If Your Engine Overheats - Dodge Grand Caravan 2012 User Manual

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS

• In any of the following situations, you can reduce the potential for overheating by
taking the appropriate action.
• On the highways — slow down.
• In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission in NEUTRAL, but do not
increase engine idle speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down an impending overheat
condition:
• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C system adds heat to the engine
cooling system and turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum heat, the mode control to
floor and the blower control to high. This allows the heater core to act as a
supplement to the radiator and aids in removing heat from the engine cooling
system.
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your vehicle. If the temperature
gauge reads 240°F (116 °C) or greater pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the
vehicle with the air conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back into the
normal range 200–230°F (93–110°C). If the pointer remains at 240°F (116°C)
or greater and you hear a chime, turn the engine off immediately and call for
service.
You or others can be badly burned by hot engine coolant (antifreeze) or steam
from your radiator. If you see or hear steam coming from under the hood, do not
open the hood until the radiator has had time to cool. Never try to open a
cooling system pressure cap when the radiator or coolant bottle is hot.
CAUTION!
WARNING!
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