maintenance schedule CHEVROLET ASTRO 2004 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-13
Child Restraints
.......................................1-35
Air Bag System
.......................................1-63
Restraint System Check
............................1-70
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-6
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-17
Mirrors
....................................................2-30
HomeLink
žTransmitter
.............................2-31
Storage Areas
.........................................2-34
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-18
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-23
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-38
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-29Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
................. 5-9
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-47
Rear Axle
...............................................5-48
Front Axle
...............................................5-48
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-56
Appearance Care
.....................................5-86
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-95
Electrical System
......................................5-95
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-102
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-104
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Chevrolet Astro Owner ManualM

Oil Pressure Gage
The oil pressure gage
shows the engine oil
pressure in psi (pounds
per square inch) when the
engine is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate pressure in kPa
(kilopascals). Oil pressure may vary with engine speed,
outside temperature and oil viscosity, but readings
above the low pressure zone indicate the normal
operating range.
A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused by a
dangerously low oil level or other problems causing
low oil pressure.{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches ®re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.
3-34

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 ¯uid (don't over®ll),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system and
brake system. Each of these is covered in this manual,
and the Index will help you ®nd 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.
Trailer Wiring Harness
If you have the optional trailering package, your vehicle
will have an eight-wire harness, including the center
high-mounted stoplamp battery feed wire. The harness
is stored on the passenger's side of the vehicle near
the rear wheel well. This harness has a 30 amp battery
feed wire and no connector, and should be wired by
a quali®ed electrical technician. After choosing an
aftermarket trailer mating connector pair, have the
technician attach one connector to the eight-wire trailer
harness and the other connector to the wiring harness
on the trailer. Be sure the wiring harness on the trailer is
taped or strapped to the trailer's frame rail and leave
it loose enough so the wiring doesn't bend or break, but
not so loose that it drags on the ground. The eight-wireharness must be routed out of your vehicle between the
rear door and the ¯oor, with enough of the harness
left on both sides so that the trailer or the body won't pull
it. If you do not have the optional trailering package,
your vehicle will still have a trailering harness. The
harness is located near the passenger's side rear wheel
well. It consists of six wires that may be used by
after-market trailer hitch installers.
The technician can use the following color code chart
when connecting the wiring harness to your trailer.
·Brown: Rear lamps.
·Yellow: Left stoplamp and turn signal.
·Dark Green: Right stoplamp and turn signal.
·White (Heavy Gage): Ground.
·Light Green: Back-up lamps.
·White (Light Gage): Center High-Mounted Stoplamp.
·Blue: Auxiliary circuit (eight-wire harness only).
·Orange: Fused auxiliary (eight-wire harness only).
Store the harness in its original place. Wrap the
harness together and tie it neatly so it won't
be damaged.
4-44

Notice:Use only engine oil identi®ed as meeting
GM Standard GM6094M and showing the American
Petroleum Institute Certi®ed For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use the recommended
oil can result in engine damage not covered by
your warranty.
GM Goodwrench
žoil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
If you are in an area of extreme cold, where the
temperature falls below-20ÉF (-29ÉC), it is
recommended that you use either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil or an SAE 0W-30 oil. Both will provide
easier cold starting and better protection for your engine
at extremely low temperatures.
Engine Oil Additives
Do not add anything to your oil. The recommended oils
with the starburst symbol that meet GM Standard
GM6094M 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
trip/city maintenance schedule:
·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.
Driving under these conditions causes engine oil to
break down sooner. If any one of these is true for your
vehicle, then you need to change your oil and ®lter
every 3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months ± whichever
occurs ®rst.
5-16

