2010 PONTIAC VIBE adding oil

How to Add Automatic
Transmission Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance
Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission fluid to use.
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 10-15.
If the fluid level is low, add only
enough of the proper fluid to bring
the level into the area between
dimples on the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the dipstick
hole to bring it to the proper level.
It does not take much fluid,
generally less than one pint
(0.5 L). Do not overfill. Notice:
Too much or too
little uid can damage your
transmission. Too much can mean
that some of the uid could come
out and fall on hot engine parts or
exhaust system parts, starting a
re. Too little uid could cause the
transmission to overheat. Be sure
to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission uid.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as described under
“How to Check Automatic
Transmission Fluid,” earlier
in this section.
4. When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the dipstick
back in all the way; then press
the tab down to lock the dipstick
in place.
Manual Transmission
Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have your manual
transmission fluid level checked
is when the engine oil is changed.
However, the fluid in your manual
transmission does not require
changing.
How to Check
This operation can be difficult, you
may choose to have this done
at your dealer/retailer service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to
follow all the instructions here, or
you could get a false reading.
9-14 Vehicle Care

What to Use
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL®
coolant, which will not damage
aluminum parts. If this coolant
mixture is used, nothing else
needs to be added.
{CAUTION
Adding only plain water to the
cooling system can be dangerous.
Plain water, or some other liquid
such as alcohol, can boil before
the proper coolant mixture will.
The vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, the engine could
get too hot but would not get the
overheat warning. The engine
could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and DEX-COOL
®coolant.Notice:
If an improper coolant
mixture is used, the engine could
overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Too much water in the mixture
can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core, and other
parts.
•Gives freezing protection down to
−34°F (− 38°C).
•Gives boiling protection up to
265°F (129°C).
•Protects against rust and
corrosion.
•Helps keep the proper engine
temperature.
•Lets the warning lights and gages
work as they should.
Notice: Using coolant other than
DEX-COOL can cause premature
engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine
coolant may require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles
(50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs rst. Any
repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Always
use DEX-COOL (silicate-free)
coolant in your vehicle.
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level
surface. When the engine is cold,
the coolant level should be at LOW,
or a little higher. When the engine
is warm, the level should be up to
FULL, or a little higher. If it is not,
there could be a leak at the pressure
cap or in the radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water pump, or
somewhere else in the cooling
system.
See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 9-6 for the location of
the coolant recovery tank.
9-20 Vehicle Care

How to Add Coolant to the
Coolant Recovery Tank
If you need more coolant, add the
proper DEX-COOL®coolant mixture
at the coolant recovery tank, but
be careful not to spill it.
Occasionally check the coolant level
in the radiator. For information on
how to add coolant to the radiator,
see Cooling System on page 9-19 .
{CAUTION
You can be burned if you spill
coolant on hot engine parts.
Coolant contains ethylene glycol,
and it will burn if the engine parts
are hot enough. Do not spill
coolant on a hot engine.
{CAUTION
Adding only plain water to your
cooling system can be dangerous.
Plain water, or some other liquid
such as alcohol, can boil before
the proper coolant mixture will.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper
coolant mixture. With plain water
or the wrong mixture, your engine
could get too hot but you would
not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and
you or others could be burned.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and a proper
coolant.
Notice: In cold weather, water
can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core and other
parts. Use the recommended
coolant and the proper coolant
mixture.
Vehicle Care 9-21