2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX check engine

How to Check and Add Oil
Park the vehicle on a level surface. Check oil only when
the engine is cold. Allow the engine to cool two to
three hours after running.
I
If you remove the supercharger oil fill plug
while the engine
is hot, pressure may cause
hot oil to blow out of the oil fill hole. You may
be burned. Do not remove the plug until the
engine
cools.
1. Clean the area around the oil fill plug before
removing it.
2. Remove the oil
fill plug.
3. The oil level is correct when it just reaches the
bottom of the threads of the inspection hole.
4. Replace the oil plug with the O-ring in place.
Tighten to
88 Ib-in (10 Nom ).
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
The engine air cleanedfilter is located in the engine
compartment on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
See Engine Compartment Oven/iew on page 5-12 for
more information on location.
To check or replace the engine air cleanedfilter do the
following:
1. Loosen the two clips on the top of the engine air
cleaner/filter housing and lift the filter cover tabs
out of the housing.
2. Push the filter cover housing toward the engine.
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3. Pull out the filter.
4. Check or install a new engine air cleanerbiker. See
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts on
page
5- 104.
5. To reinstall the cover, position the tabs through the
slots on the housing.
A notch on the sides of the
filter cover will indicate the correct engagement.
Reinstall the two clips on the top of the housing
when you are finished.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to replace the air filter.
See Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page
6-4.
Operating t--. engine with the air cleaner/filter
off can cause you or others to be burned. The
air cleaner not only cleans the air,
it stops
flame if the engine backfires. If
it isn’t there
and the engine backfires, you could be burned. Don’t drive with
it off, and be careful working
on the engine with the air cleanedfilter
off.
Nofice: If the air cleaner/filter is off, a backfire can
cause a damaging engine fire. And, dirt can easily get
into your engine, which will damage
it. Always have
the air cleanedfilter in place when you’re driving.
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Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(83
000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C)
or higher.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the fluid and filter at
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See Part
A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page
6-4.
How to Cheek
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.
Nofice: Too much or too little fluid can damage
your transaxle.
Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on hot engine or
exhaust system parts, starting a fire.
Too little fluid
could cause the transaxle to overheat. Be sure
to get an accurate reading
if you check your
transaxle fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level
if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above
90°F (32°C).
At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic
- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
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To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about
15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above
50°F (1 0°C). If it's colder than 50°F (IO'C), you may
have to drive longer.
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:
Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the engine
running.
With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever in
PARK (P).
With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).
Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes. Then,
without shutting
off the engine, follow these steps:
3100 V6 Engine 3800 V6 or 3800 V6
Supercharged Engine
The transaxle fluid dipstick handle is the black loop
located near the rear of the engine. See Engine
Comparfment Overview
on page 5-12 for more
information on location.
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag or
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
paper
towel.
then pull it back out again.
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3100 V6 Engine
3.
4.
3800 V6 or 3800 V6 Supercharged Engine
Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the
lower level. The fluid level must be in the
cross-hatched area.
If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transaxle fluid to use. See Part
D:
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-15.
If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on the
dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole to bring it to the proper level.
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@-Ill, because fluid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRON@-Ill
is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
3.
4.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under “How to Check” listed previously in
this section.
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
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Checking Coolant
coo It n ture. water or e
wrongmixture, your engine could get too hot
but you wouldn’t get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
Notice: If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty.
Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
Notice: If you use the proper coolant, you don’t
have to add extra inhibitors or additives which claim
to improve the system. These can be harmful. The
coolant recovery tank is located in the engine
compartment toward the rear of the engine
on
the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
See Engine Compartment Overview on page
5-12 for
more information on location. The vehicle must be on
a level surface.
When your engine is
cold, the coolant level
should be
at the COLD
mark or a little higher.
When your engine is
warm, the level should
be up to the HOT mark
or a little higher.
When your engine is warm, the level should be up to
the HOT mark or a little higher.
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Adding Coolant
If you need more coolant, add the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture at the coolant recovery tank, but be
careful not to spill it.
If the coolant recovery tank is completely empty, add
coolant to the radiator. See Engine Overheating
on page 5-33.
Turning -.le radiator pressure cap when the engine and radiator are hot can allow steam and scalding liquids to blow out and burn
you badly.
With the coolant recovery tank,
you will almost never have to add coolant at
the radiator. Never turn the radiator pressure
cap
-- even a little -- when the engine and
radiator are hot. You can be burned if you
spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol,
and
it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
Occasionally check the coolant level in the radiator.
For information on how to add coolant to the radiator,
see Cooling System
on page 5-36.
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He !r : I r8 r hoses, ar other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine,
it could lose all coolant. That
could cause an engine fire, and you could be
burned. Get any leak fixed before you drive the
vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check
to see
if the electric engine cooling fans are running.
If the engine is overheating, both fans should be
running.
If they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
Notice: Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty. See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode’’
in the Index for information on driving to a
safe place
in an emergency.
Notice: When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@
is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant will require change sooner
- at 30,000 miles
(50 000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs first.
Damage caused by the
use of coolant other
than DEX-COOL@ is not covered by your new
vehicle warranty.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the COLD mark, add a
50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL@ engine coolant at
the coolant recovery tank. See
Engine Coolant on
page 5-30 for more information.
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