2003 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner's Manuals

Battery
Your new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelco@ battery. When it’s time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number shown on the
original battery’s label. We recommend an ACDelco@
battery. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page
5-72 for battery location.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, remove the black, negative
(-) cable from the
battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
Batteries ~ -.-ve acid tha- -an burn , -u and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting” next for
tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see
Theft-Deterrent
Feature on page
3-88.
5-38

Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. But please use the following steps
to do it
safely.
can be dangerous
* They contain acid that can burn you.
0 They contain gas that can explode or
* They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some
Notice: Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered
by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it
won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with
a negative ground system.
Notice: If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system
with a negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in
PARK (P) or a manual transmission
in NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake. If
you have a four- wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case is not in NEUTRAL.
Notice: If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlets (if equipped).
Turn
off the radio and all lamps that aren’t needed.
This will avoid sparks and help
to save both
batteries. And it could save your radio!
5-39

4. Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Find the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on each
battery. Your vehicle has a remote negative
(-) jump
starting terminal. You should always use this
remote terminal instead of the terminal on the
battery. The remote negative
(-) terminal is located
on the front engine lift bracket and
is marked
“GND.” See Engine Compartment Overview on
page 5-72 for more information on location.
Using a match near
a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing
this, and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight
if you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You
don’t need to add water to the ACDelco@
battery installed in your new vehicle. But if a battery has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid
is there. If it is low, add water
to take care of that first.
If you don’t, explosive
gas could be present.
CAUTION: (Continued) Battery fluid contains acid thal
~ m bul..
you.
Don’t get
it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with water and get medical help immediately.
Fans
or other moving engine parts can in,-.-’e
you badly. Keep your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
5-40

5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a
shock. The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some
basic things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive (+) or to a remote positive (+) terminal if
the vehicle has one. Negative (-) will go to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or
to a remote
negative
(-) terminal if the vehicle has one. Don’t
connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or you’ll get
a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts
too. And don’t connect the negative (-)
cable to the negative (-) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause sparks.
6. Connect the red
positive
(+) cable to the
positive
(+) terminal of the
dead battery.
Use a
remote positive
(+)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
7. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect it
to
the positive (+) terminal
of the good battery. Use a
remote positive (+)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
8. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to the
negative
(-) terminal
of the good battery. Use
a remote negative
(-)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
5-4 1

Don’t let the other end touch anything until the next
step. The other end of the negative
(-) cable
doesn’t go to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or to the remote
negative
(-) terminal on the vehicle with the dead
battery. The remote negative
(-) terminal on
your vehicle is located on the front engine lift
bracket and is marked
“GND.”
9. Connect the other end of
the negative
(-) cable to
1 the remote negative (-)
terminal on the vehicle
with the dead battery.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery. If
it Won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Notice: Damage to your vehicle may result from
electrical shorting
if jumper cables are removed
incorrectly. To prevent electrical shorting, take care
that the cables don’t touch each other or any
other metal. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
5-42

Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part or Remote
9. Good Battery or Remote Positive (+) and Remote
C. Dead Battery or Remote Positive (+) Terminal
Negative
(-) Terminal
Negative
(-) Terminals
To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles, do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
vehicle that had the dead battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive
(+) cable from the
4. Disconnect the red positive
(+) cable from the other
vehicle with the
good battery.
vehicle.
5-43

All-Wheel Drive
Lubricant checks in this section also apply to these
vehicles. However, there are
two additional systems that
need lubrication.
Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. See
Part C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page
6- 15.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate
reading, the vehicle should
be on a level surface.
If the level is below the bottom of the filler plug hole,
you’ll need
to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level
to the bottom of the filler plug hole.
Use care not to overtighten the plug.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of lubricant to use. See Part D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page
6- 17.
Front Axle
When to Check and Change Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant and when to change it.
5-44

How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface. If
the level is below the bottom of the filler plug hole,
you may need to add some lubricant.
When the differential is cold, add enough lubricant to
raise the level to
1/2 inch (12 mm) below the filler plug
hole.
When the differential is at operating temperature
(warm), add enough lubricant to raise the level to the
bottom
of the filler plug hole.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of lubricant to use. See Part D: Recommended
Fluids
and Lubricants on page 6-1 7.
5-45