1997 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
A CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store
all these
in the proper place.
The compact spare tire is for temporary use only.
Replace the compact spare tire with a full-size tire as
soon as you can. See “Compact Spare Tire” later in this
section.
See the storage instructions label to replace your
compact spare into your trunk properly.
I SPARE TIRE COVER
I
d
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Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly.
It should be 60 psi
(420 Wa).
After installing the compact spare on your vehicle, you
should stop as
soon as possible and make sure your spare
tire
is correctly inflated. The compact spare is made to
perform well at speeds up to 65 mph (105 km/h) for
distances up to
3,000 miles (5 000 km), so you can finish
your trip and have your full-size tire repaired or replaced
where you want. Of course, it’s best to replace your spare
with a full-size tire as soon as you can. Your spare will last
longer
and be in good shape in case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught
on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts
of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
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If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or
Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
I ,A CAUTION: I
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts
of the vehicle
can overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels
as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
I NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels.
You should turn
your traction control system off. (See “Traction Control
System”
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth
between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the
wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the transaxle is in gear. If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle”
in the Index.
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fi NOTES
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@ 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
6-57
6-59
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6-60 6-6 1
6-62
6-65
6-72
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6-74
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
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Service Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your
own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Aurora” 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.
1 CATTTIC J:
I
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 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.
Your Aurora retailer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you’ll
go to your
retailer 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 Aurora Service Manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your Aurora than
this manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
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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.
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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.
Fuels in Foreign Cou ;ries
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 International Product Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L 1 H 8P7
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