1994 GMC SIERRA recommended oil

Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds, you may tend
to
think you are going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when you’re
not fresh
- such as after a day’s work - don’t plan to make too many
miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and maintained,
it’s ready to go.
If it needs service, have it done before starting out. Of
course, you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in Vehicle
dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be ready and willing to help if
you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape‘?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels?
0 Lights: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean‘?
0 Tires: They are vitally important to a safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long-distance driving‘? Are the tires all inflated
to the
recommended pressure‘?
0 Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip
a short time to avoid a major storm system?
0 Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about
an easy stretch of road with the same scenery,
along with the hum of the tires on
the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush of the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you! If
it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second, and you could crash and be injured.
4-30
ProCarManuals.com

Fuel Requirements
NOTICE:
Diesel fuel or fuel additives not recommended in this manual
could damage your fuel system and engine. Your warranty
wouldn’t cover this damage. And:
Diesel fuel that has been mixed with engine oil could damage
your engine and emission controls. Always check with your
service station operator to make sure his diesel fuel has not
been mixed with engine oil.
If you ever run out of diesel fuel, it can be difficult to restart
your engine. “Running Out of Fuel,” later in this section, tells
you how to get it started again.
To avoid all this, try never to
let your tank get empty.
What Fuel to Use
For best results, use number 2-D diesel fuel year-round (above and below
freezing conditions) as oil companies blend number
2-D fuel to address
climate differences. Number
1-D diesel fuel may be used in below freezing
weather, however, it will produce a power and
fuel economy loss. The use
of number
1-D diesel fuel in warm or hot climates may result in stalling,
poor starting when the engine
is hot and may damage the fuel injection
system.
Diesel fuel may foam when you fill your tank. This can cause the automatic
pump nozzle to shut off, even though your tank isn’t full. If this happens,
just wait for the foaming to stop and then continue to
fill your tank.
A CAUTION:
Heat coming from the engine may cause the fuel to expand and
force the fuel out of your tank. If something ignites the fuel,
a
fire could start and people could be burned. To help avoid this,
fill your fuel tank only until the automatic nozzle shuts
off.
Don’t try to “top it off.”
6-6
ProCarManuals.com

You should also use the proper viscosity oil for your vehicle, as shown in
the following chart:
LIGHT DUTY EMISSIONS -GAS ENGINES
RECOMMENDED SAE VISCOSITY GRADE ENGINE OILS
FOR BEST FUEL ECONOMY AND COLD STARTING, SELECT THE LOWEST
SAE VISCOSITY GRADE OIL
FOR THE EXPECTED TEMPERATURE RANGE.
HOT
WEATHER
F
tlOO -
+80 -
+60 -
+40 -
+20 -
0-
C
t 38
t 27
t 16
t4
-7
- 18
m LOOK
ONE OF THESE
LABELS
-- -1 -I SAE 1OW-30
IF NEITHER SAE 5W-30 NOR SAE 1OW-30
5w-30 GRADE OILS ARE AVAILABLE, SAE 30
PREFERRED GRADE MAY BE USED AT TEMPERATURES
ABOVE
40 DEGREES F (4 DEGREES C).
DO NOT USE SAE 1OW-40, SAE 2OW-50 OR
ANY OTHER GRADE OIL NOT RECOMMENDED
As shown in the chart, SAE SW-30 is best for your vehicle. However, you
can use SAE 1OW-30 if it’s going to be 0°F (-1 8°C) or above. These
numbers on an
oil container show its viscosity, or thickness. Do not use
other viscosity oils, such as SAE lOW-40 or SAE 20W-50.
6-20
ProCarManuals.com

HEAVY DUTY EMISSIONS -GAS ENGINES
RECOMMENDED SAE VISCOSITY GRADE ENGINE OILS
FOR BEST FUEL ECONOMY AND COLD STARTING, SELECT THE LOWEST
SAE VISCOSITY GRADE OIL
FOR THE EXPECTED TEMPERATURE RANGE.
HOT
WEATHER
m
“F OC
+loo - - +3a
+80 - - +27
+60 --+16
+40--+4
+20---7
0 ---18
I SAE
COLD
WEATHER
LOOK FOR
ONE OF THESE
LABELS
SAE 1OW-30
PREFERRED
above 0°F (-1 SOC)
~ 5W-30
IF NEITHER SAE 5W-30 NOR SAE 1OW-30
GRADE OILS ARE AVAILABLE, SAE 30
GRADE MAY BE USED AT TEMPERATURES
ABOVE
40 DEGREES F (4 DEGREES C).
ANY OTHER GRADE
OIL NOT RECOMMENDED
DO NOT USE SAE 1OW-40, SAE 2OW-50 OR
As shown in the chart, SAE 1OW-30 is best for your vehicle. However, you
can use
SAE 5W-30 if it’s going to be colder than 60°F (16°C) before your
next
oil change. When it’s very cold, you should use SAE 5W-30. These
numbers on an oil container
show its viscosity, or thickness. Do not use
other viscosity oils, such as
SAE low40 or SAE 20W-50.
6-21
ProCarManuals.com

