Service
Your 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:
A 1
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 Oldsmobile 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 has an air bag system. Before attempting
to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle” 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.
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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.
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 retailer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
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 (MA) 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.
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Air Cleaner
To check or replace the air filter:
1.
2.
Loosen the wing nut on
the air duct.
Lift up
on the two clips
located
on top of the
filter cover.
3. Disconnect duct and reposition while removing
the side cover. Pull out the filter. Be sure to install
the air filter and install the cover tightly when you
are finished.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when to
replace the air filter.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index. Operating the engine with the air cleaner
off can
cause 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 on the engine with
the air cleaner off.
NOTICE:
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.
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Passenger Compartment Air Filter
(If Equipped)
The passenger compartment air filter is located
underneath the hood just below the windshield wiper
arm on the passenger’s side of
the vehicle (underneath
the air inlet grille).
The filter traps most of the pollen from air entering the
module. Like your engine’s air filter, it may
need to be
changed periodically. For information
on how often to
change the passenger compartment air filter, see
“Maintenance Schedule” in the Index.
To change the passenger compartment air filter, use the
following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Turn off the ignition when the windshield wipers
are
in the up position.
Raise the hood.
Disconnect the windshield washer pump hose from
the fender rail and air inlet grille.
Reposition the hood weatherstrip from the right
side of the vehicle (peel back halfway to center).
Remove the air inlet grille retainers.
Remove the air inlet grille.
Remove
the passenger compartment air filter.
Then install the new air filter. For the type of filter
to use, see “Normal Maintenance Replacement
Parts” in the Index.
Reposition the air inlet grille.
Replace the air inlet grille retainers.
Reposition the hood weatherstrip
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12. Reconnect the windshield washer pump hose to the
the fender rail and air inlet grille.
13. Close the hood.
14. Return the windshield wipers to the park position.
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic 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:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 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.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Oldsmobile retail
facility 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.
I
I 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:
0 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.
0 While pulling a trailer.
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3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the
lower level. The fluid level must be in the
cross-hatched area.
4. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back
in all the way.
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 at the
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 overfill.
I NOTICE:
~~
We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON@-111, because fluid with that label is
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.
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Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except when
you are pushing on the brake
pedal firmly).
- m--
A CAUTION:
I
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
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.”
Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer 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 apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
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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.
I
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 Tire-Loading Information label. Make certain that
all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in the Index.
A CAUTION:
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.)
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
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