Dodge 2012 Avenger - User Guide - Manual (Page 72)

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, shift transmission into 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 Fan 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.
• If the temperature reading does not return to normal, turn the engine off
immediately.
• We recommend that you do not operate the vehicle or engine damage will occur.
Have the vehicle serviced immediately.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your vehicle. If the temperature
gauge reads HOT (H), pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the
air conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back into the normal range. If
the pointer remains on HOT (H), and you hear continuous chimes, turn the
engine off immediately, and call for service.
WARNING!
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.
Engine Oil Overheating — 2.4L Gas
• On hot days the engine oil temperature may become too hot during sustained
high-speed driving or if towing a trailer up long grades. If this happens, a HOTOIL
message will flash in the odometer and the vehicle speed will be reduced to
48 mph (77 km/h) maximum until the engine oil temperature is reduced.
NOTE: Although the maximum vehicle speed is reduced to 48 mph (77 km/h), you may
reduce vehicle speed further as needed. Once the engine oil temperature is reduced,
you may continue to drive normally.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
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