checking oil CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN 2005 2.G Owners Manual

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....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling the 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...................................................5-13
Engine Cover...............................................5-17
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-21
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-23
Engine Coolant.............................................5-25
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-28
Engine Overheating.......................................5-28
Cooling System............................................5-30
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-34Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-35
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-36
Brakes........................................................5-37
Battery........................................................5-40
Jump Starting...............................................5-41
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-45
Rear Axle.......................................................5-46
Front Axle......................................................5-47
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-48
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-48
Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps.................5-48
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps..............5-52
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-52
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-54
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-54
Tires..............................................................5-55
Tire Sidewall Labelling...................................5-56
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-59
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-61
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-63
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-64
Buying New Tires.........................................5-65
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake uid, windshield washer and
other uids, and plastic or rubber. You or
others could be burned. Be careful not to drop
or spill things that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the handle with
this symbol on it. It is
located inside the
vehicle on the lower
driver’s side of
the instrument panel.
5-10

A. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding
Washer Fluid” underWindshield Washer Fluid
on page 5-36.
B. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank. SeeCooling System
on page 5-30.
C. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 5-13.
D. Automatic Transmission Fluid Dipstick. See
“Checking the Fluid Level” underAutomatic
Transmission Fluid on page 5-23.
E. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 5-21.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 5-13.
G. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid”
underBrakes on page 5-37.
H. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. SeePower Steering
Fluid on page 5-35.
I. Battery. SeeBattery on page 5-40.Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil
must be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is a yellow loop. See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12for
the location of the engine oil dipstick.
1. Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes
to drain back into the oil pan. If you do not do this,
the oil dipstick might not show the actual level.
2. Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel
or cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it
again, keeping the tip down, and check the level.
5-13

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 90°F (32°C) 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).
SeePart A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice:Too much or too little uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a re.
Too little uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission uid level if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic — especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the uid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180°F to 200°F (82°C
to 93°C).
5-23

G
Gage
Check Gages Warning Light..........................3-36
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-30
Fuel..........................................................3-37
Oil Pressure...............................................3-34
Speedometer..............................................3-26
Voltmeter Gage...........................................3-28
Garage Door Opener.......................................2-29
Gasoline
Octane........................................................ 5-5
Specications............................................... 5-5
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program.................. 7-5
H
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-6
Head Restraints............................................... 1-5
Headlamp Wiring............................................5-92
Headlamps
Automatic Headlamp System.........................3-16
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-48
Daytime Running Lamps...............................3-15
Flash-to-Pass............................................... 3-9
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps.............5-52
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-48
Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps................5-48Headlamps (cont.)
High/Low Beam Changer................................ 3-9
On Reminder..............................................3-15
Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps...................5-48
Heater...........................................................3-19
Highbeam On Light.........................................3-35
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-21
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-21
HomeLink
®Wireless Control System.................2-29
HomeLink®Wireless Control
System Operation........................................2-30
Hood
Checking Things Under................................5-10
Release.....................................................5-10
Horn............................................................... 3-6
How to Use This Manual...................................... ii
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-19
I
Ignition Positions.............................................2-17
Infants and Young Children, Restraints...............1-36
Ination -- Tire Pressure..................................5-61
Inspection
Brake System.............................................6-29
Engine Cooling System................................6-28
Exhaust System..........................................6-28
Fuel System...............................................6-28
Part C - Periodic Maintenance.......................6-28
6