2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

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Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
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 Specifications .................................... 5.5
California Fuel ............................................. -56
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 .................... 5-1 1
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
....................................... 5.31
Cooling 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
Replacement Bulbs
....................................... 5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement .............. 5-62
Tires .............................................................. 5.63
Inflation
- Tire Pressure ................................ 5-64
Tire Inspection and Rotation
........................... 5-64
When It
Is Time for New Tires ....................... 5-66
Buying New Tires
......................................... 5-66
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
.......................... 5-67
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
.................. 5-69
Wheel Replacement
...................................... 5-69
Tire Chains
.................................................. 5-70
If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................ 5.70
Changing a Flat Tire ..................................... 5.71
Compact Spare Tire ...................................... 5-82
Taillamps
.................................................... 5-60
5- 1

Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Appearance Care ............................................ 5.83
Care
of Safety Belts ...................................... 5-86
Weatherstrips
............................................... 5-86
Sheet Metal Damage
..................................... 5-88
Finish Damage
............................................. 5-88
Underbody Maintenance
................................ 5-89
Chemical Paint Spotting
................................. 5-89
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials ........... 5-89
Vehicle Identification ...................................... 5-91
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
................. 5-91
Service Parts Identification Label
..................... 5-91
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle ................. 5-83
Cleaning the Outside
of Your Vehicle ................. 5-86
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
Capacities and Specifications ......................... 3-99
Capacities and Specifications
......................... 5-99
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ......... 5-101
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer
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:
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 lnformation on
page
7- I 1.
Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does,
see
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle on
page
1-69 before attempting to do your own
service work.
5-3

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 pi- - ? 6-34.
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 dealer before adding equipment to
the outside
of your vehicle.
5-4

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane
of
87 or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may
get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this
occurs, use a gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher as
soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damage
your engine. A little pinging noise when you accelerate
or drive uphill is considered normal. This does not
indicate a problem exists or that a higher-octane fuel is
necessary.
If you are using 87 octane or higher-octane
fuel and hear heavy knocking, your engine needs
service.
Gasoline Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association and endorsed by the
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association for better
vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasoline
meeting these specifications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
“Auto Makers’ Choice’’
label on the pump.
Canada Only
5-5

California Fuel Additives
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (see the underhood emission control label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications.
If this fuel is not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may
turn on (see
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-30 )
and your vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this
occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer for
diagnosis. If it is determined that the condition is caused
by the type of fuel used, repairs may not be covered
by your warranty.
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
specifications described earlier.
Notice: Your vehicle was not designed for fuel
that contains methanol. Don’t use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage wouldn’t be covered under
your warranty.
5-6

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 may be 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 find. Never use leaded gasoiine or any other
fuel not recommended in the previous text on fuel.
Costly repairs caused by use of improper fuel wouldn’t
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’ll be driving.
5-7