2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX engine oil

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.
5-27

Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL@ engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for
5 years or 150,000 miles
(240
000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add
only DEX-COOL@ extended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low.
If you have a problem
with engine overheating or
if you need to add coolant to
your radiator, see Engine Overheating on page
5-33.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL@ engine coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C)
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
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.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water and
one-half DEX-COOL@ engine coolant which won’t
damage aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else.
1 ---.-.g only p n water to your c 3 system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as alcohol, can boil before the
proper coolant mixture will. Your vehicle’s
coolant warning system is set
for the proper
CAUTION: (Continued)
I
5-30

Radiator Pressure Cap
Notice: Your radiator cap is a pressure-type cap
and must be tightly installed to prevent coolant
loss
and possible engine damage from overheating.
Be sure the arrows on the cap line up with the
overflow tube
on the radiator filler neck.
The radiator pressure cap is located in the front of the
engine compartment on the passenger’s side, near
the diagonal cross brace. See Engine Compartment
Overview on page
5-12 for more information on location.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a warning
light concerning an overheated engine condition on
the instrument panel cluster. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage
on page 3-31 and Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning Light
on page 3-31.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
This emergency operating mode allows your vehicle to
be driven tu
a safe place in an emergency situation.
If an overheated engine condition exists, an overheat
protection mode which alternates firing groups of
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a significant
loss in power and engine
performance. The engine coolant temperature gage will
indicate an overheat condition exists. Driving extended
miles (km) and/or towing a trailer in the overheat
protection mode should be avoided.
Nofice: After driving in the overheated engine
protection operating mode, to avoid engine damage,
allow the engine to cool before attempting any
repair. The engine oil will be severely degraded.
Repair the cause of coolant
loss, change the oil
and reset the oil life system. See “Engine Oil”
ir
the Index.
5-33

can start up even when the engine is not
running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface. When
the engine is cold,
the coolant level should be
at or above the
COLD
mark on the coolant
recovery tank.
If it isn’t, you may have a leak at the pressure cap or in
the radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
pump or somewhere else in the cooling system.
5-37

Notice: In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture. Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, 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.
You car.
._e burnec. .. you spi-. :oolant 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.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank
is at the
COLD mark, start your vehicle.
5-39

2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
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.
I
3. If you have the 3800 V6 engine, remove the
3800 Series
II V6 engine cover shield to access the
bleed valve.
3.1. Clean the area around the engine oil
fill tube
and cap before removing. Twist the oil
fill
tube, with cap attached, counterclockwise
and remove it.
3.2.
If you have the supercharged engine,
remove the nut in the center
of the cover
shield.
5-42

3.3. Lift the engine cover shield at the front, slide
the catch tab out
of the engine bracket and
remove the cover shield.
3.4. Put the oil fill tube, with cap attached, in the
valve cover oil
fill hole until you’re ready to
replace the cover shield. 4.
After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed
valve or valves.
Thermostat Bypass Tube
(3100 V6)
Thermostat Housing
(31 00 V6)
3100 V6 engine: There are two bleed valves. One is
located on the thermostat housing. The other is located
on the thermostat bypass tube.
5-43

3800 V6 engine: There is
one bleed valve. It is
located on the thermostat
housing.
Thermostat Housing
(3800 V6)
5. Fill the radiator with the proper DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture, up to the base of the filler
neck. See Engine Coolant
on page 5-30 for more
information about the proper coolant mixture.
If you see a stream of coolant coming from an air
bleed valve, close the valve. Otherwise, close
the valves after the radiator is filled.
6. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and the compartment.
7.
If you have the 3800 V6 engine, replace the 3800
7.1. Remove the oil fill tube, with cap attached,
Series
II V6
engine cover shield.
from the valve cover.
7.2. Insert the catch tab on the cover shield
under the bracket
on the engine.
7.3. Place the hole in the cover shield over the
hole
in the valve cover. Install oil fill tube and
cap by twisting clockwise.
7.4. If you have the supercharged engine, install
the nut in the center
of the cover shield.
5-44