2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette wheel alignment

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

When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Also, check the tire pressure of the compact spare tire.
It should be at 60 psi (420 kPa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can't tell if your tires are properly in¯ated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly in¯ated even when they're underin¯ated.
Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem. Press
the tire gage ®rmly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire in¯ation pressure is low,
add air until you reach the recommended pressure
on the Certi®cation/Tire label or the Tire and Loading
Information label.
If you over®ll the tire, release air by pushing on the
metal stem in the center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles
(8 000 to 13 000 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires as
soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. See
When It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-70andWheel Replacement
on page 5-73for more information.
Make sure the spare tire is stored securely. Push, pull
and then try to rotate or turn the tire. If the tire moves,
use the folding wrench to tighten the cable. See ªStoring
the Spare Tire and Toolsº under
Changing a Flat Tire on
page 5-76.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The ®rst rotation
is the most important. See
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4.
5-68

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However, if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset. If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous. It could affect the braking and
handling of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you lose control. You could have
a collision in which you or others could be
injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts for replacement.
Notice:The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-76for more
information.
5-73

T
Taillamps
Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps......5-54
TCS Warning Light..........................................3-47
Theft-Deterrent, Radio.....................................3-96
Theft-Deterrent Systems...................................2-26
Content Theft-Deterrent................................2-26
PASS-Key
žIII .............................................2-28
PASS-KeyžIII Operation..............................2-28
Tilt Wheel........................................................ 3-7
Tire Sidewall Labeling......................................5-58
Tire Size.......................................................5-63
Tire Terminology and De®nitions........................5-64
Tires.............................................................5-58
Buying New Tires........................................5-70
Chains.......................................................5-74
Changing a Flat Tire....................................5-76
Compact Spare Tire.....................................5-91
If a Tire Goes Flat.......................................5-76
In¯ation - Tire Pressure................................5-67
Inspection and Rotation................................5-68
Uniform Tire Quality Grading.........................5-71
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance.................5-73Tires (cont.)
Wheel Replacement.....................................5-73
When It Is Time for New Tires......................5-70
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater....................2-33
Top Strap......................................................1-56
Top Strap Anchor Location...............................1-57
Torque Lock...................................................2-40
Total Weight on Your Vehicle's Tires..................4-41
Towing
Recreational Vehicle.....................................4-31
Towing a Trailer..........................................4-38
Your Vehicle...............................................4-31
Traction
Active Message...........................................3-54
Control System (TCS).................................... 4-8
Control System Warning Light.......................3-47
Service Traction System Warning
Message.................................................3-53
Trailer Brakes.................................................4-42
Trailer Wiring Harness.....................................4-46
Transaxle
Fluid, Automatic...........................................5-19
Transaxle Operation, Automatic.........................2-34
Transfer Case (Power Transfer Unit)..................5-48
15

Vehicle Personalization (cont.)
Exiting Programming Mode...........................2-69
Last Door Locking and Lockout Deterrent........2-63
Memory Seat..............................................2-70
Remote Driver Unlock Control.......................2-64
Remote Lock and Unlock Con®rmation...........2-65
Vehicle Storage..............................................5-42
Ventilation Adjustment......................................3-34
Video Screen.................................................3-88
Visor Vanity Mirror..........................................2-25
Visors...........................................................2-25
W
Warm-Up Shift................................................2-36
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators................3-41
Warnings
Hazard Warning Flashers............................... 3-6
Other Warning Devices.................................. 3-7Warnings (cont.)
Safety and Symbols......................................... iii
Vehicle Damage.............................................. iv
Washing Your Vehicle......................................5-95
Weight of the Trailer........................................4-40
Weight of the Trailer Tongue.............................4-40
What Engine Coolant to Use............................5-23
What Kind of Engine Oil to Use........................5-14
What Power Steering Fluid to Use....................5-36
What to Do with Used Oil................................5-17
What Washer Fluid to Use...............................5-37
Wheels
Alignment and Tire Balance..........................5-73
Replacement...............................................5-73
When to Add Engine Oil..................................5-14
When to Change Engine Oil
(GM Oil Life System)...................................5-16
When to Check..............................................5-68
When to Check and Change Automatic
Transaxle Fluid...........................................5-19
17