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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. 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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Service
Fuel
Fuels in Foreign Countries
Filling Your Tank
Filling a Portable
Fuel Container
Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear Axle
Four- Wheel Drive
Engine Coolant
Radiator Pressure Cap
Thermostat
Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes Battery
Bulb Replacement
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside
of Your Vehicle
Care of Safety Belts
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Service Parts Identification Label
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
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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.”
Brakc Jedal Travel
See your dealer 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.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc 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.
Battery
Every new vehicle has an ACDelco Freedom@ battery.
You never have to add water to one of these. When it’s
time for a new battery, we recommend an ACDelco
Freedom battery. Get one that has the replacement
number shown on the original battery’s label.
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5. Be sure that the notches are locked by the bottom
claws. Make sure that all other claws are properly
locked on both sides
of the insert slots.
A
t------
A. Claw in Notch
B. Correct Installation
C. Incorrect Installation
6. Put the blade assembly pivot in the wiper arm
hook. Pull up until the pivot locking tab locks in
the hook
slot.
7. Carefully lower the wiper arm and blade assembly
onto the windshield.
Backglass Wiper Blade Rep --ment
See “Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement” in this
section
for instructions on how to change the backglass
wiper blade. The backglass wiper blade will not lock
in a vertical position like the windshield wiper blade,
so care should be used when pulling it away from
the vehicle.
Tires
Your new vehicle comes with high-quality tires made by
a leading tire manufacturer. If you ever have questions
about your tire warranty and where to obtain service, see
your
GMC Warranty booklet for details.
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Poorly maintained and improperly used tires
are dangerous.
Overloading your tires can cause
overheating as
a result of too much friction.
You could have an air-out and
a serious
accident. See “Loading Your Vehicle” in
the Index.
Underinflated tires pose the same danger as
overloaded tires. The resulting accident
could cause serious injury. Check all tires
frequently to maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure should be checked
when your tires are cold.
Overinflated tires are more likely to be cut,
punctured or broken by a sudden impact
--
such as when you hit a pothole. Keep tires
at the recommended pressure.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If your
tread is badly worn, or if your tires have
been damaged, replace them.
Inflation -- Tire Pressure
The CertificatiodTire label, which is on the driver’s
door edge, above the door latch, shows the correct
inflation pressures for your tires when they’re cold.
“Cold” means your vehicle has been sitting for at least
three hours or driven no more than
1 mile (1.6 km).
NOTICE:
Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation or
overinflation is all right. It’s not.
If your tires
don’t have enough air (underinflation), you can
get the following:
Too much flexing
Too much heat
Tire overloading
Bad wear
Bad handling
Bad fuel economy.
NOTICE: (Continued)
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NOTICE: (Continued)
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you can get the following:
0 Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more. Also, check the
tire pressure
of the spare tire.
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t
tell if your tires are properly inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and moisture.
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.
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Q
+
I
!
When rotating your tires, always use one of the correct
rotation. patterns shown here.
After the tires
have been rotated, adjust the front and rear
inflation pressures as shown on the Certificationflire
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:
0 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 fabric.
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 Certificationmire 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,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
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).
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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I Uniform Tire Quality Grading
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.
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
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
of 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.
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