That your vehicle has rear-wheel
drive, or that
it has the
four-wheel-drive option.
vehicle.
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
levers for the transmission and
transfer case,
if you have one.
If there was an accident, what was
damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions and
illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
* T- help avoid injury to you or
Never let passengers ride in a
vehicle that is being towed.
Never tow faster than safe or
posted speeds
Never tow with damaged parts
not fully secured.
0 Never get under your vehicle
after it
has been lifted by the
tow truck.
chains on each side when towing
a vehicle.
hooks instead.
* Always use separate safety
Never use T-hooks. Use “J”
When your vehicle is being towed, have
the ignition key off. The steering wheel
should be clamped
in a straight-ahead
position, with
a clamping device
designed for towing service.
Do not use
the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transmission and transfer case,
if you have one, should be in Neutral
and the parking brake released.
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Problems on the Road
... 202
If No Steam Is Coming from Your
Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see
or hear no steam,
the problem may not
be too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. If you
get the overheat warning with no
sign of steam, try this for
a minute or
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the
so:
off.
highest fan speed and open
the
window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to
N (Neutral).
If
you no longer have the overheat
warning, you can drive. Just to be safe,
drive slower for about ten minutes. If
the warning doesn’t come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park your vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can
idle the engine for two
or three minutes
while you’re parked, to see if the
warning stops. But then, if you still have
the warning, TURN OFF THE
ENGINE AND GET EVERYONE OUT
OF THE VEHICLE until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but
to get service help right away.
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Problems on the Road
c
Engine damage from running yollr I
engine without coolant isn’t
covered by your warranty.
I
If there seems to be no leak, check to
see if the electric engine fan
is running.
If
the engine is overheating, the fan
should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery
Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but
the coolant level isn’t at or above
FULL, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water
(preferably distilled) and the
proper antifreeze at the coolant recovery
tank. (See “Engine Coolant”
in the
Index for more information about the
proper coolant mix.)
A Adding only plain water to
L your cooling system can be
dangerous. Plain water, or some
other liquid, like alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mix will.
Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant
mix. With plain water, or the
wrong mix, your engine could get
too hot but you wouldn’t get the
overheat warning. Your engine
could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix
of clean water and a proper
antifreeze.
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Part 6
Here you wit1 find information
about the care of your Geo
. This
part 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
.
ii iervice & Appearance Care
Service ............................................................. 222
Fuel ............................................................... 223
Checking Things under the Hood ........................................ 227 .
HoodRelease 227
Engineoil ........................................................ 229
Aircleaner ........................................................ 233
Automatic Transmission Fluid ........................................ 234
Manual Transmission Fluid ........................................... 237
Clutch Adjustment .................................................. 238
RearAxle ......................................................... 238
Four-WheelDrive .................................................. 239
Enginecoolant ..................................................... 240
Power Steering Fluid ................................................ 243
Windshield Washer Fluid ............................................ 244
Brake Master Cylinder ............................................... 245
Battery ........................................................... 247
Bulb Replacement .................................................... 248
LoadingYourVehicle ................................................. 252
Tires ............................................................... 253
Appearancecare ..................................................... 261
Appearance Care and Maintenance Materials .............................. 271
Vehicle Identification Number .......................................... 272
Service Parts Identification Label ........................................ 272
Add-on Electrical Equipment ........................................... 272
Fuses and Circuit Breakers ............................................. 273
ReplacementBulbs ................................................... 276
Capacities and Specifications ........................................... 277
221 .
.
......................................................
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!mice & Appearance Care
rn Service
Your Geo 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
service 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 Geo Service Manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your Geo 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.
CA U TION I’
You can be injured if you try
d-h to do service work on a
vehicle
without knowing enough
about it.
9 Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
and
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”
fmners can
be easily confused.
If
you use the wrong fasteners,
parts can later
break or fall off.
You could be hurt.
... 222
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I NOTICE
r
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher. It should meet
specifications, ASTM
D4814 in the U.S.
and CGSB 3.5-M92 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?
c
223 -
ProCarManuals.com
Service & Appearance Care
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 I
than 10% ethanol is fine for your
vehicle.
Methanol is methyl or wood alcohol. I
... 224
I
I
methanol is bad for your vehicle.
on’t use it.
It can corrode metal
parts in your fuel system and
also
damage plastic and rubber pr
That damage wouldn’t be covered
under your warranty. And
e-? at
5% or less, there must be
“cosolvents” and corrosion
,:eventers in this fuel
+n hpll
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
gasolines
with these blending materials,
such as MTBE and ethanol.
By doing
so, you can help clean the air, especially
in those parts of the country that have
high carbon monoxide levels.
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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 gasoline. 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 contain
detergents and oxygenates, and if they
have been reformulated
to reduce
vehicle emissions.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the
U.S. or Canada,
unleaded fuel may be hard to find.
Do
not use leaded gasoline. If you use even
one tankful, 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 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 Limited
International Export Sales
P.O. Box 828
Oshawa, Ontario LIH 7N1
Canada
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