1993 BUICK SKYLARK Owners Manual

L
Doing Your Own Service Work
A CAUTION:
a
a
You can be injured if you try to do service work
on a vehicle without knowing enough about
it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners
can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or
fall off. You could be hurt.

Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. It should meet specifications ASTM D48
14 in
the U.S. and CGSB
3.5-92 in Canada. These fuels
should have the proper additives,
so you should not have
to add anything to the fuel.
In the U.S. and Canada, it’s easy to be sure you get the \
right kind of gasoline (unleaded). You’ll see
“UNLEADED” right on the pump. And only unleaded
nozzles will fit into your vehicle’s filler neck.
Be sure the posted octane is at least
87. If the octane is
less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive.
If it’s bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at
87 octane or higher and you
still hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service. But don’t worry if you hear a little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating
or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy a higher octane fuel to get rid\
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have a problem.
What about gasoline with blending materials that contain oxygen, such as MTBE or alcohol?
MTBE is “methyl tertiary-butyl ether.” Fuel that
is no
more than
15% MTBE is fine for your vehicle. Ethanol is ethyl or grain alcohol. Properly-blended fuel
that is no more than
10% ethanol is
fine for your
vehicle.
Methanol is methyl or wood alcohol.
Gasolines for Cleaner
Air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system. That helps keep your engine in tune and your
emission control system working properly. It’s good for
your vehicle, and you’ll be doing your part for cleaner
air.
Many gasolines are now blended with materials called
oxygenates. General Motors recommends that you use
217

Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that
can cause very bad injuries. I

A CAUTION:
If you get gasoline on you and then something
ignites
it, you could be badly burned. Gasoline
can spray out on you if you open the fuel filler
cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your
tank is nearly full, and is more likely
in hot
weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and wait
for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew the
cap all the way.
m Y, When you put the cay ----I on, turn it to the right until a- .~ : _, .. . I. ’
YOU hear a clicking noise.
While refueling, hang the cap inside the fuel
door. .
To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
4 Y
pe. Your dealer can get one for you. If you get
e wrong type,
it may not fit or have prope
enting, and your fuel tank and emissions
220

Checking Things Under the .Hood
Hood Release
I
To open the hood, first pull
the handle inside the
vehicle. It
is located in the
area to the left and beneath
the instrument panel.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and release the
secondary hood release.
Lift the hood.
221

I1
A CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,.
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
I could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that
will burn onto a hot engine.
I
Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps are on
properly.
Then just pull the hood down and close it firmly. '

Engine Oil
It's a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel.
In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be
on level ground.
1
I
The engine oil dipstick is located directly behind the
engine fan.
Turn
off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to get
back down into the oil pan.
If you don't, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual level.
223