1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Supercharger Oil
Operating the engine with the air cleaner off
can muse 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 ow the
engine with the
air cleaner off.
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.
Unless you are technically
qualified and have the
proper tools, you should let
your dealer or a qualified
service center
perform
this maintenance.
When to Check
Check oil level every 30,000 miles (50 000 km) or every
36 months, whichever occurs first.
What Kind of Oil to Use
See (‘Recommended Fluids and Lubricants” in the Index
and use only the recommended oil.
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How to Check and Add Oil
Check oil only when the engine is cold. Allow the
engine to cool two to three hours after running.
If you remove the supercharger oil fill plug while
the engine
is hot, pressure may cause hot oil to
blow out
of the oil fill hole. You may be burned.
Do not remove the plug until the engine cools.
1. Clean the area around the oil fill plug before
removing it.
2. Remove the oil fill plug using a 3/16 inch
Allen wrench.
3. The oil level is correct when it just reaches the
bottom
of the threads of the inspection hole.
4. Replace the oil plug with the O-ring in place. Torque
to
88 lb-in (10 N-m).
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your autamatic 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.
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.
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How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Pontiac dealership
Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading
on the dipstick.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle.
Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts
or exhaust
system parts, starting a fire. Be sure to
get an accurate reading if you check your
transaxle
fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level
if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
0 At high speed for quite a while.
0 In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is
180 "F to 2080°F
(82*C to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50°F
(10°C). If it's colder than 50°F (lO"C), you may
have to drive longer.
Checking the Fluid Level
Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the
With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
engine running.
in
PARK (P).
0 With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK
(P).
0 Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.
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ken, without shutting off the engine, follow these steps:
The transaxle fluid
dipstick top
is a round,
red loop and is next
to the brake master cylinder behind the
engine block. Pull
out the dipstick and
wipe it with a clean rag
or paper towel.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the lower
level. The fluid level must be
in the cross-hatched area.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
4. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the
way.
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How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transaxle fluid to use. See “Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants” in the Index.
If
the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on
the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid ,. @e
dipstick hole to bring it to’ the proper level.
It doesn’t take much fluid, generally less than one
pint
(0.5 L). Don’t overjU.
NOTICE:
We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON@-111, because fluid with that label i,s
made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRON-I11
is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under “How to Check.”
4. When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The cooling s stem in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for
5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km) whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX-COOL6 extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have ;e problem with
engine overheating, see “Engine Overheating” in
the
Index.
A 50J50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL@
coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 2685 “F (129 O C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Llet the warning lights and gages work as
8
they should.
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NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you use
only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result.
In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused by the use
of coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty. 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@ coolant.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half
DEX-COOL@ coolant which
won’t damage aluminum
parts. If you use this mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else.
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NOTICE:
If you use an improper coolant mix, your engine
could overheat and be badly damaged. The
repair cost wouldn’t
be covered by your
warranty, Too much water in the mix can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
NOTICE:
If you use the proper coolant, you don’t have t’o
add extra inhibitors or additives which claim to
improve the system. These can be harmful,
Checking Coolant
When your engine is cold, the coolant level should be at
FULL COLD or a little higher. When your engine is
warm, the level should be up to FULL HOT or a
little higher.
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If this light comes on,
it means you’re low on
LOW
COOLANT
engine coolant.
Adding Coolant
If you need more coolant, add the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture at the coolant recovery tank, but be
careful not to spill
it.
Turning the radiator pressure cap when the
engine and radiator are hot can allow steam and
scalding liquids to blow out and burn you badly.
With the coolant recovery tank, you will almost
never have to add coolant
at the radiator.
Never turn the radiator pressure cap
-- even a
little
-- when the engine and radiator are hot. You
can be
burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol,
and it will burn
if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
Radiator Pressure Cap
NOTICE:
Your radiator cap is a 15 psi (105 kPa)
pressure-type cap and must be tightly installed to
prevent coolant loss and possible engine damage
from overheating. Be sure the arrows on the cap
line up with the overflow tube on the radiator
filler neck.
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