1996 GMC SIERRA service

12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
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A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have your GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance”
in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was
factory-new, by adding such things as fog lamps,
aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these’
instructions may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle .has rear-wheel drive, or that it has
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
the four-wheel-drive
option.
transmission
and transfer case, if you have one.
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/A CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
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Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
being towed.
Never tow faster than safe
or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always use separate safety chains on each
side when towing a vehicle.
For pickups (except cab chassis models),
use T-hooks on front of vehicle, J-hooks
on rear.
For cab chassis models, use J-hooks on
front and rear of vehicle.
I A CAUTION:
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle.
When your vehicle
is being towed, have the ignition
key in the OFF position. The steering wheel should be
clamped in a straight-ahead position,
with a clamping
device designed
for towing service. Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The transmission
and transfer case,
if you have one, should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed
on the drive wheels
unless
you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow the speed and distance
restrictions later
in this section or your transmission will
be damaged.
If these limitations must be exceeded, then
the drive wheels have to be supported on
a dolly.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may
not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get
a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. See “Driving on Grades” in the Index.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try
this for a minute or so:
I. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window
as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0)
or THIRD (3) for automatic transmissions.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can drive.
Just to be safe, drive slower
for about 10 minutes. If the
warning doesn’t come back
on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still
no sign of steam, push the accelerator
until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal
idle speed. Bring the engine speed back
to normal idle
speed after two or three minutes. Now see
if the warning
stops.
But then, if you still have the warning, turn of
the engine nrzd get everyone nut of the vehicle until it
cools down.
You
may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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NOTICE:
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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 or above the
COLD mark, add a SO/SO mixture
of ciecu? wter (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL”
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank.
(See (‘Engine Coolant” in the Index for
more information.)
I A CAUTION:
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.
I NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.
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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
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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:
Delco
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work. you’ll
want to get the proper service manual.
It tells you much
more about how
to service your vehicle than this rnanual
can.
To order the proper service manual, see “Service
and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
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Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the Index.
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.
0 Be sure you have sufficient 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.
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. I
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 (indicated 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
your instrument panel may
turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized GM dealer for diagnosis
to determine the
cause
of failure. In the event it is determined that the
cause
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 called
MMT. If you use such fuels, your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the tnalfunction indicator lamp
on your instrument
panel may turn on. If this happens, return to your
authorized
CM 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 reformulated gasolines may be
available
in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that
you use these gasolines if they
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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As shown in the chart, SAE 5W-30 is best for your
vehicle. However,
you can use SAE low-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 20W-50.
I NOTICE:
Use only engine oil with the American Petroleum
Institute Certified For Gasoline Engines
“Starburst” symbol. Failure to use the
recommended oil can result in engine damage not
covered
by your warranty.
GM Goodwrench@ oil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
Engine Oil Additives
Don’t add anything to your oil. Your GM dealer is ready
to advise if you think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil
See if any one of these is true for you:
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Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to I6 km).
This is particularly important when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
driving
in stop-and-go traffic).
You operate your vehicle in dusty areas or
off-road frequently.
You frequently
tow a trailer.
The vehicle is used for delivery service, police, taxi
or other commercial application.
Driving under these conditions causes engine oil to
break down sooner.
If any one of these is true for your
vehicle, then you need
to change your oil and filter
every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever
occurs first.
If none of them is true, change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles ( 12 500 km) or I2 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle
with a fully warmed
engine under highway conditions causes engine
oil to
break down slower.
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