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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. 
A CAUTION: 
You  can be injured if you  try to do  service  work  on  a vehicle 
without  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. 
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. 
NOTICE: 
If you try to do your  own service  work  without knowing  enough 
about  it, your  vehicle  could  be  damaged. 
Fuel  (Gasoline  Engine) 
If your vehicle  has a diesel  engine,  see “Diesel Fuel Requirements and  Fuel 
System” 
in this Section.  For vehicles  with gasoline  engines, please read this. 
Use  regular  unleaded  gasoline rated  at 87  octane  or higher.  It should meet 
specifications  ASTM  D48 
14 in the United States 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 United  States 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. 
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What about gasoline  with blending  materials that contain oxygen 
(oxygenates),  such 
as MTBE  or  alcohol? 
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 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  vehicle. 
Don’t  use  it. It  can  corrode  metal  parts  in  your  fuel  system  and 
also  damage  plastic  and  rubber  parts.  That  damage  wouldn’t  be 
covered  under  your  warranty.  And  even  at 
5% or less,  there 
must  be “cosolvents”  and  corrosion  preventers  in  this  fuel 
to 
help  avoid  these  problems. 
Gasolines for Cleaner  Air 
Your  use of gasoline with deposit  control  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  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. 
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 
deposit  control  additives  and oxygenates,  and if they  have  been 
reformulated 
to reduce  vehicle  emissions. 
Diesel  Fuel  Requirements and Fuel Sysrem 
Some  states  and provinces  have  restrictions on the  purchase  of diesel fuel 
for  light-duty  vehicles and  require you to buy permits  or pay  special taxes. 
Some 
of these  restrictions  apply only to residents,  and  others apply to both 
residents  and visitors.  These  restrictions  can change. 
To learn the current 
restrictions  in any  state  or  province,  contact  your auto  club,  the police  or 
other  officials. 
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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  conditionsj  as  oil companies  blend Number 
2-D fuel to address 
climate  differences. Number 
1-D diesel fuel  may  be  used in very cold 
temperatures  (when 
it stays  below 0°F or -18°C);  however, it will produce 
a power and fuel economy loss. The  use of Number I-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.” 
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