1996 CHEVROLET ASTRO oil level

Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index).
Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine
not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation
on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn
on.
If you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the
proper
fuel to turn the light off.
If none
of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Pressure Gage
The oil pressure gage shows
the engine oil pressure in
psi (pounds per square inch)
when the engine
is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate pressure in kPa (kilopascals).
Oil pressure may vary
with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the
low pressure zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused by a
dangerously low oil level or other problems causing
low
oil pressure.
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I A CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
1 NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Check Oil Light
CHECK
OIL
This light should come
on briefly while
you are
starting your engine. If the
light doesn’t come
on, have
it repaired.
If the light comes on while starting and stays on, your
engine oil level should be checked.
Prior
to checking your oil level, be sure your vehicle is
on a level surface and has been shut off for several
minutes to allow the oil
to drain back into the oil pan.
Check your oil level and bring it up to the proper level.
See “Engine Oil” in
the Index.
The
oil level monitoring system only checks the oil
during the brief period between turning the key
on and
when the engine starts. It does
not check the oil level
while the vehicle is running.
Parking
on steep grades may cause the light to come on
even when the oil level is correct. If this happens, park
the vehicle
on a level surface and check the oil level.
2-61

Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want
to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well
in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The
exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
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 GM
dealers 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:
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Windshield WcrslTer 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?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
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?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid
a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
4-19

Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could
be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Tbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a heavy-duty turn signal flasher (included
in
the optional trailering package).
The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes or stop. When
towing
a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs
on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important
to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If
you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and
no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transmission overheating.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a
lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn
your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in
PARK (P) for a few
minutes before turning
the engine off. If you do get the
overheat warning, see “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
4-35

When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see: If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else
until it cools down.
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Engine Fan The
coolant level should be at
the ADD mark. 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.
5-15

Heater and radiator hoses, 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.
Engine damage from running your engine without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be
no leak, start the engine again. See
if the fan speed increases when idle speed
is doubled by
pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn’t, your
vehicle needs service. Turn off the engine.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the
ADD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL TM
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant’’
in the Index for
more information.)
Adding only plain water to 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
DEX-COOL TM antifreeze.
5-16

Engine Oil
CHECK
OIL
If the CHECK OIL light on
the instrument panel comes
on, it means you need to
check your engine oil level
right away. For more information, see “Check Oil
Light” in the Index.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
It’s a good idea to check your engine oil every time
you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be
on level ground. The
engine oil dipstick
is a yellow ring.
Turn
off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don’t, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual
level.
6-11

Checking Engine Oil
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then
push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check
the level.
When to Add Oil
If the oil is at or below the ADD line, then you’ll need
to add some oil. But
you must use the right kind. This
part explains what kind
of oil to use. For crankcase
Don’t add too much oil. If your engine has so
much oil that the oil level gets above the
cross-hatched area that shows the proper
operating range, your engine could
be damaged.
Just fill it enough to put the level somewhere in the
proper operating range. Push
the dipstick all the way
back
in when you’re through.
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