service CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1997 1.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 9. Make your last connection away from the battery, to
the engine block, frame or other unpainted metal
parts of your vehicle.
A ground location has been
provided through a stud attached
to the body surface. 10.
Please remove the cap before using.
11. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
12. Try to
start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it
won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs service.
13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
5-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A. Engine Block, Frame, Unpainted Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery or
Body Surface
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have your GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. They can provide the right
equipment and know-how to tow it without damage.
See “Roadside Assistance’’ in your Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was
factory-new, by adding things like fog lamps, aero
skirting, or special tires and wheels, these things could
be damaged during towing.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear wheel drive.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for
the transmission.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I I
’ A CAUTIO--:
- - -
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0
0
0
0
0
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
being towed.
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured. Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always use separate safety chains on each
side when towing a vehicle.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition
key
off. The steering wheel should be clamped in a
straight-ahead position, with a clamping device
I designed for towing service. Do not use the vehicle’s
steering column lock for this. The transmission should
be
in NEUTRAL (N) and the parking brake should
be released.
A
,!1 CAUTION:
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
The vehicle should be tightly secured with
chains or steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. See “Driving on Grades’’ in the Index.
If
you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute
or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise,
shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)
or DRIVE (D). If
you no
longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to push
the accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as
fast as normal idle speed. Bring the engine speed back
to normal idle speed after two or three minutes. Now
see if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn ofsthe engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else
in
the cooling system. Heater and radiator
hoses, and other engine
parts, can be
very hot. Don’t touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there
is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE: I
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems
to be no leak, start the engine again. See
if the fan speed increases when idle speed is doubled by
pushing the accelerator pedal down.
If it doesn’t, your
vehicle needs service. Turn
off the engine.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There
is also technical information about your
vehicle, and
a part devoted to its appearance care.
6-2
6-3
6-5
6-5
6-7
6-1 1
6-12 6-17
6-18
6-22
6-22
6-25
6-26 6-26
6-27
6-28 6-32 Service
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
Fuels in Foreign Countries
Filling Your Tank
Checking Things Under the Hood
Noise Control System
Engine Oil (Gasoline Engine)
Air Cleaner (Gasoline Engines)
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear Axle
Engine Coolant Radiator Pressure Cap
Thermostat Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery 6-32
6-32
6-40
6-4
1
6-49
6-50
6-54
6-55
6-55
6-55
6-56
6-57
6-5 8
6-59
6-63
6-66
6-67 Bulb Replacement
Halogen Bulbs
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
Tires Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside
of Your Vehicle
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels
(If Equipped)
Cleaning Tires Sheet Metal Damage
Finish Damage
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
Lamp and Bulb Data

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service
Your GM 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:
Delco
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to get the proper
GM 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 and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does, see
“Servicing Your
Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the
lndex before attempting to do your own service work.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Index.
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 suficient 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
GM dealer before adding equipment to the outside
of your vehicle.
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Diesel Fuel
Requirements and Fuel System” in the Diesel Engine
Supplement. For vehicles with gasoline engines, please
read this.
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM
D48 14 in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications have been
developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association (AAMA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to
other gasolines. Be
sure the posted octane is at least 87. If the octane
is
less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at 87 octane or higher and you
hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
But
don’t worry if you hear a little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and
you don’t have to buy a higher octane fuel to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label),
it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications.
If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs, return to your
authorized
GM dealer for diagnosis to determine the
cause of failure.
In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition is the type
of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use
of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn
on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
GM dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system
to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have to add
anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines
may be available in
your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that
you
use these gasolines if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it.
It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Oil Additives
Don’t add anything to your oil. Your GM dealer is ready
to advise if you think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil
If any one of these is true for you, use the short tripkity
maintenance schedule:
Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km).
This is particularly important when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
0 Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
driving in stop-and-go traffic).
Most trips are through dusty areas.
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 filter
every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever
occurs first.
If none of them is true, use the long trip/highway
maintenance schedule. Change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle with a fully warmed
engine under highway conditions causes engine oil to
break down slower.
What to Do with Used Oil
Did you know that used engine oil contains certain
elements
that may be unhealthy for your skin and could
even cause cancer? Don’t 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 throw
away 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 real threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing oil
from the filter before disposal. Don’t ever 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.