1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE service

Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 000 to 13 000 km). Any time you notice unusual
wear, rotate your tires
as soon as possible and check
wheel alignment. Also check for damaged tires or
wheels. See “When It’s Time for New Tires” and
“Wheel Replacement” later
in this section for
more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is
to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The first
rotation is the most important. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services”
in the Index for scheduled
rotation intervals. When
rotating
your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire
in your tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and rear
inflation pressures
as shown on the Certificatioflire label.
Make certain that all wheel
nuts are properly tightened.
See “Wheel Nut Torque”
in the Index.
Rust or dirt on
a wheel, or on the parts to which
it is fastened, can make wheel nuts become loose
after
a time. The wheel could come off and cause
an accident. When you change a wheel, remove
any rust or dirt from places where the wheel
attaches to the vehicle. In an emergency, you can
use
a cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be
sure to use
a scraper or wire brush later, if you
need to, to get
all the rust or dirt off. (See
“Changing a Flat Tire” in the Index.)
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When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear indicators, which will
appear when your tires have
only 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need a new tire
if any of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or hbric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of
the size or location
of the damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the CertificatiodTire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when
it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
your vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle.
If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed
by an “MS”
(for mud and snow).
0 oet ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial)
as your original tires.
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Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on all wheels.
It’s
all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed
for use on your vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold
in the United States.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does not
apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters
oC 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades,
they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on
a specified government test course. For
example,
a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
( 1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire
graded
100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
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Aluminum Wheels (If Equipped)
Keep your wheels clean using a soft clean cloth with
mild soap and water. Rinse with clean water. After
rinsing thoroughly, dry with
a soft clean towel. A wax
may then be applied.
The surface of these wheels is similar to the painted
surface of your vehicle. Don’t use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes, abrasive cleaners or
abrasive cleaning brushes on them because you could
damage the surface.
Don’t take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicon carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage
the surface of
these wheels.
Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with a tire cleaner.
NOTICE:
When applying a tire dressing always take care to
wipe
off any overspray or splash from all painted
surfaces on the body
or wheels of the vehicle.
Petroleum-based products may damage the
paint finish.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure
the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to the parts repaired
or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches in the finish
should be repaired right away.
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.
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Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
ENGINEA7 f ASSEMBLY
CODE MODEL YEAR PLANT
This is the legal identifier for your Oldsmobile. It
appears on a plate in the front corner of the instrument
panel, on the driver’s side. You can see
it if you look
through the windshield from outside your vehicle.
The
VIN also appears on the Vehicle Certification
and Service Parts labels and
the certificates of title
and registration.
E1 ,ine Identification
The 8th character in your VIN is the engine code. This
code will help you identify your engine, specifications
and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identification Label
You’ll find this label on the inside of the air inflator
panel. It’s very
helpful if you ever need to order parts.
On this label is:
0 your VIN,
0 the model designation,
0 paint information and
0 a list of all production options and
special equipment.
Be sure that this label is not removed from the vehicle.
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Section 7 Maintenance Schedule
Owner Checks at Each Fuel Fill-up
What to Check at Least Once a Month
What to Check at Least Twice a Year
What to Check at Least Once
a Year
Periodic Maintenance Inspections
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
Tips for Keeping Track of Maintenance
A Place to Record Maintenance Procedures
This section covers the maintenance required for your Oldsmobile\
.
Your vehicle needs these services to retain its
safety, dependability and emission control performance.
7-2 Introduction to Your Maintenance Schedule
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7-2
Your Vehicle and the Environment 7-37
7-3 How this Section is Organized
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7-5 Short
TripKity Definition 7-41
7-4 Selecting
the Right Schedule for Your Vehicle 7-38
7-4 Using
Your Maintenance Schedule 7-38
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7-5 Short
Trip/City Intervals
7-6 Long Tripmighway Definition
7-6 Long Tripmighway Intervals 7-45
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How This Section is Organized
The remainder of this section is divided into five parts:
“Part
A: Scheduled Maintenance Services” shows
what to have done and how often. Some of these
services can be complex,
so unless you are technically
qualified and have
the necessary equipment, you should
let your retailer’s service department or another
qualified service center do these jobs.
-
Performing maintenance work on a vehicle can
be dangerous. In trying to do some jobs, you can
be seriously injured.
Do your own maintenance
work only if you have the required know-how
and the proper tools and equipment for the job.
If you have any doubt, have
a qualified
technician do the work.
If you are skilled enough to do some work on your
vehicle, you will probably want to get
the service
information
GM publishes. See “Service and Owner
Publications”
in the Index. “Part
B: Owner Checks and Services”
tells you
what should be checked and when. It also explains
what you can easily do to help keep your vehicle
in
good condition.
“Part C: Periodic Maintenance Inspections” explains
important inspections that your Oldsmobile retailer’s
service department or another qualified service center
should perform.
“Part
D: Recommended Fluids and Lubricants” lists
some products
GM recommends to help keep your
vehicle properly maintained. These products, or their
equivalents, should be used whether you do the work
yourself or have
it done.
“Part E: Maintenance Record’’ provides a place for
you to record the maintenance performed on your
vehicle. Whenever any maintenance
is performed, be
sure to write
it down in this part. This will help you
determine when your
next maintenance should be done.
In addition,
it is a good idea to keep your maintenance
receipts. They may be needed to qualify your vehicle
for warranty repairs.
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Part A: Scheduled Maintenance
Services
Using Your Maintenance Schedule
We at General Motors want to help you keep your
vehicle in good working condition. But we don’t
know exactly how you’ll drive it.
You may drive very
short distances only a few times a week. Or you may
drive long distances all the time
in very hot, dusty
weather.
You may use your vehicle in making deliveries.
Or you may drive
it to work, to do errands or in many
other ways.
Because of all the different ways people use their
GM
vehicles, maintenance needs vary. You may even need
more frequent checks and replacements than
you’ll find
in the schedules in this section. So please read this
section and note how
you drive. If you have any
questions on how to keep your vehicle
in good
condition, see your Oldsmobile retailer.
This part tells you the maintenance services you should
have done and when you should schedule them.
If you
go to your retailer for your service needs,
you’ll know
that GM-trained and supported service people will
perform the work using genuine GM parts. The
proper fluids and lubricants
to use are listed in
Part
D. Make sure whoever services your vehicle
uses these.
All parts should be replaced and all
necessary repairs done before
you or anyone else
drives the vehicle.
These schedules are for vehicles that:
carry passengers and cargo within recommended
limits.
You will find these limits on your vehicle’s
CertificatiodTire label. See “Loading Your Vehicle”
in the Index.
are driven on reasonable road surfaces within legal
driving limits.
0 use the recommended fuel. See “Fuel” in the Index.
Selecting the Right Schedule
First you’ll need to decide which of the two schedules is
right for your vehicle. Here’s how to decide which
schedule to follow:
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