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Service & Appearance Care
l-
a
I LUU I lV1V
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. Don't reach through
the grille to release the underhood
lever.
I
7."
When you open the hood, you'll see:
1. Battery
2. Automatic Transmission Dipstick
(Option)
3. Oil Fill Cap
4. Brake Fluid Reservoir
5. Air Cleaner
6. Power Steering Reservoir (Option)
7. Engine Coolant Reservoir
8. Radiator Cap
9. Electric Fan
10. Engine Oil Dipstick
11. Windshield Washer Reservoir
12. Main Fuse Box
CAUTION
A
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 could be burned. Be
careful not to drop or spill things
that will burn onto a hot engine.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the
filler caps are on.
... 228
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Service & Appearance Care
... 236
Let the engine run at idle for three
minutes or more.
To check the fluid hot or cold:
Park your vehicle on a level place.
Place the shift lever in P (Park) with
the parking brake applied.
With your foot on the brake pedal,
move the shift lever through each gear
range, pausing for about three seconds
in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in
P (Park).
Then, without shutting off the engine,
follow these steps:
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
2. Push it back in all the way, wait
a clean rag
or paper towel.
three seconds and then pull
it back
out again.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and
read the lower level. The fluid level
must be
in the COLD (A) area for a
cold check or in the
HOT (B) or
cross-hatched area for a hot check.
4. If the fluid level is where it should
be, push the dipstick back
in all the
way.
How to Add Fluid:
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to
determine what kind of transmission fluid to use.
See “Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants”
in the Index.
If the fluid level is low, add only
enough of the proper fluid to bring the
level up into the COLD area for a cold
check or the
HOT area for a hot check.
It doesn’t take much fluid, generally less
than a pint. Don’t overfill. We
recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON@-11, because fluids with that
label are made especially for our
automatic transmission. Damage caused
by fluid other than DEXRON@-I1 is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
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x
NO TIC€
When using concentrated wash fluid, follow the manufacturer‘
instructions for adding water.
ready-to-use washer fluid. Water can cause the solution to freeze
and damage your washer fluid
tank and other parts of the
washer system. Also, water
doesn’t clean as well as washer
fluid.
Fill your
I. -;her fl--- tank onl.
314 full when it’s very cold.
’his allows for expansion.
Don’t mix water with
it is completely full.
Brake Master Cylinder
Your brake master cylinder is here. It is
filled with DOT-3 brake fluid.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in your master cylinder
might go down. The first is that the
brake fluid goes down
to an acceptable
level during normal brake lining wear.
When new linings are put
in, the fluid
goes back up. The other reason is that
fluid is leaking out
of the brake system.
If it is, you should have your brake
system fixed, since a leak means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work
well, or won’t work at
all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top ofr ’
your brake fluid. Adding brake fluid
won’t correct a leak.
If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll
have too much fluid when you get new
brake linings. You should add (or
remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only
when work is done
on the brake
hydraulic system.
245 -
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Service & Appearance Care
CA U TlON
R
d
fl
I1
A If you have too much brake
L,,E;ine. The fluid will burn
if the
engine is hot enough.
You or
others could be burned, and your
vehicle could be damaged. Add
brake fluid only when work
is
done on the brake hydraulic
system.
L fluid, it can spill on the
Lefer to
the Maintenance Schedule to
etermine when to check your brake
hid. See ‘‘Periodic Maintenance
Ispections” in the Index.
’ To Check Brake Fluid:
1
You can check the brake fluid without
taking
off the cap. Just look at the
windows on the brake fluid reservoir.
The fluid levels should be above
MIN.
If they aren’t, have your brake system
checked to see
if there is a leak.
After work is done
on the the brake
hydraulic system make sure the levels
are above
MIN and below the top of
each window.
What to Add:
When you do need brake fluid, use
only DOT-3 brake fluid
- such as
Delco-Supreme
II@ (GM Part No.
I DOT-5 silicone brake fluid can
damage your llehicle. Don’t use
it.
