2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette checking oil

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle...........................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-19
Engine Coolant.............................................5-22
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-25
Engine Overheating.......................................5-25
Cooling System............................................5-28
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-36
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-37
Brakes........................................................5-38Battery........................................................5-41
Jump Starting...............................................5-42
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-48
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-50
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-50
Headlamps..................................................5-50
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Parking Lamps..........................................5-52
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-54
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-56
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-56
Tires..............................................................5-58
In¯ation - Tire Pressure.................................5-67
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-68
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-70
Buying New Tires.........................................5-70
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-71
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-73
Wheel Replacement......................................5-73
Tire Chains..................................................5-74
Accessory In¯ator.........................................5-74
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-76
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-76
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-91
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

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

A. Underhood Fuse Block.
SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-101.
B. Remote Positive (+) Terminal.
See
Jump Starting on page 5-42.
C. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir.
See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 5-37.
D. Radiator Pressure Cap.
See
Radiator Pressure Cap on page 5-25.
E. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir.
See
Power Steering Fluid on page 5-36.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap.
See
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
G. Engine Oil Dipstick.
See
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
H. Transaxle Fluid Dipstick.
See
Automatic Transaxle Fluid on page 5-19.
I. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir.
See
Brakes on page 5-38.
J. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter.
See
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-18.
K. Coolant Recovery Tank.
See
Cooling System on page 5-28.
Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil
must be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is a yellow loop. See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12for
the location of the engine oil dipstick.
Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don't, the oil
dipstick might not show the actual level.
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
5-13

CD Messages........................................3-73, 3-85
Center Passenger Position, Safety Belts.............1-37
Chains, Tires..................................................5-74
Change Engine Oil Message............................3-56
Charging System Indicator Message..................3-55
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-49
Checking Coolant............................................5-24
Checking Engine Oil........................................5-13
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-10
Checking Your Restraint Systems......................1-78
Chemical Paint Spotting...................................5-98
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-52
Infants and Young Children...........................1-48
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System).....................1-59
Older Children.............................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System..............................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position.................................1-65
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position........................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position..........................1-67
Top Strap...................................................1-56
Top Strap Anchor Location............................1-57
Where to Put the Restraint...........................1-55Cleaning
Inside of Your Vehicle..................................5-92
Outside of Your Vehicle................................5-95
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-98
Video Screen............................................3-100
Weatherstrips..............................................5-95
Your DVD Player.......................................3-100
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels..............................5-97
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.......................5-96
Cleaning Fabric/Carpet....................................5-92
Cleaning Glass Surfaces..................................5-94
Cleaning Interior Plastic Components.................5-94
Cleaning Leather............................................5-94
Cleaning the Top of the Instrument Panel...........5-94
Cleaning Tires................................................5-98
Cleaning Vinyl................................................5-94
Cleaning Windshield, Backglass and
Wiper Blades..............................................5-97
Climate Control System...................................3-28
Air Filter, Passenger
Compartment...........................................3-39
Dual..........................................................3-31
Outlet Adjustment........................................3-34
Rear..................................................3-34, 3-36
Compact Overhead Console.............................2-52
Compact Spare Tire........................................5-91
Compass Variance..........................................3-60
Content Theft-Deferrent....................................2-26
Content Theft-Deterrent System........................2-66
3