2007 SATURN ION battery

Dinghy Towing (All Transaxles)
Notice:Dolly towing or dinghy towing your
vehicle may cause damage because of reduced
ground clearance. Always tow your vehicle
using the dolly towing or dinghy towing
procedure listed in this section or put your
vehicle on a atbed truck.
To tow your vehicle from the front with all four
wheels on the ground, do the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to ACC (Accessory) to
unlock the steering wheel.3. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL.
4. Release the parking brake.
To prevent battery rundown on long trips, remove
the IP BATT 2 fuse (#41) from the engine
compartment fuse block. SeeEngine Compartment
Fuse Block on page 378for more information.
Once you have reached your destination, be sure
to replace this fuse back into its original location.
Notice:If you exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while
towing your vehicle, it could be damaged.
Never exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while towing
your vehicle.
Notice:Towing your vehicle from the rear
could damage it. Also, repairs would not
be covered by the warranty. Never have your
vehicle towed from the rear.
Notice:Don’t tow a vehicle with the front
drive wheels on the ground if one of the front
tires is a compact spare tire. Towing with
two different tire sizes on the front of the
vehicle can cause severe damage to the
transaxle.
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Service........................................................ 270
Accessories and Modications................... 270
California Proposition 65 Warning.............. 271
Doing Your Own Service Work.................. 271
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle.......................................... 272
Fuel............................................................. 272
Gasoline Octane........................................ 272
Gasoline Specications.............................. 273
California Fuel........................................... 273
Additives................................................... 273
Fuels in Foreign Countries........................ 274
Filling the Tank......................................... 275
Filling a Portable Fuel Container............... 277
Checking Things Under the Hood.............. 278
Hood Release........................................... 279
Engine Compartment Overview.................. 280
Engine Oil................................................. 283
Engine Oil Life System.............................. 288
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter............................ 290
Automatic Transaxle Fluid......................... 292
Manual Transaxle Fluid............................. 293
Hydraulic Clutch........................................ 293Engine Coolant.......................................... 293
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap............ 297
Engine Overheating................................... 297
Cooling System......................................... 300
Windshield Washer Fluid........................... 307
Brakes...................................................... 308
Battery...................................................... 311
Jump Starting............................................ 312
Headlamp Aiming........................................ 318
Bulb Replacement....................................... 318
Halogen Bulbs........................................... 318
Headlamps (Coupe)................................... 319
Headlamps (Sedan)................................... 320
Front Turn Signal, Parking and Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) (Coupe).............. 322
Front Turn Signal, Parking and Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) (Sedan).............. 323
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL)................................ 324
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps...................................... 324
License Plate Lamp................................... 326
Replacement Bulbs................................... 326
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
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Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer if the brake pedal does not return
to normal height, or if there is a rapid increase
in pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake
trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake stop, your
brakes adjust for wear. If you rarely make a
moderate or heavier stop, then your brakes might
not adjust correctly. If you drive in that way,
then — very carefully — make a few moderate
brake stops about every 1,000 miles (1 600 km),
so your brakes will adjust properly.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex.
Its many parts have to be of top quality and work
well together if the vehicle is to have really
good braking. Your vehicle was designed and
tested with top-quality brake parts. When
you replace parts of your braking system — for
example, when your brake linings wear down and
you need new ones put in — be sure you get
new approved Saturn replacement parts. If you do
not, your brakes may no longer work properly.For example, if someone puts in brake linings that
are wrong for your vehicle, the balance between
your front and rear brakes can change — for
the worse. The braking performance you have
come to expect can change in many other ways if
someone puts in the wrong replacement brake
parts.
Battery
Your vehicle has a maintenance free battery.
When it is time for a new battery, get one that has
the replacement number shown on the original
battery’s label. We recommend an ACDelco
®
replacement battery.
Your vehicle’s battery is located in the trunk next
to the compact spare tire. To access the
battery, use the trunk’s oor carpet latch to lift the
cover up.
Warning:Battery posts, terminals, and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harm.
Wash hands after handling.
