2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette octane

Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-4. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, mis®ring, hesitation
on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to ®x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection
could prevent you from getting a vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know in order to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE light is on or not
working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
3-51

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

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

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

Using Your Maintenance Schedule
We at General Motors want to help you keep your
vehicle in good working condition. But we do not know
exactly how you will drive it. You may drive very
short distances only a few times a week. Or you may
drive long distances all the time in very hot, dusty
weather. You may use your vehicle in making deliveries.
Or you may drive it to work, to do errands or in many
other ways.
Because of all the different ways people use their
vehicles, maintenance needs vary. You may need more
frequent checks and replacements. So please read
the following and note how you drive. If you have any
questions on how to keep your vehicle in good condition,
see your GM Goodwrench dealer.
This schedule is for vehicles that:
·carry passengers and cargo within recommended
limits. You will ®nd these limits on the tire and
loading information label. See
Loading Your Vehicle
on page 4-33.
·are driven on reasonable road surfaces within legal
driving limits.
·use the recommended fuel. SeeGasoline Octane
on page 5-4
.The services in
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4should be performed when indicated. SeeAdditional
Required Services on page 6-6andMaintenance
Footnotes on page 6-7for further information.
{CAUTION:
Performing maintenance work on a vehicle can
be dangerous. In trying to do some jobs, you
can be seriously injured. Do your own
maintenance work only if you have the
required know-how and the proper tools and
equipment for the job. If you have any doubt,
see your GM Goodwrench dealer to have a
quali®ed technician do the work.
Some maintenance services can be complex. So,
unless you are technically quali®ed and have the
necessary equipment, you should have your GM
Goodwrench dealer do these jobs.
When you go to your GM Goodwrench dealer for your
service needs, you will know that GM-trained and
supported service technicians will perform the work
using genuine GM parts.
6-3

Engine Speci®cations.....................................5-109
Entering Programming Mode............................2-61
Entertainment System......................................3-85
Cleaning the Video Screen..........................3-100
Cleaning Your DVD Player..........................3-100
DVD Distortion............................................3-98
Entry Lighting.................................................3-19
Erasing HomeLink
žButtons..............................2-50
Event Data Records (EDR)..............................7-10
Exit Lighting...................................................3-20
Exiting Programming Mode...............................2-69
Express-Down Window....................................2-24
Extender, Safety Belt.......................................1-45
Exterior Lamps...............................................3-16
FFilter
Engine Air Cleaner......................................5-18
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station.......3-67, 3-77
Finding a Station....................................3-65, 3-75
Finish Care....................................................5-96
Finish Damage...............................................5-98
Fixed Mast Antenna.......................................3-100
Flash-to-Pass................................................... 3-9
Flat Tire........................................................5-76Flat Tire, Changing.........................................5-76
Flip and Fold Rear Seats.................................. 1-8
Fluid
Automatic Transaxle.....................................5-19
Power Steering...........................................5-36
Windshield Washer......................................5-37
FM ...............................................................3-98
Fog Lamps....................................................3-18
Folding or Reclining the Seatbacks.............1-9, 1-14
Folding the Seatback.......................................1-19
Following Distance..........................................4-44
Front Reading Lamps......................................3-21
Front Seat Storage Net....................................2-54
Fuel............................................................... 5-4
Additives...................................................... 5-6
California Fuel.............................................. 5-5
Filling a Portable Fuel Container..................... 5-9
Filling Your Tank........................................... 5-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries.............................. 5-6
Gage.........................................................3-52
Gasoline Octane........................................... 5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations.................................. 5-5
Low Warning Message.................................3-59
Fuses
Fuses and Circuit Breakers.........................5-101
Windshield Wiper.......................................5-101
6

G
Gage
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-48
Fuel..........................................................3-52
Speedometer..............................................3-43
Garage Door Opener.......................................2-47
Gasoline
Octane........................................................ 5-4
Speci®cations............................................... 5-5
Gate Operator and Canadian Programming........2-50
Glove Box.....................................................2-51
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities.................................................... 7-6
H
Hatch Ajar Warning Message............................3-58
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-6
Head Restraints............................................... 1-7
Headlamp Wiring...........................................5-101
Headlamps....................................................5-50
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-50
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Parking Lamps.........................................5-52
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-50Headphones...................................................3-86
Heated Seats................................................... 1-5
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-24
Hitches..........................................................4-42
HomeLink
žTransmitter....................................2-47
HomeLinkžTransmitter, Programming................2-48
Hood
Checking Things Under................................5-10
Release.....................................................5-10
Horn............................................................... 3-7
How the System Works...................................3-25
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank............................................5-30
How to Add Coolant to the Radiator..................5-31
How to Add Fluid Automatic
Transaxle Fluid...........................................5-22
How to Check................................................5-68
How to Check Automatic
Transaxle Fluid...........................................5-20
How to Check Power Steering Fluid..................5-36
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter..............................................5-18
How to Use This Manual...................................... ii
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-27
Hydroplaning..................................................4-18
7