octane PONTIAC VIBE 2005 Owners Manual

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 also 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.
SeeGasoline Octane on page 5-5. 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.
3-37

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-6
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
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...................................................5-16
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-21
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-23
Manual Transaxle Fluid..................................5-26
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-27
Engine Coolant.............................................5-28
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-30
Engine Overheating.......................................5-30
Cooling System............................................5-32Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-37
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-38
Brakes........................................................5-39
Battery........................................................5-42
Jump Starting...............................................5-43
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-48
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-49
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-49
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and
Parking Lamps..........................................5-49
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-51
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps............5-53
Back-Up Lamps............................................5-54
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-56
Tires..............................................................5-57
Tire Sidewall Labelling...................................5-58
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-61
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-64
Tire Pressure Monitor System.........................5-65
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-68
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-69
Buying New Tires.........................................5-70
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

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
The 8th digit of your vehicle identication number (VIN)
shows the code letter or number that identies your
engine. You will nd the VIN at the top left of the
instrument panel. SeeVehicle Identication Number
(VIN) on page 5-95.
Gasoline Octane
If your vehicle has the 1.8L L4 (VIN Code 8) engine,
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 you hear heavy knocking, your engine
needs service.
If your vehicle has the 1.8L L4 (VIN Code L) engine,
use only premium unleaded gasoline with a posted
octane of 91 or higher. In an emergency, you may be
able to use a lower octane — as low a 87 — if heavy
knocking does not occur. Rell your tank with premium
fuel as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might
damage your engine. If you are using 91 octane or
higher-octane fuel and you hear heavy knocking,
your engine needs service.
5-5

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.
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.
5-7

Part A: Scheduled Maintenance
Services
In this part are scheduled maintenance services which
are to be performed at the mileage intervals specied.
Using Your Maintenance Schedule
We at General Motors want to keep your vehicle in good
working condition. But we do not know exactly how
you will drive it. You may drive short distances only a
few times a week. Or you may drive long distances
all the time in very hot, dusty weather. You may
use your vehicle in making deliveries. Or you may drive
it to work, to do errands or in many other ways.
Because of the different ways people use their vehicles,
maintenance needs may vary. You may need more
frequent checks and replacements. So please read the
following and note how you drive. If you have
questions on how to keep your vehicle in good condition,
see your dealer.
This part tells you the maintenance services you should
have done and when to schedule them.
When you go to your dealer for your service needs, you
will know that GM-trained and supported service
people will perform the work using genuine GM parts.The proper uids and lubricants to use are listed in
Part D. Make sure whoever services your vehicle uses
these. All parts should be replaced and all necessary
repairs done before you or anyone else drives the
vehicle.
This schedule is for vehicles that:
carry passengers and cargo within recommended
limits. You will nd these on the tire and loading
information label. SeeLoading Your Vehicle
on page 4-32.
are driven on reasonable road surfaces within legal
driving limits.
use the recommended fuel. SeeGasoline Octane
on page 5-5.
Scheduled Maintenance
The services shown in this schedule up to 120,000 miles
(192 000 km) should be repeated after 120,000 miles
(192 000 km) at the same intervals for the life of
this vehicle.
SeePart B: Owner Checks and Services on
page 6-13,Part C: Periodic Maintenance Inspections on
page 6-17, andPart D: Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 6-19.
6-4

E
Electrical System
Add-On Equipment......................................5-95
Engine Compartment Fuse Block...................5-98
Fuses and Circuit Breakers...........................5-96
Headlamp Wiring.........................................5-96
Instrument Panel Fuse Block.........................5-97
Power Windows and Other Power Options......5-96
Windshield Wiper Fuses...............................5-96
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter.........................................5-21
Battery.......................................................5-42
Check and Service Engine Soon Light............3-35
Coolant......................................................5-28
Coolant Heater............................................2-21
Coolant Temperature Gage...........................3-35
Cooling System Inspection............................6-18
Engine Compartment Overview......................5-12
Exhaust.....................................................2-32
Oil .............................................................5-16
Overheating................................................5-30
Starting......................................................2-19
Entry Lighting.................................................3-16
Event Data Recorders (EDR)............................. 7-9
Extender, Safety Belt.......................................1-25
Exterior Lamps...............................................3-13
F
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner......................................5-21
Finish Damage...............................................5-93
Fixed Mast Antenna........................................3-65
Flash-to-Pass................................................... 3-8
Flat Tire........................................................5-74
Flat Tire, Changing.........................................5-75
Flat Tire, Storing.............................................5-84
Floor Mats.....................................................2-38
Fluid
Automatic Transaxle.....................................5-23
Manual Transaxle........................................5-26
Power Steering...........................................5-37
Windshield Washer......................................5-38
Fog Lamps....................................................3-15
Folding Seatback, Passenger............................. 1-5
Fuel............................................................... 5-5
Additives...................................................... 5-6
California Fuel.............................................. 5-6
Filling a Portable Fuel Container..................... 5-9
Filling Your Tank........................................... 5-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries.............................. 5-7
Gage.........................................................3-41
Gasoline Octane........................................... 5-5
5

Fuel (cont.)
Gasoline Specications.................................. 5-6
Low Warning Light.......................................3-41
System Inspection.......................................6-17
Fuses
Engine Compartment Fuse Block...................5-98
Fuses and Circuit Breakers...........................5-96
Instrument Panel Fuse Block.........................5-97
Windshield Wiper.........................................5-96
G
Gage
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-35
Fuel..........................................................3-41
Speedometer..............................................3-27
Tachometer.................................................3-27
Gasoline
Octane........................................................ 5-5
Specications............................................... 5-6
Glove Box.....................................................2-37
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities.................................................... 7-5
H
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-6
Head Restraints............................................... 1-5
Headlamp Wiring............................................5-96
Headlamps
Automatic Headlamp System.........................3-15
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-49
Daytime Running Lamps...............................3-14
Flash-to-Pass............................................... 3-8
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-49
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and
Parking Lamps.........................................5-49
High/Low Beam Changer................................ 3-8
On Reminder..............................................3-13
Heater...........................................................3-20
Height Adjuster, Driver Seat............................... 1-3
Highbeam On Light.........................................3-40
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-24
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-24
Hood
Checking Things Under................................5-10
Release.....................................................5-10
Horn............................................................... 3-6
How to Use This Manual...................................... ii
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-14
Hydraulic Clutch.............................................5-27
6