service CHEVROLET ASTRO 2003 Owner's Manual

Payload
The Payload Capacity is shown on the CertificationiTire
label. This is the maximum load capacity that your
vehicle can carry. Be sure to include the weight of the
people inside as part of your load.
If you added any
accessories or equipment after your vehicle left
the factory, remember to subtract the weight of these
things from the payload. Your dealer can help you
with this.
Towing a Trailer
Trailering Package
There is a load rating which includes the weight of the
vehicle and the trailer it tows. This rating is called
the Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR).
When
you weigh your trailer, be sure to include the
weight of everything you put in it. And, remember
to figure the weight of the people inside the vehicle
as part of your load.
Add-on Equipment
When you carry removable items, you may need to put
a limit on how many people you carry inside your
vehicle. Be sure to weigh your vehicle before you buy
and install the new equipment. If
)“J don’t use the correct equipment and
drive properly, you can lose control when you pull a trailer. For example, if the trailer
is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well
- or
even at all. You and your passengers could be
seriously injured. Pull a trailer only if you have
followed all the steps in this section.
Ask your
dealer for advice and information about towing
a trailer with your vehicle.
Notice: Pulling a trailer improperly can damage
your vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice
in this part, and see your dealer for
important information about towing a trailer with
your vehicle. Additional rear axle maintenance is required for a vehicle used to tow a trailer. See
“Scheduled Maintenance Services”
in the Index.
To identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is for your
vehicle, you should read the information in “Weight of
the Trailer” that appears later in this section.
4-3 1

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
start your engine,
shift into a gear, and
release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system and
brake system. Each
of these is covered in this manual,
and the Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re
trailering, it’s a good idea to review these sections
before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
4-40

Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Service .......................................................... -5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work
......................... 5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
.............................................. 5-4
Fuel ................................................................ 5.5
Gasoline Octane ........................................... -5-5
Gasoline Specifications .................................... 5.5
California Fuel ............................................. -56
Additives
....................................................... 5.6
Fuels in Foreign Countries
............................... 5.7
Filling Your Tank
............................................ 5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
..................... 5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood .................... 5-1 1
Hood Release .............................................. 5.11
Engine Compartment Overview
...................... 5.14
Engine Oil
................................................... 5.15
Engine Cover ................. .... ........ 5.20
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
................. ........ 5.24
Automatic Transmission Fluid
...................... 5.25
Engine Coolant ............................................. 5.28
Radiator Pressure Cap
.................................. 5.30
Engine Overheating
....................................... 5.31
Cooling System
............................................ 5.33
Engine Fan Noise
......................................... 5.39
Power Steering Fluid
..................................... 5.40
Windshield Washer Fluid
................................ 5.41 Brakes
........................................................ 5.42
Battery
........................................................ 5-46
Jump Starting
............................................... 5-47
All-Wheel Drive .............................................. 5-52
Rear Axle ....................................................... 5-53
Front Axle ...................................................... 5-54
Bulb Replacement .......................................... 5-55
Halogen Bulbs .............................. ..... 5-55
Headlamps .................................. ..... 5-55
Front Turn Signal Lamps ............................... 5-59
Replacement Bulbs
....................................... 5-61
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement .............. 5-62
Tires .............................................................. 5.63
Inflation
- Tire Pressure ................................ 5-64
Tire Inspection and Rotation
........................... 5-64
When It
Is Time for New Tires ....................... 5-66
Buying New Tires
......................................... 5-66
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
.......................... 5-67
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
.................. 5-69
Wheel Replacement
...................................... 5-69
Tire Chains
.................................................. 5-70
If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................ 5.70
Changing a Flat Tire ..................................... 5.71
Compact Spare Tire ...................................... 5-82
Taillamps
.................................................... 5-60
5- 1

Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Appearance Care ............................................ 5.83
Care
of Safety Belts ...................................... 5-86
Weatherstrips
............................................... 5-86
Sheet Metal Damage
..................................... 5-88
Finish Damage
............................................. 5-88
Underbody Maintenance
................................ 5-89
Chemical Paint Spotting
................................. 5-89
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials ........... 5-89
Vehicle Identification ...................................... 5-91
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
................. 5-91
Service Parts Identification Label
..................... 5-91
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle ................. 5-83
Cleaning the Outside
of Your Vehicle ................. 5-86
Electrical System ............................................ 5.92
Add-on Electrical Equipment
......................... 5-92
Headlamp Wiring
.......................................... 5-92
Windshield Wiper Fuses
................................ 5-92
Power Windows and Other Power Options
....... 5-92
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
............................ 5-93
Capacities and Specifications ......................... 3-99
Capacities and Specifications
......................... 5-99
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ......... 5-101
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one
of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper service manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your vehicle than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual,
see
Service Publications Ordering lnformation on
page
7- I 1.
Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does,
see
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle on
page
1-69 before attempting to do your own
service work.
5-3

You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Part E: Maintenance Record on pi- - ? 6-34.
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about
it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts and tools before you attempt any vehicle maintenance task.
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 airflow 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.
5-4

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 Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association and endorsed by the
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association for better
vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasoline
meeting these specifications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
“Auto Makers’ Choice’’
label on the pump.
Canada Only
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 find. Never use leaded gasoiine or any other
fuel not recommended in the previous text on fuel.
Costly repairs caused by use of improper fuel wouldn’t
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’ll be driving.
5-7

What Kind of Engine Oil to Use
Oils recommended for your vehicle can be identified by
looking for the starburst symbol.
This symboi indicates that the oii has been certified by
the American Petroleum Institute (API). Do not use
any oil which does not carry this starburst symbol.
If you choose
to perform
the engine oil change
service yourself, be sure
the oil you use has the
starburst symbol on the
front of the oil container.
If you have your oil
changed for you, be sure
the oil put into your engine
is American Petroleum
Institute certified for
gasoline engines.
You should also use the proper viscosity oil for your
vehicle, as shown in the viscosity chart.
RECOMMENDED SAE VISCOSITY GRADE ENGINE OILS
HOT
WEATHER
-
"C
t 3t
+ 2;
- +1
- t4
- -7
- - 1,
LOOK
FOR MIS
SYMBOL
1111 SAE 1 1OW-30
ACCEPTABLE
AVAILABLE IF 5W-30 IS NOT
RECOMMENDED
WEATHER
DO NOT USE SAE 1OW-40, SAE 2OW-50 OR ANY OTHER
VlSCOSlN GRADE OIL NOT RECOMMENDED
5-1 7

As in the chart shown previously, SAE 5W-30 is the
only viscosity grade recommended for your vehicle.
You should look for and use only oils which have the
API Starburst symbol and which are also identified
as SAE 5W-30.
If you cannot find such SAE 5W-30 oils,
you can use an SAE IOW-30 oil which has the API
Starburst symbol,
if it's going to be 0°F (-18°C)
or above.
Do not use other viscosity grade oils, such as
SAE 1OW-40 or SAE 20W-50 under any conditions.
Notice: Use only engine oil with the American
Petroleum Institute Certified For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use the recommended
oil can result in engine damage not covered by
your warranty.
GM Goodwrench@ oil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
If you are in an area of extreme cold, where the
temperature falls below -20°F (-29"C), it is
recommended that you use either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil or an SAE OW-30 oil. Both will provide
easier cold starting and better protection for your engine
at extremely low temperatures.
Engine Oil Additives
Don't add anything to your oil. The recommended oils
with the starburst symbol are all you will need for
good performance and engine protection.
When to Change Engine Oil
If any one of these are true for you, use the short
tripkity maintenance schedule:
e
e
e
Most trips are less than 5 miles (8 km). This is
particularly important when outside temperatures
are below freezing.
Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
driving in stop-and-go traffic).
You frequently tow a trailer or use a carrier on top
of your vehicle.
The vehicle is used for delivery service, police, taxi
or other commercial application.
5-1
8