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How to Use this Manual
These symbols are used on warning and
indicator lights:
Engine Coolant
Temperature
Battery Charging System
Fuel
I.. 10
E3
Brake
w
Here are some other symbols you may
see:
Hood Release
Lighter
Horn
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Your Driving and the Road
e
“free-wheeling. ” Your brakes will
have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Avoid braking
so hard that you lock
the wheels when going downhill. If
your front wheels are locked, you
can’t steer your vehicle. If your
wheels lock up during downhill
braking, you may feel the vehicle
starting to slide sideways.
To regain
your direction, just ease off the
brakes and steer to keep the front of
the vehicle pointing straight
downhill.
Q: Am I likely to stall when going
A:
0
e
downhill?
It’s much more likely to happen
going uphill. But if
it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying
the
regular brakes. Apply the parking
brake.
Shift to
P (Park) (or to Neutral with
the manual transmission) and, while
still braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release
the
parking brake, and drive straight
down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across
the incline of a hill.
If this happens, you have to decide
whether to try to drive across the
incline. Here are some things to
consider:
A hill that can be driven straight up
or down may be too steep to drive
across. When you go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the front
wheels to the rear wheels) reduces
the likelihood the vehicle will get
help.
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When you decide it’s safe to lift the
hood, here’s what you’ll see:
1. Coolant Recovery Tank
2. Radiator Pressure Cap
3. Electric Engine Fan
A An electric fan under the
hood can start up even when
thL @ne is not running and can
injure you. Keep hands, clothing
and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
Don’t reach through the grille to
release the underhood lever.
- II E I L
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery
tank
is boiling, don’t do anything else
until it cools down.
The coolant level should be at
or above
FULL. If it isn’t, you may have a leak
in the radiator hoses, heater hoses,
radiator, water pump or somewhere else
in the cooling system.
unu I lVlV
Heater and radiator hoses,
1 L and other engine parts, can be
very hot. Don’t touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a
leak. If you run the engine, it
could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you
could be burned. Get any leak
fixed before you drive the vehicle.
203 =
r
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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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H Checking l7tings under
the Hood
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull the release
handle inside
the glove box.
Then go to the front of the vehicle, push
down lightly on
the hood, and push the
hood release lever to your left.
Lift the hood, release the hood prop
from its retainer and put the hood prop
into the slot
in the hood.
227 = 9 9
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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.
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Page 251 of 339
3. Turn the lock ring to the left to
release the bulb.
4. Puli the lock ring and the headlight
bulb straight out. Save the lock ring
and use with the new bulb.
5. Reverse the steps with a new bulb.
Front Parking and Turn Signal Lights
To replace the parking and turn signal
bulb:
1 . Open the hood.
2. Turn the bulb socket to the left and I
pull it out of light housing.
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Maintenance Schedule
Section B: Owner Checks and Services
Listed below are owner checks and services which should be
performed at the intervals specified to help ensure the
safety, dependability and emission control performance of
your vehicle. Be
sure any necessary repairs are completed at once.
Whenever any fluids or lubricants are added to your vehicle,
make sure they are the proper ones, as shown
in Section D.
Af Each Fuel fj// (It is important for you or a service station attendant to perform these underhood checks at \
each fuel fill.)
1
CHECK
1 OR SERVICE I WHAT TO DO
I Engine Oil Level Check the engine oil level and add the proper oil if necessary. See “Engine Oil” in the Index for
further details.
I
I Engine Coolant Level Check the engine coolant level in the coolant recovery tank and add the proper coolant mix if
1 necessary. See “Coolant” in the Index for further details.
Windshield Washer
Fluid Level
Hood Latch
Operation Check
the windshield washer fluid level in the windshield washer tank and add the proper fluid if
necessary. See “Windshield Washer Fluid” in the Index for further details.
Pull the primary hood latch release handle inside the vehicle. The secondary latch should keep
hood from opening all the way when the primary latch is released. Make sure the hood closes
firmly. See
“Hood Release” in the Index for further details.
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