I D0n.t so1 : put In tf
wrong mnd 01 kd. For
example, just a few drops
mineral-based oil,
such as
engine oil,
in your brake systt
can damage brake system part
so badly that they’ll have to b
replaced.
Brake fluid
I Ige paint,
be careful not to spill
fluid
on your vehicle
1052535). Use new brake fluid from a
sealed container only.
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Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle
is complex. Its many parts have to be of
top quality and work well together if the
vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have
top-quality
GM brake parts in them, as
your Geo does when it is new. When
you replace parts of your braking system
- for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you have to have new
ones put in
- be sure you get new
genuine GM replacement parts. If you
don’t, your brakes may
no longer work
properly. For example, if someone puts
in brake linings that are wrong for your
vehicle, the balance between your front
and rear brakes can change,
for the
worse. The braking performance you’ve
come to expect can change in many
other ways if someone puts in the wrong
replacement brake parts.
Battery
Every new Geo has a Delco Freedom@
battery.
You never have to add water to
one of these. When it’s time for a new
battery, we recommend a Delco
Freedom@ battery. Get one that has the
catalog number shown on the original
battery’s label.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle
for
25 days or more, take off the black,
negative
(-) cable from the battery.
This will help keep your battery from
running down.
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Service & Appearance
I Replacement Bulbs
Care
Back-up ............................................................. 1156
Dome
............................................................. 9605 1559
Front Parking and Turn Signal
......................................... 1157 NA
Headlight (Halogen) ..................................................... 9004
Heater or Air Conditioning Control
.................................... 96052599
Charging System
................................................... 9433184
Check Engine
..................................................... 9433 184
Engineoil Pressure
................................................ 9433184
Indicator
and Warning
Brake
............................................................ 9433184
4WD
............................................................. 9433184
Headlight HighBeam
............................................... 9433184
Safety Belt
........................................................ 9433184
TurnSignal
....................................................... 9433184
Instrument Cluster
.................................................... 9605 156
License Plate
............................................................ 194
Lighter
............................................................. 9433184
Rear Defogger Switch
............................................. 96061736
Rear Wiper/Washer Switch
........................................... 9606 1736
Rear
Hazard and Turn Signal
........................................... 1156
Rear Parking andstop
................................................... 1157
Sidemarker
................................................. ........ 194
9 - 276
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NO.
1
2
3
SERVICE
Wheel Bearings Inspection - Inspect every
15 months, or at 15,000 mile (25 OOO km) intervals.
Inspect for wear and proper adjustment. Relubricate
the bearings
if grease is contaminated.
Propeller Shafts and U-Joints
Inspection
- Inspect for looseness and damage. Do
this every 15 months, or at 15,000 mile (25 000 km)
intervals, or more frequently if used off-road or
pulling a trailer. Tighten U-Joint flange bolts if
necessary.
Clutch (Manual Transmission Only) - At each oil
change, inspect for correct free play and positive
engagement. See “Clutch Adjustment’’
in the Index.
Maintenance Schedule
Uther Nun-Emissun Related Maintenance
Service
ITEM
4 Tire and Wheel Inspection and Rotation - For
proper wear and maximum tire life, rotate your tires
at
7,500 miles (12 500 km) and then every
15 ,OOO miles (25 OOO km). See “Tires, Inspection
and Rotation”
in the Index. Check the tires for
uneven wear or damage. If you see irregular or
premature wear, check the wheel alignment. Check
for damaged wheels also.
While the tires and wheels are removed for rotation,
perform
the brake system inspection described in
Section C.
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5
6
Brakes - Tire rotations are a convenient
opportunity
to inspect the braking system. See
“Brake System Inspection”
in Section C.
Locking Front Hubs Inspection (If Equipped) -
At each oil change, inspect the locking front hubs
for correct operation. Repair or replace
if necessary.
(Both hubs must operate correctly for the front axle
to power
the front wheels.)
7 Steering and Suspension - At each oil change,
inspect the steering linkage and suspension for leaks
and damage. Repair or replace damaged or worn
parts.
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