VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1997 Owners Manual

ver on left under dashboard. Hood springs
up slightly under spring pressure.
Note Before
opening the engine hood, make sure that the windshield wipers are folded flat against the windshield.
hook the safe ty catch by pushing down. Raise
the hood completely , take the suppor t
rod out of its retainer and insert it into the
hole provided in the hood reinforcement
( see illustration) .
To close, lift the engine hood slig htly and
u nhook the support rod. the rod into its
retainer on the front cross panel. Let the
hood

For safety reasons , make
sure the engine hood is
the engine hood , check it to make sure the safety catch has engaged. The hood be with the surrounding body parts .
125

Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coo lant exp ansion tank ......... 133
4
P ow er stee rin g r eservoi r ...... .. 132
5
Brake r eservo ir ... ......... 136
6
W indshi eld was he r con ta ine r .... 14 3
7
B attery (protected by a co ve r) . .. 13 8
8
Not appl ic a ble
Always exercise extreme caution when working under the engine hood.
126
Switch off engine-remove ignition key.
Always let the engine cool down. Hot components
Never fluids on hot engine
components. These fluids can cause
a fire.
work on the fuel system or the
e lectrical system is necessary:
- Always
disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke
or work near heaters or open flames.
-
Always keep an approved fire extinguisher immediately available.
Be

hair or
components of the high
make sure th at they are poured into the proper con­
tainer or
systems

you need to add ch anges use any high qual ity petroleum- or synthetic- based
or in co mbination with othe r
designations:
Service or
Ser v ice
Th e proper grade to be use d in ou r
eng ine depend s on existing climat ic or
--
-
-
-
A = Energy conserving
8 = Mult i-grade
=
Refer to t he tempe ra tu re chart when in g engine grades brie f variations
i n outs ide temp eratures are no cause for
is permissible to mix of
usin g avo id
h!gh-speed d riving if out-temperature above the indi-
cated limits.
E ng ine ad ditives
Volkswage n does not recommend th e use of additives. They may adverse ly affect your warranty.

B31-113C
Engine oil iden tifica tion symbol
symbol
( A). The starburst symbol indicates that the
oil has been certifjed by the American Petro­
leum
Another oil identificatio n symbo l (B ) could be added to th e oil con taine r to help you se­
lect the correct oil.
1 The top portion indicate s the oil q uality
by designations.
2
The center portion sh ows the oil
viscosity grade.
3
The lowe r portion indica tes that the oil
has fuel saving capabili ties. No
te
is normal for your engine to consume oil.
The rate of the oil consumption depends on
the quality
and viscosity of oil, the speed at
which the engine operated, the climate, road
conditio ns
as well as amount of dilution an d
oxidatio n of the lubricant.
Beca u
se of these variables, no standard
rate of oil consumption can be established ,
but drivers should expect an increased oil
consum ption at high speeds and when the
engine is
new.
The engine in your vehicle depends
on oil to lubricate and cool all of its ing parts. Therefore the engine oil should be checked regularly and kept at the required level.
Make it a habit to have the engine oil lev el checked with every fuel filling.
Lack of sufficient engine oil may lead
to severe engine damage .
The oil pressure warning

The best time to check the engine is warm .
To get a true reading , the be
on
After turning off the engine , wait a few minutes for the to return to the
Reinsert dipstick ; push it
d ipstick out again and read the
Make sure that the dipstick is pushed in
ma rkings. The the goes down to the mark, you must add Do not exceed the marking.
Adding engine
Unscrew the cap from the head
cove r and add a quart with the dips tick, (see lus tration).
The
must never be above the mark. Otherwise
with a burn in the converter and cause age.
which is a fire hazard.
screw the cap back on and dipst ick ou t when the engine is running.

Changing the engine
The mu st be changed according
to the spe cifie d in your Mainte­
nance
This is very important because the in g properties of diminish dur­
ing
you drive short distances , or if you
operate the in dusty areas or under
freezi ng for exte nded periods , the en gine be ch anged more
Detergen t addit ives in the make fresh dark after the engine has been run­
ning for a short time. Th is is and there
is no reason to change the
Drain the into a container that designed for this purpose, one that is enough to at the
the engine down to the touch.
When removing the with your fingers, stay as far away as
from running down your arm.
Engine is poisonous. Keep it
Continuous contact with used engine to your skin.
with soap and water .
Before changing your oil, first make
you know where you can prop­erly dispose of the old oil.
Always dispose of used engine oil prop­erly. Do not dump it on garden soil,
wooded areas, into open streams or down sewage drains.
Recycle used
engine oil by taking it to a used engine oil collection facility in your area, or contact a service station .
Because
of the problem of proper dis­posal, along with the special tools and necessary expertise required, we strong­ly recommend that you have your oil changed by an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or a qualified workshop .
131

in the engine
compartment in front of the battery.
The power steering is
No. G
in the reservoir is im por ­
tan t for th e proper functioning of pow er
steering .
in straight-a head position , the
They
are
on the exterior of the reservo ir tion)
on the dipstick, which is attached to the
cap .
The
b e between the and marki ngs. the marking , ha ve the
power steering system inspected by your
autho rized
is not suffi ­
cien t to just add
Note
the func­tions as a serious dam age to the pump and other components of the
system ifthere is in sufficient
Be sure not to confuse brake fluid and the wrong
or if the engine is not running (for ex­
to steer the however , more effort be required.

[
system
The system is and requ ires
sy stem has been at the
f ac tory with a permanent which
does not need to be changed . The
for for Canadian T his mixture
the system from corrosion and and raises the point of the '
Do not reduce the concentrat ion of the wa ter. The additive proportion must be
at but not more than ant ifreeze and
heed on page 126 .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at
t h e factory for temperatures down to:
th.e approve d type of antifreeze , from your authorized swagen
Other types of antifreeze can above
of and therefore serious en­gine damage.
Checking the coolant level
The expans ion tank is in the engine compartmen t next to the front -see illustration.
you see or hear or escaping from the engme compartment. Wait