1997 Oldsmobile Aurora air condition

@ Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your Aurora. 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.
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6-52 Service
Fuel
Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Engine Coolant Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery
Bulb Replacement
Headlamp Aiming
Tires
Appearance Care 6-53
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6-62
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6-74
6-74
6-74 Cleaning the
Inside
of Your Aurora
Cleaning the Outside
of Your Aurora
Underbody Maintenance Chemical Paint Spotting
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System
Removing the Rear Seat Cushion
Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
Engine Specifications
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
Vehicle Dimensions
6-1

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 Aurora retailer before adding equipment to the
outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 91 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 for premium is at least 9 1. If
the octane is less than 9
1, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive. (In an emergency, you may be
able to use a lower octane
-- as low as 87 -- if heavy
knocking does not occur.)
If you’re using 91 or higher
octane unleaded gasoline and you hear heavy knocking,
your engine needs service.
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 Aurora retailer 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 recornend 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 affkcted. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized
Aurora retailer for service.
6-3

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.
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.
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle 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:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90 OF (32 O C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 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.
6-18

Brake Ad-iustment
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result
in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect brake pads for wear and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to GM specifications.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See “Brake System Inspection”
in Section 7 of this manual
under
Part C “Periodic Maintenance Inspections.”
Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign
of brake trouble. Every
time you apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex. Its
many parts have to be of top quality and work well
together if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Your vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM brake parts. When you replace parts
of your braking
system
-- for example, when your brake linings wear
down and
you have to have new ones put in -- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts. If you
don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example, if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rear brakes can
change
-- for the worse. The braking performance
you’ve come to expect can change in many other ways
if
someone puts in the wrong replacement brake parts.

Temperature -- A, B, C Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the
material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.
The grade
C corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades
B and A represent higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure. The
wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are not
needed. However, if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the wheel,
wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced. If the
wheel leaks air, replace it (except some aluminum
wheels, which can sometimes be repaired). See your
Aurora retailer if any of these conditions exist.
Your retailer will know the kind
of wheel you need.
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Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches in the finish
should be repaired right away. Bare metal will corrode
quickly and may develop into a major repair expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch-up
materials available from your retailer or other service
outlets. Larger areas of finish damage can be corrected
in your retailer’s body and paint shop.
Underbody Maintenance
Chemicals used for ice and snow removal and dust
control can collect on the underbody. If these are not
removed, accelerated corrosion (rust) can occur on the
underbody parts such as fuel lines, frame, floor pan
and exhaust system even though they have
corrosion protection.
At least every spring, flush these materials from the
underbody with plain water. Clean any areas where mud
and other debris can collect.
Dirt packed in closed areas
of the frame should be loosened before being flushed.
Your retailer or an underbody car washing system can
do this for you.
Chemical Paint Spotting
Some weather and atmospheric conditions can create a
chemical fallout. Airborne pollutants can fall upon and attack painted surfaces on your vehicle. This damage
can take two forms: blotchy, ringlet-shaped discolorations, and small irregular dark spots etched into
the paint surface.
Although no defect
in the paint job causes this, Aurora
will repair, at no charge to the owner, the surfaces
of
new vehicles damaged by this fallout condition within
12 months or 12,000 miles (20 000 km) of purchase,
whichever occurs first.
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ENGINE COMPARTMENT
FUSE BLOCK
1 HORN
COOLING
FAN #2
COOLING
FAN #3
E
4
Fuse
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Usage
Air Conditioning Center
Open
Open
Horn
Open
Fog Lamp
2
Cooling Fan #2
Cooling Fan #3
Cooling Fan
ABS Main
ABS Pump Motor
Fog Lamp
Horn
Open

Capacities and Specifications
The following approximate capacities are given in English and metric conversions. rlease refer to “Recommended
Fluids
and Lubricants” in the Index for more information.
Automatic Transaxle (Overdrive)
When draining or replacing torque converter, more fluid may be needed.
Pan Removal and Replacement ........................................... 6.5 quarts (6.0 L)
After Complete Overhaul ................................................. 10 quarts (9.5 L)
When pe~orming either transaxle procedure, check fluid level when done. More fluid may be needed.
Cooling System ....................................................... 13 quarts (12.0 L)
Engine Crankcase ...................................................... 7 quarts (6.6 L)
When changing filter, up to 0.5 quart (0.5 L) more oil may be needed.
Fuel Tank ......................................................... 19.4 gallons (73.4 L)
Windshield Washer
Fluid Tanks
...................................................... 3.8 quarts (3.6 L)
Power Steering
Pump Only ............................................................... 1 pint (0.5 L)
Complete System ....................................................... 1.5 pints (0.7 L)
Tire Pressures, Sizes ................................................... See Tire-Loading
Information label on driver’s door.
Wheel Nut Torque .................................................. 100 lb-ft (140 N-m)
Refrigerant (R-l34a),
Air Conditioning
........................................... See refrigerant charge label
under the hood.
NOTE: All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fd to the appropriate level as recommended in this manual.
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