2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN checking oil

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle...........................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling Your Tank............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-11
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-14
Engine Oil...................................................5-15
Engine Cover...............................................5-20
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-24
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-25
Engine Coolant.............................................5-28
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-30
Engine Overheating.......................................5-31Cooling System............................................5-33
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-39
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-40
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-41
Brakes........................................................5-42
Battery........................................................5-46
Jump Starting...............................................5-47
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-52
Rear Axle.......................................................5-53
Front Axle......................................................5-54
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-55
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-55
Headlamps..................................................5-55
Front Turn Signal Lamps...............................5-59
Taillamps.....................................................5-60
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-62
Tires..............................................................5-63
In¯ation Ð Tire Pressure...............................5-64
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-64
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-66
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a ®re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake ¯uid, windshield washer and
other ¯uids, 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.
Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the handle located inside the vehicle on the
lower driver's side of the kick panel.
5-11

A. Windshield Washer Fluid
B. Engine Coolant
C. Engine Oil Dipstick
D. Transmission Dipstick
E. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
F. Engine Oil Fill
G. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir
H. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
I. Battery
Engine Oil
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 has a yellow ring and is located
near the center of the engine compartment. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 5-14for more
information on location.
Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don't, the oil
dipstick might not show the actual level.
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
5-15

Notice:If the air cleaner/®lter is off, a back®re can
cause a damaging engine ®re. And, dirt can
easily get into your engine, which will damage it.
Always have the air cleaner/®lter in place when
you're driving.
Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 15,000 miles
(25 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km).
See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership 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.
Notice:Too much or too little ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission ¯uid level if you have been driving:
·When outside temperatures are above 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic Ð especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the ¯uid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180ÉF to 200ÉF
(82ÉC to 93ÉC).
5-25

Checking Brake Fluid......................................5-43
Checking Coolant............................................5-29
Checking Engine Oil........................................5-15
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-11
Checking Your Restraint Systems......................1-71
Check...........................................................3-30
Engine Light...............................................3-30
Gages Warning Light...................................3-36
Chemical Paint Spotting...................................5-89
Child Restraints..............................................1-44
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-44
Infants and Young Children...........................1-38
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)..........................1-52
Older Children.............................................1-35
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System........................................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Seat
Position..................................................1-57
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position...........................................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position...........................................1-59
Top Strap Anchor Location............................1-50
Top Strap...................................................1-48
Where to Put the Restraint...........................1-47
Cigarette Lighter.............................................3-17
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels..............................5-88
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.......................5-86Cleaning Fabric/Carpet....................................5-83
Cleaning Glass Surfaces..................................5-85
Cleaning Interior Plastic Components.................5-85
Cleaning Leather............................................5-85
Cleaning the Top of the Instrument Panel...........5-85
Cleaning the Windshield and Wiper Blades.........5-87
Cleaning Tires................................................5-88
Cleaning Vinyl................................................5-85
Cleaning........................................................5-83
Inside of Your Vehicle..................................5-83
Outside of Your Vehicle................................5-86
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-89
Weatherstrips..............................................5-86
Climate Control System...................................3-18
Rear Air Conditioning System........................3-20
Rear Heating System...................................3-19
Rear..........................................................3-21
Compact Disc Messages..................................3-45
Compact Spare Tire........................................5-82
Composite Headlamps.....................................5-56
Control of a Vehicle.......................................... 4-6
Convenience Net............................................2-45
Coolant.........................................................3-30
Engine Temperature Gage............................3-30
Heater, Engine............................................2-22
Cooling System..............................................5-33
Cruise Control................................................3-10
Current and Past Model Order Forms................7-12
3

Fuel (cont.)
Filling a Portable Fuel Container....................5-10
Filling Your Tank........................................... 5-8
Fuels in Foreign Countries.............................. 5-7
Gage.........................................................3-36
Gasoline Octane........................................... 5-5
Gasoline Speci®cations.................................. 5-5
Low Warning Light.......................................3-37
System Inspection.......................................6-30
Fuses...........................................................5-93
Fuses and Circuit Breakers...........................5-93
Windshield Wiper.........................................5-92
G
Gage............................................................3-36
Check Gages Warning Light..........................3-36
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-30
Fuel..........................................................3-36
Oil Pressure...............................................3-34
Speedometer..............................................3-25
Voltmeter Gage...........................................3-28
Garage Door Opener.......................................2-34
Gasoline......................................................... 5-5
Octane........................................................ 5-5
Speci®cations............................................... 5-5Gasoline (cont.)
Gate Operator and Canadian Programming........2-36
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities.................................................... 7-5
H
Hatch Release................................................2-15
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-4
Head Restraints............................................... 1-5
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.................... 3-7
Headlamp Wiring............................................5-92
Headlamps....................................................5-55
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-55
Front Turn Signal Lamps..............................5-59
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-55
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-22
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-22
Hitches..........................................................4-36
HomeLink
žTransmitter, Programming................2-35
HomeLinkžTransmitter....................................2-34
Hood............................................................5-11
Checking Things Under................................5-11
Release.....................................................5-11
Horn............................................................... 3-5
6