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6-
6-1
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.
6
-2 Service
6
-3 Fuel
6
-5 Fuels in Foreign Countries
6
-6 Filling Your Tank
6
-8 Filling a Portable Fuel Container
6
-8 Checking Things Under the Hood
6
-10 Engine Compartment Overview
6
-12 Engine Oil
6
-18 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
6
-21 Automatic Transmission Fluid
6
-24 Manual Transmission Fluid
6
-25 Hydraulic Clutch
6
-26 Rear Axle
6
-27 Engine Coolant
6
-30 Power Steering Fluid
6
-32 Windshield Washer Fluid
6
-33 Brakes
6
-38 Battery
6
-39 Bulb Replacement6
-44 Tires
6
-53 Appearance Care
6
-54 Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
6
-56 Care of Safety Belts
6
-56 Cleaning Glass Surfaces
6
-57 Cleaning a Removeable Roof Panel
6
-58 Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
6
-59 Cleaning Your Convertible Top
6
-60 Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels (If Equipped)
6
-61 Underbody Maintenance
6
-62 GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
6
-63 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
6
-63 Service Parts Identification Label
6
-64 Electrical System
6
-70 Replacement Bulbs
6
-71 Capacities and Specifications
6
-72 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
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6-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
CAUTION:
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.
Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
inside of the fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.
Don't smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under the Hood
CAUTION:
An electric 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.
CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
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.
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6-12
Engine Oil
If the LOW OIL light
appears on the instrument
cluster, it means you need to
check your engine oil level
right away. For more
information, see ªLow Oil
Lightº in the Index.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
Checking Engine Oil
It's a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is the yellow loop located
at the rear of the engine compartment. The handle is on
the driver's side of the 3800 V6 engine compartment
and on the passenger's side of the 5.7L V8 engine
compartment. See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in
the Index for more information on location.
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6-24 How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission fluid to use. See ªRecommended
Fluids and Lubricantsº in the Index.
Add fluid only after checking the transmission fluid
while it is hot. (A cold check is used only as a
reference.) If the fluid level is low, add only enough of
the proper fluid to bring the level up to the HOT area for
a hot check. It doesn't take much fluid, generally less
than one pint (0.5 L). Don't overfill.
NOTICE:
We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON-III, because fluid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRON
-III
is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under ªHow to Check.º
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then flip the handle
down to lock the dipstick in place.
Manual Transmission Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have it checked is when the engine oil is
changed. However, the fluid in your manual
transmission doesn't require changing.
How to Check
Because this operation can be difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Chevrolet dealership
service department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the
instructions here, or you could get a false reading.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transmission. 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.
Too little fluid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if
you check your transmission fluid.