2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU wheel alignment

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling the Tank..............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-15
Engine Oil Life System..................................5-18
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-20
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-21
Engine Coolant.............................................5-22
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-24
Engine Overheating.......................................5-24
Cooling System............................................5-26
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-30
Brakes........................................................5-32
Battery........................................................5-35
Jump Starting...............................................5-36Bulb Replacement..........................................5-41
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-41
Headlamps..................................................5-41
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-43
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-45
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-45
Tires..............................................................5-47
Tire Sidewall Labelling...................................5-48
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-50
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-53
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-54
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-55
Buying New Tires.........................................5-56
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-57
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-58
Wheel Replacement......................................5-58
Tire Chains..................................................5-60
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-61
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-62
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-63
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire................................................5-65
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools............5-70
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-73
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You cannot tell if your tires are properly
inated simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inated even when they are under-inated.
Check the tire’s ination pressure when the tires
are cold. Cold means your vehicle has been
sitting for at least three hours or driven no more
than 1 mile (1.6 km).
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 ination pressure matches
the recommended pressure on the Tire and Loading
Information label, no further adjustment is necessary.
If the ination pressure is low, add air until you reach the
recommended amount.
If you overll the tire, release air by pushing on the
metal stem in the center of the tire valve. Re-check 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. SeeWhen It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-55andWheel Replacement
on page 5-58for more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The rst rotation
is the most important. SeeScheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4.
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
5-54

Temperature – A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation
of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested
under controlled conditions on a specied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underination, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
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.
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.
5-58

Specications, Capacities.................................5-91
Speedometer..................................................3-32
Starting Your Engine.......................................2-23
Steering........................................................4-10
Steering Wheel Controls, Audio.......................3-119
Steering Wheel, Tilt Wheel................................. 3-7
Storage Areas
Center Console Storage Area........................2-44
Cupholder(s)...............................................2-44
Glove Box..................................................2-44
Map Pocket................................................2-44
Rear Compartment Storage Panel/Cover.........2-45
Table.........................................................2-46
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow......................4-28
Sun Visors.....................................................2-17
Sunroof.........................................................2-47
T
Table............................................................2-46
Tachometer....................................................3-32
Taillamps
Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps....5-43
Theft-Deterrent, Radio....................................3-118
Theft-Deterrent Systems...................................2-17
Content Theft-Deterrent................................2-18
PASS-Key
®III+...........................................2-19
PASS-Key®III+ Operation.............................2-20Throttle, Adjustable..........................................2-24
Tilt Wheel........................................................ 3-7
Tires.............................................................5-47
Aluminum Wheels, Cleaning..........................5-79
Buying New Tires........................................5-56
Chains.......................................................5-60
Changing a Flat Tire....................................5-62
Cleaning....................................................5-79
Compact Spare Tire.....................................5-73
If a Tire Goes Flat.......................................5-61
Ination -- Tire Pressure...............................5-53
Inspection and Rotation................................5-54
Installing the Spare Tire................................5-65
Removing the Flat Tire.................................5-65
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools...............5-63
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools............5-70
Tire Sidewall Labelling..................................5-48
Tire Terminology and Denitions....................5-50
Uniform Tire Quality Grading.........................5-57
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance.................5-58
Wheel Replacement.....................................5-58
When It Is Time for New Tires......................5-55
Towing
Recreational Vehicle.....................................4-35
Towing a Trailer..........................................4-38
Your Vehicle...............................................4-34
12

W
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators................3-30
Warnings
DIC Warnings and Messages........................3-52
Hazard Warning Flashers............................... 3-6
Other Warning Devices.................................. 3-6
Safety and Symbols......................................... iii
Vehicle Damage.............................................. iv
Wheels
Alignment and Tire Balance..........................5-58
Replacement...............................................5-58
Where to Put the Restraint...............................1-42
Windows.......................................................2-16
Power ........................................................2-17
Windshield
Wiper Blades, Cleaning................................5-78Windshield Washer.........................................3-10
Fluid..........................................................5-30
Windshield Wiper
Blade Replacement......................................5-45
Fuses........................................................5-83
Windshield Wipers......................................... 3-9
Winter Driving................................................4-24
X
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System..............3-122
Y
Your Vehicle and the Environment....................... 6-2
14