1996 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your
vehicle. This section 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 part devoted to its
appearance care.
Service
Your GM dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you
to be happy
with it. We hope you'll go to your dealer for
all your service needs. You'll get genuine
GM parts and
GM-trained and supported service people. We
hope
you'll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine
GM parts have one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you'll
want to get the proper GM Service Manual.
It tells you
much more about how to service your vehicle than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
"Service and Owner Publications"
in the Index.
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Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does, see
1 “Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the
I Index before attempting to do your own service work.
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.
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about
it.
Be sure you have suffkient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
0 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.
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Diesel Fuel
Requirements and Fuel System” in the Diesel Engine
Supplement. For vehicles with gasoline engines, please
read this.
L
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane,or
higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM D4814 in the United States and
CGSB 3.5-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications have been
developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association (AAMA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to
other gasolines.
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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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (inciicatecl on the underhood tune-up label),
it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications.
If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards,
your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications. but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
Y~LII' instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this OCCLII-S, return to YOLK
authorized GM dealer for diagnosis to determine the
cause of failure.
In the event it is cletermined that the
ca~~se
of the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered
by your warranty.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane-enhancing
additive crdled MMT.
IF you LIS~ such f~~els. your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on.
If this happens, return to YOLII'
authorized GM dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that
will help prevent deposits from
forming
in your engine and fuel system. allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have
to add anything to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates. such as ethers
and ethanol, and reforn~~lated gasolines may
be
available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recmnlnends that you use these gasolines ilthey
comply
with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. 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.
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Fuels in Foreign Countries
-- Gasoline Engines
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use
of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major
oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write
us at the following address for
advice.
Just tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation,
North American Export Sales (NAES)
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L 1 H 8P7
Filling Your Tank
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
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If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out
on you if you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly.
This spray can happen
if your tank
is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
While refueling, hang the cap inside the fuel door.
To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise). Be
careful not
to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces
as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the-
Outside of Your Vehicle” in.the Index.
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When you put the cap back on, turn it to the right until
you hear at least three clicks. Make sure you fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off
or improperly installed. This would
allow fuel to evaporate int.0 the atmosphere. See
“Malfunction Indicator Lamp”
in the Index.
I NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type, it
may not fit or have proper
venting, and your fuel tank and emissions system
might be damaged.
Checking Things Under the Hood
To open the hood, first pull
this handle inside the
vehicle. It is just
in front of
the driver’s side door frame
near
the floor.
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Lift the hood, release the
hood prop from its retainer
and put the hood prop into
the slot
in the hood hinge.
The underhood lamp
will
autolnatically come on
and stay on
until the hood
is closed.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and release the
secondary hood release.
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When you lift the hood, ~011’11 see these items:
A. Battery
B. Coolant Recovery Tank
C. Engine Oil Dipstick
D. Engine Oil Fill
E. Transmission Dipstick
F. Air Cleaner
G. Power Steering Reservoir
H. Brake Master Cylinder
I. Windshield Washer Fluid
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