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Page 266 of 386

Service & Appearance Care
.
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle . This section
begins with service and fuel information. and then it shows
how to check
important fluid and lubricant levels
. There is also technical information about
your vehicle. and a section devoted to its appearance care
.
Service ........................................................................\
........................................... 6-3
Fuel ........................................................................\
................................................ 6-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
....................................................................... \
6-8
Hood Release
........................................................................\
............................ 6-8
Engine Oil ........................................................................\
.................................. 6-9
Air Cleaner
........................................................................\
............................... 6-16
Automatic Transmission Fluid
........................................................................\
. 6-17
Manual Transmission Fluid ........................................................................\
..... 6-20
Hydraulic Clutch
........................................................................\
....................... 6-21
Transfer Case
........................................................................\
.......................... 6-23
Front
Axle ........................................................................\
................................. 6-24
Rear Axle
........................................................................\
................................. 6-24
Engine Coolant
........................................................................\
........................ 6-25
Power Steering Fluid
........................................................................\
............... 6-29
Windshield Washer Fluid
........................................................................\
......... 6-31
Brake Master Cylinder
........................................................................\
............. 6-32
6-1
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Service & Appearance Care
Replacing Brake System Parts ........................................................................\
.. 6-33
Other Maintenance Items
........................................................................\
........... 6-34
Lubrication
........................................................................\
.................................... 6-35
Electrical System
........................................................................\
......................... 6-37
Battery
........................................................................\
...................................... 6-37
Bulb Replacement
........................................................................\
.................... 6-37
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
........................................................................\
.... 6-43
Exhaust System
........................................................................\
........................... 6-45
Loading Your Vehicle
........................................................................\
.................. 6-46
Tires
........................................................................\
.............................................. 6-48
Inflation-Tire Pressure
........................................................................\
........... 6-49
Tire Inspection and Rotation
........................................................................\
.. 6-52
When It’s Time for New Tires ........................................................................\
6-53
Buying New Tires
........................................................................\
.................... 6-53
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
........................................................................\
.. 6-54
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
............................................................... 6-55
Wheel Replacement
........................................................................\
................. 6-55
Tire Chains
........................................................................\
............................... 6-56
Appearance Care
........................................................................\
........................ 6-57
Cleaning the Inside Of Your Vehicle
............................................................. 6-58
Cleaning the Outside
Of Your Vehicle .......................................................... 6-61
Appearance Care Materials
........................................................................\
........ 6-64
Vehicle Identification Number
........................................................................\
..... 6-65
Service Parts Identification Label
...................................................................... 6-67
Specification Charts ........................................................................\
..................... 6-68
6-2
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Service
Your General Motors dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to\
be
happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer for all your service needs.
You’ll get genuine GM parts and GM-trained and supported ser\
vice people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM. Genuine GM parts
have one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll want to get the
proper General Motors Service Manual. It tells you much more a\
bout how to
service your vehicle than this manual can.
To order the proper service
manual, see “Service Publications” in the Index.
You should keep
a record with all parts receipts and list the mileage and the
date
of any service work you perform. See “Maintenance Record” in \
the
Index.
CAUTION
I A You can be injured if you try to do service work on a vehicle without
L 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.
9 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.
6-3
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If you try to do your own service work without knowing enough about it,
your vehicle could be damaged.
I
Maintenance Schedule
Section 7 of this manual, “Scheduled Maintenance Services”, explains \
the
maintenance your new vehicle needs, and when
it should be done. It also
has a
form that you can use to record the maintenance work done on your
vehicle. Be sure to read this information.
Fuel
I K228
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher. It should meet
specifications
ASTM D4814 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
US. 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.
6-4
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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 th\
an 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,
NOTICE
Fuel that is more than 5% methanol is bad for your vehicfe. Don’t use ‘A
It can corrode metal parts in your fuel system and also damage plastic
and rubber
parts. That damage wouldn’t be covered under your warri ’y.
And even at 5% or less, there must be “cosolvents” and corrosion
eventers
in this fuel to help avoid these problems.
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help prevent depo\
sits from
forming in your engine and fuel system. That helps keep your engine in t\
une
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 that called oxyge\
nates.
General Motors recommends that you use gasolines with these ble\
nding
materials, such as MTBE and ethanol. By doing
so, you can help clean the
air, especially in those parts of the country that have higher carbon monoxide
levels.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now producing reformulated \
gasolines. These gasolines are specially designed
to reduce vehicle
emissions. General Motors recommends that you use reformulated g\
asoline.
By doing
so, you can help clean the air, especially in those parts of the
country that have high
ozone levels.
You should ask your service station operators if their gasolines co\
ntain
detergents and oxygenates, and if they have been reformulated to reduce
vehicle emissions.
6-5
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Service & Appearance Care
Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the US. or Canada,
unleaded fuel may be hard
to find. Do not use leaded gasoline. If you use
even one tank full, your emission controls won’t work well \
or at all. With
continuous use, spark plugs can get fouled, the exhaust system \
can corrode,
and your engine
oil can deteriorate quickly. Your vehicle’s three-way catalytic
converter and oxygen sensor will be damaged.
All of that means costly
repairs that wouldn’t
be covered by your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or contact a major oil
company
that does business in the country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write us at the following address for advice. Just tell us where
you’re
going and give your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors of Canada Ltd.
International Export Sales
Post Office Box 828
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7N1, Canada
Fi/ling Your Tank
I PO444
The fuel cap is behind a hinged door on the left side of your vehicle. To take
off the cap, turn it slowly to the left (counterclockwise).
6-6
Page 272 of 386
A
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns violently, and that can
cause very bad injuries. Don’t smoke
if you’re near gasoline or
refueling your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames, and smoking materia\
ls
away from gasoline.
I.
c
PO485
A
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.
I Then unscrew the cap all the way.
When you put the cap back on, turn it to the right (clockwise) until you hear
a clicking noise.
I NOTICE
r
6-7