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Vehicle Storage
If you are not going to drive your vehicle for
25 days or more, remove the black, negative (−)
cable from the battery. This will help keep
your battery from running down.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and
gas that can explode. You can be badly
hurt if you are not careful. SeeJump
Starting on page 312for tips on working
around a battery without getting hurt.
Jump Starting
If your vehicle’s battery has run down, you may
want to use another vehicle and some jumper
cables to start your vehicle. Be sure to use
the following steps to do it safely.
{CAUTION:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or
ignite.
They contain enough electricity to
burn you.
If you do not follow these steps exactly,
some or all of these things can hurt you.
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Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage to your vehicle that would
not be covered by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or
pulling it will not work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a
12-volt battery with a negative ground system.
Notice:If the other vehicle’s system is not a
12-volt system with a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged. Only use
vehicles with 12-volt systems with negative
grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper
cables can reach, but be sure the vehicles are
not touching each other. If they are, it could
cause a ground connection you do not
want. You would not be able to start your
vehicle, and the bad grounding could damage
the electrical systems.To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling,
set the parking brake rmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put
an automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or
a manual transaxle in NEUTRAL before
setting the parking brake.
Notice:If you leave your radio or other
accessories on during the jump starting
procedure, they could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by your warranty.
Always turn off your radio and other
accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles.
Unplug unnecessary accessories plugged into
the cigarette lighter or the accessory power
outlet. Turn off the radio and all lamps that are
not needed. This will avoid sparks and help
save both batteries. And it could save
the radio!
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4. Open the hoods and locate the positive (+)
and negative (−) terminal locations on each
vehicle.
You will not need to access your battery for
jump starting. Your vehicle has a remote
positive (+) and a remote negative (−) jump
starting terminal.
The remote positive (+) terminal is located on
the engine compartment fuse block, under a
red cap. SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 280for more information on location.
The remote negative (−) ground terminal is a
bolt located under the metal frame that
supports the radiator. It is at the front of the
engine compartment, on the driver’s side
of the vehicle, and is marked with a label that
says GND (−).
{CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the
engine is not running and can injure you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause
battery gas to explode. People have been
hurt doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a ashlight if you need
more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You do not need to add water to the
battery installed in your new vehicle. But
if a battery has ller caps, be sure the
right amount of uid is there. If it is low,
add water to take care of that rst. If you
do not, explosive gas could be present.
Battery uid contains acid that can burn
you. Do not get it on you. If you
accidentally get it in your eyes or on your
skin, ush the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
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{CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can
injure you badly. Keep your hands away
from moving parts once the engine is
running.
5. Check that the jumper cables do not have
loose or missing insulation. If they do, you
could get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some
basic things you should know. Positive (+)
will go to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
Negative (−) will go to a heavy, unpainted
metal engine part or to a remote negative (−)
terminal if the vehicle has one.
Do not connect positive (+) to negative (−)or
you will get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts too. And do
not connect the negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal on the dead battery
because this can cause sparks.6. Remove the terminal cover and connect the
red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the dead battery. Use a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
7. Do not let the other end touch metal. Connect
it to the positive (+) terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote positive (+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
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8. Now connect the black negative (−) cable to
the negative (−) terminal of the good battery.
Use a remote negative (−) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
Do not let the other end touch anything until
the next step. The other end of the
negative (−) cable does not go to the dead
battery. It goes to a heavy, unpainted
metal engine part or to a remote negative (−)
terminal on the vehicle with the dead
battery.
9. Connect the other end of the negative (−)
cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away from
the dead battery, but not near engine
parts that move. The electrical connection is
just as good there, and the chance of
sparks getting back to the battery is much
less.
Your vehicle has a remote negative (−)
terminal for this purpose.10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery
and run the engine for a while.
11. Press the unlock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter, if the vehicle
has one, to disarm your security system.
12. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead
battery. If it will not start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
Notice:If the jumper cables are connected or
removed in the wrong order, electrical
shorting may occur and damage the vehicle.
The repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Always connect and remove
the jumper cables in the correct order, making
sure that the cables do not touch each other
or other metal.
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