If none of them is true, use the long trip/highway
maintenance schedule. Change the oil and ®lter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months ± whichever
occurs ®rst. Driving a vehicle with a fully warmed engine
under highway conditions will cause engine oil to
break down slower.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain elements that may be
unhealthy for your skin and could even cause cancer.
Do not let used oil stay on your skin for very long. Clean
your skin and nails with soap and water, or a good
hand cleaner. Wash or properly dispose of clothing or
rags containing used engine oil. See the manufacturer's
warnings about the use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all the oil from the
®lter before disposal. Never dispose of oil by putting it
in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into sewers, or into
streams or bodies of water. Instead, recycle it by
taking it to a place that collects used oil. If you have a
problem properly disposing of your used oil, ask
your dealer, a service station or a local recycling center
for help.
Engine Cover
Removing the Engine Cover
1. Move both front seats as far back as they will go.
5-17

How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the engine air cleaner/®lter remove the ®lter
from the vehicle and lightly shake ®lter to release
loose dust and dirt. If the ®lter remains caked with dirt, a
new ®lter is required.
To inspect or replace the ®lter, do the following:
1. Unsnap both clips on the cover.
2. Remove the cover.
3. Change the ®lter.
4. Snap both clips to secure the engine air
cleaner/®lter cover.
{CAUTION:
Operating the engine with the air cleaner/®lter
off can cause you or others to be burned. The
air cleaner not only cleans the air, it helps to
stop ¯ame if the engine back®res. If it is not
there and the engine back®res, you could
be burned. Do not drive with it off, and be
careful working on the engine with the air
cleaner/®lter off.
Notice:If the air cleaner/®lter is off, a back®re can
cause a damaging engine ®re. And, dirt can
easily get into your engine, which will damage it.
Always have the air cleaner/®lter in place when you
are driving.
Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 15,000 miles
(25,000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km).
See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
5-22

How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission ¯uid to use. SeePart D:
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-30.
Using a funnel, add ¯uid down the transmission dipstick
tube only after checking the transmission ¯uid while it
is hot. (A cold check is used only as a reference.) If the
¯uid level is low, add only enough of the proper ¯uid
to bring the level up to the HOT area for a hot check. It
doesn't take much ¯uid, generally less than one pint
(0.5 L).
Don't over®ll.
Notice:We recommend you use only ¯uid labeled
DEXRONž-III, because ¯uid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by ¯uid other than DEXRON
ž-III is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
·After adding ¯uid, recheck the ¯uid level as
described under²How to Check.²
·When the correct ¯uid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then ¯ip the handle
down to lock the dipstick in place.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is ®lled with
DEX-COOLžengine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs ®rst, if you add
only DEX-COOL
žextended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see
Engine Overheating on
page 5-28.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
žcoolant will:
·Give freezing protection down to-34ÉF (-37ÉC).
·Give boiling protection up to 265ÉF (129ÉC).
·Protect against rust and corrosion.
·Help keep the proper engine temperature.
·Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOLžmay
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
ž(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
5-25

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is ®lled with DOT-3
brake ¯uid. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake ¯uid level in
the reservoir might go down. The ®rst is that the
brake ¯uid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the ¯uid level goes back up. The other reason isthat ¯uid is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system ®xed, since a leak
means that sooner or later your brakes will not work
well, or will not work at all.
So, it is not a good idea to ªtop offº your brake ¯uid.
Adding brake ¯uid will not correct a leak. If you add ¯uid
when your linings are worn, then you will have too
much ¯uid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake ¯uid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake ¯uid, it can spill on
the engine. The ¯uid will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
¯uid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system. See ªChecking Brake Fluidº
in this section.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to check your brake ¯uid. See
Part C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page 6-28.
5-39

To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles, do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
vehicle that had the dead battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other
vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive
Lubricant checks in this section also apply to these
vehicles. However, there are two additional systems that
need lubrication.
Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. SeePart C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page 6-28.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.If the level is below the bottom of the ®ller plug hole,
you'll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the ®ller plug hole.
Use care not to overtighten the plug.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-30.
5-47

Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. SeePart A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services on page 6-4.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.
If the level is below the bottom of the ®ller plug hole,
you'll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the ®ller plug hole.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-30.
Front Axle
When to Check and Change Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant and when to change it. See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on page 6-4.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.
5-48