2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manuals

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will 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 will
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 Information on page 7-12.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-78.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Maintenance Record on page 6-15.
{CAUTION:
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
5-3

CAUTION: (Continued)
·
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
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 air¯ow 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.
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.
5-4

Gasoline Speci®cations
It is recommended that gasoline meet speci®cations
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide
Fuel Charter which is available from the Alliance
of Automobile Manufacturers at www.autoalliance.org.
Gasoline meeting these speci®cations could provide
improved driveability and emission control system
performance compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
ªAuto Makers' Choiceº
label on the pump.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certi®ed to meet California Emission
Standards (see the underhood emission control label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
speci®cations. If this fuel is not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
speci®cations, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may
turn on (see
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-49)
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.
Canada Only
5-5

Additives
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.
However, some gasolines contain only the minimum
amount of additive required to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations. General Motors
recommends that you buy gasolines that are advertised
to help keep fuel injectors and intake valves clean. If your
vehicle experiences problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, try a different brand of gasoline.
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 speci®cations
described earlier.
Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.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 ®nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
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 will be driving.
5-6

Filling Your Tank
{CAUTION:
Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel ®re can
cause bad injuries. To help avoid injuries to you
and others, read and follow all the instructions
on the pump island. Turn off your engine when
you are refueling. Do not smoke if you are near
fuel or refueling your vehicle. Keep sparks,
¯ames and smoking materials away from fuel.
Do not leave the fuel pump unattended when
refueling your vehicle Ð this is against the law
in some places. Keep children away from the
fuel pump; never let children pump fuel.
The fuel door is located on the driver's side of the vehicle.
When the fuel door is opened on a vehicle with dual
sliding doors, the driver's side sliding door will only open
partway.
5-7

While refueling, let the fuel cap hang by the tether
as shown.
{CAUTION:
If you spill fuel and then something ignites it,
you could be badly burned. Fuel can spray out
on you if you open the fuel cap too quickly. This
spray can happen if your tank is nearly full, and
is more likely in hot weather. Open the fuel cap
slowly and wait for any ªhissº noise to stop.
Then unscrew the cap all the way.
Don't top off or over®ll your tank, and wait a few
seconds after you've ®nished pumping before you
remove the nozzle. Be careful not to spill fuel. Clean
fuel from painted surfaces as soon as possible.
See
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle on page 5-95.
When you put the fuel cap back on, turn it to the right
(clockwise) until you hear a clicking sound. Make
sure you fully install the cap. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. This would allow fuel to evaporate
into the atmosphere. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on page 3-49.
5-8

{CAUTION:
If a ®re starts while you are refueling, do not
remove the nozzle. Shut off the ¯ow of fuel by
shutting off the pump or by notifying the
station attendant. Leave the area immediately.
The malfunction indicator lamp (SERVICE ENGINE
SOON or CHECK ENGINE light) will come on if the fuel
cap is not properly installed.
Notice:If you need a new fuel cap, be sure to get the
right type. Your dealer can get one for you. If you get
the wrong type, it may not ®t properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light and
may damage your fuel tank and emissions system.
See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-49.
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{CAUTION:
Never ®ll a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from
the container can ignite the gasoline vapor.
You can be badly burned and your vehicle
damaged if this occurs. To help avoid injury
to you and others:
·Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
·Do not ®ll a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle's trunk, pickup bed
or on any surface other than the ground.
·Bring the ®ll nozzle in contact with the
inside of the ®ll opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the ®lling is complete.
·Do not smoke while pumping gasoline.
5-9

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{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 hood release handle, located on the
driver's side under the instrument panel.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle and push up on the
underhood release, located near the center under
the grille.
5-10