
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill:
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
·start your engine,
·shift into a gear, and
·make sure the parking brake has released.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you're
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle ¯uid (don't over®ll),
engine oil, drive belt, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you ®nd them quickly. If you're trailering,
it's a good idea to review this information before you
start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. SeeEngine Overheating on
page 5-28.
4-42

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-6
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under
the Hood....................................................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-19
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-21
Engine Coolant.............................................5-25
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-28
Engine Overheating.......................................5-28
Cooling System............................................5-31Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-38
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-39
Brakes........................................................5-40
Battery........................................................5-43
Jump Starting...............................................5-45
Headlamp Aiming...........................................5-51
Headlamp Horizontal Aiming...........................5-53
Headlamp Vertical Aiming..............................5-53
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-55
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting............5-55
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-56
Headlamps..................................................5-56
Front Turn Signal Lamps...............................5-59
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-60
Taillamps and Turn Signal Lamps...................5-60
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-62
Tires..............................................................5-63
In¯ation -- Tire Pressure................................5-64
Tire Pressure Monitor System.........................5-65
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-67
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-68
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Buying New Tires.........................................5-68
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-69
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-71
Wheel Replacement......................................5-71
Tire Chains..................................................5-72
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-73
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-74
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-83
Appearance Care............................................5-83
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-84
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-86
Weatherstrips...............................................5-86
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-86
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-88
Finish Damage.............................................5-89
Underbody Maintenance................................5-89Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-89
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-90
Vehicle Identi®cation......................................5-91
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN).................5-91
Service Parts Identi®cation Label.....................5-92
Electrical System............................................5-92
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-92
Headlamp Wiring..........................................5-92
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-92
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-92
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-93
Removing the Rear Seat Cushion...................5-96
Capacities and Speci®cations........................5-100
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts.........5-101
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you'll
want to use the proper 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 Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-10.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-52.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Part E: Maintenance Record on page 6-16.
{CAUTION:
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
5-3

Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work
properly. You should not have to add anything to your
fuel. Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as
ethers and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be
available in your area to contribute to clean air.
General Motors recommends that you use these
gasolines, particularly if they comply with the
speci®cations described earlier.
Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does
not recommend the use of such gasolines. Fuels
containing MMT can reduce the life of spark plugs and
the performance of the emission control system maybe affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn
on. If this occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer for
service.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard
to ®nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
be covered by your warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.
Filling Your Tank
{CAUTION:
Fuel vapor is highly ¯ammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Do not smoke if you are near fuel or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, ¯ames and smoking
materials away from fuel.
5-6

What Kind of Engine Oil to Use
Oils recommended for your vehicle can be identi®ed by
looking for the starburst symbol.
This symbol indicates that the oil has been certi®ed by
the American Petroleum Institute (API). Do not use
any oil which does not carry this starburst symbol.
If you choose to perform
the engine oil change
service yourself, be sure
the oil you use has
the starburst symbol on
the front of the oil
container. If you have your
oil changed for you, be
sure the oil put into
your engine is American
Petroleum Institute certi®ed
for gasoline engines.
You should also use the proper viscosity oil for your
vehicle, as shown in the viscosity chart.
5-16

As in the chart shown previously, SAE 5W-30 is the
only viscosity grade recommended for your vehicle. You
should look for and use only oils which have the API
Starburst symbol and which are also identi®ed as
SAE 5W-30. If you cannot ®nd such SAE 5W-30 oils,
you can use an SAE 10W-30 oil which has the API
Starburst symbol, if it's going to be 0ÉF (-18ÉC)
or above. Do not use other viscosity grade oils, such as
SAE 10W-40 or SAE 20W-50 under any conditions.
Notice:Use only engine oil with the American
Petroleum Institute Certi®ed For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use the recommended
oil can result in engine damage not covered by
your warranty.
GM Goodwrench
žoil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
If you are in an area of extreme cold, where the
temperature falls below-20ÉF (-29ÉC), it is
recommended that you use either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil or an SAE 0W-30 oil. Both will provide
easier cold starting and better protection for your engine
at extremely low temperatures.
Engine Oil Additives
Don't add anything to your oil. The recommended oils
with the starburst symbol are all you will need for
good performance and engine protection.
When to Change Engine Oil (GM Oil
Life System)
Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know
when to change the engine oil and ®lter. This is
based on engine revolutions and engine temperature,
and not on mileage. Based on driving conditions,
the mileage at which an oil change will be indicated can
vary considerably. For the oil life system to work
properly, you must reset the system every time the oil is
changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has been
diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is
necessary. A CHANGE ENGINE OIL message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will come on. Change
your oil as soon as possible within the next two
times you stop for fuel. It is possible that, if you are
driving under the best conditions, the oil life system may
not indicate that an oil change is necessary for over a
year. However, your engine oil and ®lter must be
changed at least once a year and at this time the system
must be reset. Your dealer has GM-trained service
people who will perform this work using genuine GM
parts and reset the system. It is also important to check
your oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must change
your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your last oil
change. Remember to reset the oil life system whenever
the oil is changed.
5-17

How to Reset the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
Message
The GM Oil Life SystemŸ calculates when to change
your engine oil and ®lter based on vehicle use. Anytime
your oil is changed, reset the system so it can
calculate when the next oil change is required. If a
situation occurs where you change your oil prior to a
CHANGE ENGINE OIL message in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) being turned on, reset
the system.
After the oil has been changed, the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL message must be reset. To reset the message,
do the following:
1. Turn the key to the ªONº position without starting
the engine.
2. Press the INFO button on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) until ENGINE OIL LIFE is displayed.
3. Press and hold the INFO RESET button until 100%
ENGINE OIL LIFE is displayed. This resets the oil
life indicator.
The percentage of oil life remaining may be checked at
any time by pressing the INFO button until ENGINE
OIL LIFE is displayed on the DIC. For more information
on the oil life indicator, see
Oil Life Indicator on
page 3-77.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain elements that may be
unhealthy for your skin and could even cause cancer.
Don't let used oil stay on your skin for very long. Clean
your skin and nails with soap and water, or a good
hand cleaner. Wash or properly dispose of clothing or
rags containing used engine oil. See the manufacturer's
warnings about the use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all the oil from the
®lter before disposal. Never dispose of oil by putting it
in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into sewers, or into
streams or bodies of water. Instead, recycle it by
taking it to a place that collects used oil. If you have a
problem properly disposing of your used oil, ask
your dealer, a service station or a local recycling center
for help.
5-18