CHEVROLET VENTURE 2005 1.G Owners Manual

Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airow around it. This may cause wind
noise and affect windshield washer performance. Check
with your dealer before adding equipment to the
outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87
or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a
heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs, use
a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine.
A little pinging noise when you accelerate or drive uphill is
considered normal. This does not indicate a problem
exists or that a higher-octane fuel is necessary. If you are
using 87 octane or higher-octane fuel and hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.
Gasoline Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide
Fuel Charter which is available from the Alliance
of Automobile Manufacturers at
www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline
meeting these specications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
5-5

California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet California Emission
Standards, it is designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specications. See the underhood
emission control label. If this fuel is not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp may turn on and your vehicle may fail a
smog-check test. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 3-42. If this occurs, return to your authorized GM
dealer for diagnosis. If it is determined that the
condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work properly. In
most cases, you should not have to add anything to your
fuel. However, some gasolines contain only the minimum
amount of additive required to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations. General Motors
recommends that you buy gasolines that are advertised
to help keep fuel injectors and intake valves clean. If your
vehicle experiences problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, try a different brand of gasoline. Also, your GM
dealer has additives that will help correct and prevent
most deposit-related problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be available in
your area to contribute to clean air. General Motors
recommends that you use these gasolines, particularly if
they comply with the specications described earlier.
5-6

Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does
not recommend the use of such gasolines. Fuels
containing MMT can reduce the life of spark plugs and
the performance of the emission control system may
be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer for
service.Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard
to nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
be covered by your warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.
5-7

Filling Your Tank
{CAUTION:
Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel re can
cause bad injuries. To help avoid injuries to
you and others, read and follow all the
instructions on the pump island. Turn off your
engine when you are refueling. Do not smoke
if you are near fuel or refueling your vehicle.
Keep sparks, ames and smoking materials
away from fuel. Do not leave the fuel pump
unattended when refueling your vehicle — this
is against the law in some places. Keep
children away from the fuel pump; never let
children pump fuel.The tethered fuel cap is located behind a hinged fuel
door on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
When the fuel door is opened on a vehicle with dual
sliding doors, the driver’s side sliding door will only open
partway.
While refueling, let the fuel cap hang by the tether.
5-8

{CAUTION:
If you spill fuel and then something ignites it,
you could be badly burned. Fuel can spray out
on you if you open the fuel cap too quickly.
This spray can happen if your tank is nearly
full, and is more likely in hot weather. Open
the fuel cap slowly and wait for any hiss noise
to stop. Then unscrew the cap all the way.
Be careful not to spill fuel. Do not top off or overll the
tank and wait a few seconds after you have nished
pumping before removing the nozzle. Clean fuel
from painted surfaces as soon as possible. See
Washing Your Vehicle on page 5-86.
When replacing the fuel cap, turn it to the right
(clockwise) until it clicks. Make sure the cap is fully
installed. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly installed. This
would allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-42.
{CAUTION:
If a re starts while you are refueling, do not
remove the nozzle. Shut off the ow of fuel by
shutting off the pump or by notifying the
station attendant. Leave the area immediately.
Notice:If you need a new fuel cap, be sure to get
the right type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get the wrong type, it may not t properly.
This may cause your malfunction indicator lamp to
light and may damage your fuel tank and emissions
system. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 3-42.
5-9

Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{CAUTION:
Never ll a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from
the container can ignite the gasoline vapor.
You can be badly burned and your vehicle
damaged if this occurs. To help avoid injury to
you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
Do not ll a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
Bring the ll nozzle in contact with the
inside of the ll opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the lling is complete.
Do not smoke while pumping gasoline.
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.
5-10

Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the hood release handle, located under the
instrument panel on the driver’s side.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle and push up on the
underhood release. It is located near the center of
the hood, under the grille.3. Lift the hood.
4. Pull forward 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.
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.
5-11

Engine Compartment Overview
When you lift the hood, here is what you will see:
5-12

A. Underhood Fuse Block. SeeUnderhood Fuse Block
on page 5-96.
B. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. SeeJump Starting on
page 5-40.
C. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding
Washer Fluid” underWindshield Washer Fluid
on page 5-35.
D. Radiator Pressure Cap. SeeRadiator Pressure Cap
on page 5-25.
E. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. SeePower Steering
Fluid on page 5-34.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 5-13.
G. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 5-13.
H. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick. See “Checking
the Fluid Level” underAutomatic Transaxle Fluid
on page 5-19.
I. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid”
underBrakes on page 5-36.
J. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 5-17.
K. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank. SeeCooling System
on page 5-28.Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check your 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. See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12for
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.
5-13

When to Add Engine Oil
If the oil is at or below the cross-hatched area at the
tip of the dipstick, then you will need to add at least
one quart of oil. But you must use the right kind. This
section explains what kind of oil to use. For engine
oil crankcase capacity, seeCapacities and
Specications on page 5-99.
Notice:Do not add too much oil. If your engine has
so much oil that the oil level gets above the
cross-hatched area that shows the proper operating
range, your engine could be damaged.SeeEngine Compartment
Overview on page 5-12for
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.
5-14