DIESEL ENGINES
RECOMMENDHI SAE VISCOSITY GRADE ENGINE OILS
SELECT THE SAE GRADE OIL BASED ON
THE EXPECTED TEMPERATURE RANGE
BEFORE NEXT
OIL CHANGE
HOT
WEATHER
;F
k 100
+60 --+16
+32 -- 0
0 -- -18
-20 - -29
---I
---I SAE low*
SAE 15W-40
PREFERRED
above 0°F (- 18%)
830
I SAE r 30
COLD
WEATHER
DO NOT USE SAE 1OW-40, SAE 2OW-50 OR
ANY OTHER GRADE OIL NOT RECOMMENDED
SAE 15W-40
As shown in the viscosity chart, SAE 15W-40 is best for your vehicle.
However, you can use
SAE 1OW-30 if it’s going to be colder than
32°F (0°C) before your next oil change. When it’s very cold, below
0°F (-I 8OC), you should use SAE 1,0W-30 to improve cold starting.
Also, SAE 30 may be used at temperatures above freezing, 32°F (0°C).
These numbers on the oil container show its viscosity, or thickness. Do
not use other viscosity oils such as SAE 10W-40 or SAE 2OW-50.
4-27
ProCarManuals.com

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 to the COLD area for a cold check or the HOT area for a hot check.
It doesn’t take much tluid, generally less than a pint. Don’t overfill. We
recommend you use only fluid labeled DEXRON@-111 or DEXRON@-IIE,
because fluids with that label are made especially for your automatic
transmission. Damage caused by fluid other than
DEXRON@-Ill or
DEXRON@-IIE is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as described under “How to
Check.”
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the dipstick back in all
the way; then flip the handle down to lock the dipstick in place.
Manual Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have it checked is when the engine oil is changed. However,
the fluid
in your manual transmission doesn’t require changing.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may choose to have this
done at a
GM dealership Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions here, or you could
get
a false reading.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your transmission. Too
much can mean that some of the fluid could come out and fall on
hot engine parts or exhaust system, starting a fire. Be sure to get
an accurate reading if
you check your transmission fluid.
Check the fluid level only when your engine is off, the vehicle is parked on
a level place and the transmission is cool enough for you to rest your fingers
on the transmission case.
6-33
ProCarManuals.com

What to use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what kind of lubricant to
use. See “Recommended Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Index.
Engine Coolant
The following explains your cooling system and how to add coolant when it
is low. If you have a problem with engine overheating, see “Engine
Overheating”
in the Index.
The proper coolant for your vehicle
will:
Give freezing protection down to -20 OF (-29”C), or -34°F (-37°C) in
Canada and for vehicles with the cold climate option.
Give boiling protection up to 258 OF ( 125 O C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as they should.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean wuter (preferably distilled) and one-half
antifreeze that meets
“GM Specification 6038-M,” which won’t damage
aluminum parts.
You can also use a recycled coolant conforming to “GM
Specification 6038-M” with a complete coolant flush and refill. If you use
this mixture, you don’t need to add anything else.
6-38
ProCarManuals.com

Fluid Leak Check
After the vehicle has been parked for a while, inspect the surface under the
vehicle for water, oil, fuel or other fluids. Water dripping from the air
conditioning
system after it has been used is normal. If you notice fuel leaks
or fumes, the causes should be found and corrected at once.
Lubrication
Accelerator Control System
Your maintenance schedule will tell you how often the accelerator linkage
pivot points must be lubricated. See “Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Tndex for the proper lubricant to use.
Accelerator cables and cruise control cables should not be lubricated.
Any
cab1e.s that are worn or are hard to pull should be replaced.
Hood Latches and Hood Hinge
Your maintenance schedule will tell you how often to lubricate the hood
latch and hood hinge assembly. See “Recommended Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Index for the proper lubricant to use.
Propeller Shaft Slip Splines
See your maintenance schedule to find out how often the. slip splines must
be lubricated. See “Recommended Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Index for
the proper lubricant to use.
Constant Velocity Joints
See your mamtenance schedule to find out how often the constant velocity
joints must be lubricated. See “Recommended Flui-ds and Lubricants”
in the
Index for the proper lubricant to use.
Body
Normal use of your vehicle will cause metal to metal wear at some points on
the cab and body if they are not lubricated.
For exposed surfaces, such as door checks, door lock bolts, lock striker
plates, dovetail bumper wedges, etc., a
thin film of engine oil should be
applied.
The seat adjusters and seat track should be lubricated
with chassis grease.
Door weather strips and rubber hood bumpers should be wiped clean with
a
rubber lubricant.
6-51
ProCarManuals.com