine oil pressure. If high engine temperature is
detected, you will also hear a tone alarm at two beats per
second. The alarm and the light will remain on until the
condition is fixed. If the engine temperature condition
worsens, the tone alarm will go to five beats per second.
When a low oil pressure condition is detected, the five
beat per second alarm will come on immediately for ten
seconds. After ten seconds, the continuous alarm will
remain on until the condition is fixed.
If the system senses low engine coolant, the five beat
per second alarm and the LOW COOLANT warning
light will come on.
The five beats per second tone alarm means that your
diesel engine will shut down in 25 seconds. Pull off the
road and shut off the engine. Don't start it until the
reason for the problem is known, and the problem is
fixed. If the engine shuts down when you are still in
traffic, you can restart the engine and get another
25 seconds of operation. Do this only if you have to,
since there is a problem that can harm the engine if it
isn't fixed.
Diesel Engine Warm-Up
Several factors affect how quickly your diesel engine
warms up. These can include outside temperature,
engine load, idle time and your vehicle's option content.
Your vehicle may be equipped with some features that
can help the engine reach operating temperature sooner.
Some of these features are discussed below.
Also, remember that an automatic transmission adds
heat to the cooling system through the heat exchanger in
the radiator. Because of this, vehicles equipped with
automatic transmissions are often able to retain engine
coolant heat better than manual transmission vehicles.
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See your Caterpillar Operation & Maintenance manual
for additional diesel engine warm
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up information.
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