1998 CHEVROLET EXPRESS Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll
go to your dealer 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:
Genuine
Parts
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper
GM Service Manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your vehicle than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does,
see “Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the
Index before attempting to do your own service work.
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.
6-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
L
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 dealer before adding equipment
to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Diesel Fuel
Requirements and Fuel System” in the Diesel Engine
Supplement. For vehicles with gasoline engines,
please read this.
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
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
1 Standards (inhcated on the underhood emission control
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 andor your
vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs,
return
to your authorized GM dealer for diagnosis to determine
the cause of failure. In the event it is. determined that the
1 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
GM dealer for service.
~
i
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
I

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fuels in Foreign Countries (Gasoline Engines)
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 Overseas Distribution Corporation
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Filling Your Tank (Gasoline Engine)
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Filling Your
Tank (“Diesel Engine)” in the Diesel Engine Supplement.
11 The fuel cap is behind a
hinged door on the driver’s
side of your vehicle.
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries. Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
7 A
6-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine While refueling your
vehicle, hang the cap by
the tether from the hook
on the filler door.
To remove the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise). The cap has a spring in it; if
you let
go of the cap too soon, it will spring back
to the right.
A CAUTION:
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out
on you if you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
Be careful
not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces as
soon as possible. See “Cleaning
the Outside
of Your Vehicle” in the Index.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you put the cap back on, turn it to the right
(clockwise) until you hear a clicking sound. Make
sure
you fully install the cap. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or
improperly installed. This would allow
fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere. See “Malfunction
Indicator Lamp” in the Index.
NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type, it may not fit properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged. See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
/i CAUTIOlr:
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor.
You can
be badly burned and your vehicle damaged if this
occurs.
To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
inside of the
fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.
Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Checking Things Under the Hood
A CAUTION:
If your vehicle has air conditioning, the auxiliary
engine 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.
A CAUTION:
I
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start
a fire. These include liquids like
gasoline or diesel fuel, 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 this handle inside the
vehicle. It is just
in front of
the driver’s side door frame
near the floor.
6-8

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Lift the hood, release the
hood prop from its retainer
and put the hood prop into
the slot in the hood hinge.
The underhood lamp
will automatically come
on and stay
on until the
hood is closed.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and release the
secondary hood release.