octane Oldsmobile Bravada 2004 Owner's Manuals

If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,stop
the vehicle.Find a safe place to park your vehicle. Turn
the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is
On Steady” following. If the light is still ashing, follow the
previous steps, and see your dealer for service as soon
as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install the
cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will allow
fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few driving trips
with the cap properly installed should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-4. Poor fuel quality will cause
your engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You
may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light to
turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has the
proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
3-38

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under
the Hood....................................................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-20
Engine Coolant.............................................5-23
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-25
Engine Overheating.......................................5-26
Cooling System............................................5-28
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-34
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-35Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-36
Brakes........................................................5-37
Battery........................................................5-40
Jump Starting...............................................5-41
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-47
Rear Axle.......................................................5-48
Front Axle......................................................5-48
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-50
Taillamps and Turn Signal Lamps...................5-50
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-52
Tires..............................................................5-55
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-64
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-65
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-66
Buying New Tires.........................................5-67
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-68
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-69
Wheel Replacement......................................5-69
Tire Chains..................................................5-71
Accessory Inator.........................................5-71
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-73
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-74
Spare Tire...................................................5-87
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

CAUTION: (Continued)

Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
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.
5-4

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.
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.
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.
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.
5-6

This schedule is for vehicles that:
carry passengers and cargo within recommended
limits. You will nd these limits on the tire and
loading information label. SeeLoading Your Vehicle
on page 4-43.
are driven on reasonable road surfaces within legal
driving limits.
are driven off-road in the recommended manner.
SeeOperating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off
Paved Roads on page 4-16.
use the recommended fuel. SeeGasoline Octane
on page 5-4.
The services inScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
should be performed when indicated. SeeAdditional
Required Services on page 6-6andMaintenance
Footnotes on page 6-8for further information.
{CAUTION:
Performing maintenance work on a vehicle can
be dangerous. In trying to do some jobs, you
can be seriously injured. Do your own
maintenance work only if you have the
required know-how and the proper tools and
equipment for the job. If you have any doubt,
see your GM Goodwrench dealer to have a
qualied technician do the work.
Some maintenance services can be complex. So,
unless you are technically qualied and have the
necessary equipment, you should have your GM
Goodwrench dealer do these jobs.
6-3

Fuel............................................................... 5-4
Additives...................................................... 5-6
California Fuel.............................................. 5-5
Filling a Portable Fuel Container..................... 5-9
Filling Your Tank........................................... 5-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries.............................. 5-6
Gage.........................................................3-44
Gasoline Octane........................................... 5-4
Gasoline Specications.................................. 5-5
Low Warning Light.......................................3-44
Fuel Information..............................................3-46
FUEL LEVEL LOW.........................................3-56
Fuses
Fuses and Circuit Breakers...........................5-99
Windshield Wiper.........................................5-98
G
Gage
Check Gages Warning Light..........................3-43
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-36
Fuel..........................................................3-44
Oil Pressure...............................................3-39
Speedometer..............................................3-30
Tachometer.................................................3-31
Voltmeter Gage...........................................3-33Garage Door Opener.......................................2-34
Gasoline
Octane........................................................ 5-4
Specications............................................... 5-5
Gate Ajar Light...............................................3-43
Gate Operator and Canadian Programming........2-36
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving................4-18
Glove Box.....................................................2-38
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities.................................................... 7-5
H
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-6
Head Restraints............................................... 1-5
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.................... 3-9
Headlamps
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-50
Electrical System.........................................5-98
Headphones...................................................3-88
Heated Seats................................................... 1-3
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-35
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-36
Hitches..........................................................4-54
HomeLink
®Transmitter....................................2-34
7