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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.
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Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the hood
release handle with
this symbol on it.
It is located
under the instrument
panel on the
driver’s side.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle and push the
underhood release to the right. It is located
near the center of the hood, above the grille.
3. Lift the hood.4. Pull up on the hood prop to release it from its
storage clip.
The hood prop may be hot due to increased
engine temperatures under the hood, so
be careful when handling it. Use your hood
prop sleeve when handling the hood prop.
5. Put the end of the hood prop into the slot in
the underside of the hood, on the driver’s
side of the vehicle. It is marked by an arrow.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the ller caps
are on properly. Lift the hood to relieve pressure on
the hood prop. Remove the hood prop from the slot
in the hood and return the prop to its retainer. Then
let the hood down and close it rmly.
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Engine Compartment Overview
When you open the hood on the 3.9L V6 engine, here is what you will see:
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A. Underhood Fuse Block. SeeUnderhood Fuse
Block on page 500.
B. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. SeeJump
Starting on page 438.
C. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
“Adding Washer Fluid” underWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 433.
D. Radiator Pressure Cap. SeeRadiator Pressure
Cap on page 423.
E. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. SeePower
Steering Fluid on page 432.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine
Oil” underEngine Oil on page 411.
G. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 411.
H. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick. See
“Checking the Fluid Level” underAutomatic
Transaxle Fluid on page 417.
I. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See “Brake
Fluid” underBrakes on page 434.
J. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 416.
K. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank. SeeCooling
System on page 426.Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check the 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.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 410
for the location of the engine oil dipstick.
1. Turn off the engine and give the oil
several minutes to drain back into the oil pan.
If you do not do this, the oil dipstick might
not show the actual level.
2. 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.
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When to Add Engine Oil
If the oil is below the cross-hatched area at the
tip of the dipstick, you will need to add at least
one quart/liter of oil. But you must use the
right kind. This section explains what kind of oil to
use. For engine oil crankcase capacity, see
Capacities and Speci cations on page 503.
Notice:Do not add too much oil. If the engine
has so much oil that the oil level gets above
the cross-hatched area that shows the
proper operating range, the engine could be
damaged.SeeEngine
Compartment Overview
on page 410for the
location of the engine oil
ll cap.
Be sure to add enough oil to put the level
somewhere in the proper operating range in the
cross-hatched area. Push the dipstick all the
way back in when you are through.
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What Kind of Engine Oil to Use
Look for two things:
GM6094M
Your vehicle’s engine requires oil meeting GM
Standard GM6094M. You should look for
and use only an oil that meets GM Standard
GM6094M.
SAE 5W-30
As shown in the viscosity chart, SAE 5W-30 is
best for your vehicle.
These numbers on an oil container show its
viscosity, or thickness. Do not use other
viscosity oils such as SAE 20W-50.
Oils meeting these
requirements should
also have the starburst
symbol on the
container. This symbol
indicates that the oil
has been certi ed by the
American Petroleum
Institute (API).
You should look for this information on the oil
container, and use only those oils that are
identi ed as meeting GM Standard GM6094M and
have the starburst symbol on the front of the oil
container.
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