1997 CHEVROLET TRACKER check engine

GE4iB Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your Geo. 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.
6-2
6-3
6-7
6-10
6- 14
6- 16
6-19
6-2 1
6-2
1
6-22
6-23
6-26
6-27
6-29
6-33
Service
Fuel
Checking Things Under the
Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Manual Transmission Fluid
Clutch Adjustment
Rear Axle
Four-wheel
Drive
Engine Coolant
Radiator Pressure Cap
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery
6-33
6-3
3
6-40
6-48
6-49
6-53
6-54
6-56
6-56
6-57
6-58
6-58
6-62
6-64
Bulb Replacement
Halogen Bulbs
Tires
'
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside of Your Geo
Cleaning the Outside of Your Geo
Special Care for Canvas Top and Plastic
Windows
Underbody Maintenance
Chemical Paint Spotting
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN)
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
6-1
ProCarManuals.com

I
A CAUTION:
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
0 Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, 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.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your Geo dealer before adding equipment to the outside
of your vehicle.
Fuel
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.
6-3
ProCarManuals.com

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 Geo 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.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his
fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use of such gasolines.
If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may
turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
Geo dealer for service. To
provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
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.
6-4
ProCarManuals.com

Checking Things Under the Hood
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan. Don’t reach through the
grille to release the underhood lever.
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that
will burn onto a hot engine.
TO open the hood, first pull the release handle inside the
glove box.
6-7
ProCarManuals.com

Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps
are on.
Then lift the hood to relieve pressure
on the hood prop.
Remove the hood prop from the slot in the hood and
return the prop to its retainer. Then let the hood down
and close it firmly.
Engine Oil
If the engine oil pressure
light
on the instrument
panel comes on, it means
you need to check your
engine oil
level right away.
For more information, see “Engine Oil Pressure 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.
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.
6-10
ProCarManuals.com

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 mark, then you’ll need
to add at least one quart of oil. But you must use the
right kind.
This part explains what kind of oil to use. For
crankcase capacity, see “Capacities and Specifications’’
in the Index.
I NOTICE:
Don’t add too much oil. If your engine has so
much oil that the oil level gets above the upper
mark that
shows the proper operating range,
your engine could be damaged.
Be sure to 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.
6-11
ProCarManuals.com

1 A CAUTION:
Operating the engine with the air cleaner off can
cause you or others to be burned. The air cleaner
not only cleans the air, it stops flame if the engine
backfires.
If it isn’t there, and the engine
backfires, you could be burned. Don’t drive with
it
off, and be careful working on the engine with
the air cleaner off.
I NOTICE:
If the air cleaner is off, a backfire can cause a
damaging engine fire. And, dirt can easily get
into your engine, which will damage
it. Always
have the air cleaner in place when you’re driving.
Air Filter Replacement
To check or replace the filter:
2. Lift the cover up.
1. Remove the screws on
the cover.
6-15
I
ProCarManuals.com

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil
is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more
of these conditions:
3. Pull out the filter.
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services”
in the Index.
6-16
ProCarManuals.com