CHEVROLET VENTURE 2004 1.G Owners Manual

Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you do not shift
down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than
1,000 lbs (450 kg), you may prefer to drive in THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or, as you
need to, a lower gear. This will minimize heat build-up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, do the
following:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but do not shift into
PARK (P).
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and shift into PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-47

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you do the following:
Start your engine.
Shift into a gear.
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 are
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle uid, engine oil, belts,
cooling system, and brake system. Each of these is
covered in this manual, and the Index will help you nd
them quickly. If you are trailering, it is 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
Your vehicle has a trailer wiring harness located at the
rear of your vehicle. To use the trailer wiring harness,
you need a converter kit. Contact your dealer for more
information.
4-48

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-20
Engine Coolant.............................................5-22
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-25
Engine Overheating.......................................5-25
Cooling System............................................5-28
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-36
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-38
Brakes........................................................5-39
Battery........................................................5-42Jump Starting...............................................5-43
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-48
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-50
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-50
Headlamps..................................................5-50
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Parking
Lamps.....................................................5-52
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-54
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-56
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-56
Tires..............................................................5-58
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-68
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-69
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-71
Buying New Tires.........................................5-71
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-72
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-74
Wheel Replacement......................................5-74
Tire Chains..................................................5-75
Accessory Inator.........................................5-76
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-78
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-78
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-96
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Appearance Care............................................5-97
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-97
Care of Safety Belts and Built-in Child
Restraint Harness....................................5-100
Weatherstrips.............................................5-100
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle.............5-100
Sheet Metal Damage...................................5-102
Finish Damage...........................................5-102
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-103
Chemical Paint Spotting...............................5-103
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials................5-103Vehicle Identication.....................................5-104
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN)................5-104
Service Parts Identication Label...................5-105
Electrical System..........................................5-105
Add-On Electrical Equipment.........................5-105
Headlamp Wiring........................................5-105
Windshield Wiper Fuses...............................5-106
Power Windows and Other Power Options......5-106
Fuses and Circuit Breakers..........................5-106
Capacities and Specications........................5-113
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems
(including some inside the vehicle), many uids, and
some component wear by-products contain and/or emit
these chemicals.
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you
will 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,
seeService Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-13.
5-3

Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, seeServicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-91.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-14.
{CAUTION:
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 airow 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.
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.
5-4

Gasoline Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide Fuel
Charter which is available from the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers at www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm.
Gasoline meeting these specications 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.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet California Emission
Standards (see the underhood emission control label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specications. If this fuel is not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may
turn on (seeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-45)
and your vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this
occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer for
diagnosis. If it is determined that the condition is caused
by the type of fuel used, repairs may not be covered
by your warranty.
Canada Only
5-5

Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work
properly. You should not have to add anything to your
fuel. However, some gasolines contain only the
minimum amount of additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations. General
Motors recommends that you buy gasolines that
are advertised to help keep fuel injectors and intake
valves clean. If your vehicle experiences problems due
to dirty injectors or valves, try a different brand of
gasoline.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be available in
your area to contribute to clean air. General Motors
recommends that you use these gasolines, particularly if
they comply with the specications described earlier.
Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.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 nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
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 will be driving.
5-6

Filling Your Tank
{CAUTION:
Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel re can
cause bad injuries. To help avoid injuries to
you and others, read and follow all the
instructions on the pump island. Turn off your
engine when you are refueling. Do not smoke
if you are near fuel or refueling your vehicle.
Keep sparks, ames and smoking materials
away from fuel. Do not leave the fuel pump
unattended when refueling your vehicle — this
is against the law in some places. Keep
children away from the fuel pump; never let
children pump fuel.The fuel door is located on the driver’s side of the
vehicle.
When the fuel door is opened on a vehicle with dual
sliding doors, the driver’s side sliding door will only open
partway.
5-7

While refueling, let the fuel cap hang by the tether as
shown.
{CAUTION:
If you spill fuel and then something ignites it,
you could be badly burned. Fuel can spray out
on you if you open the fuel cap too quickly. This
spray can happen if your tank is nearly full, and
is more likely in hot weather. Open the fuel cap
slowly and wait for any “hiss” noise to stop.
Then unscrew the cap all the way.
Don’t top off or overll your tank, and wait a few
seconds after you’ve nished pumping before you
remove the nozzle. Be careful not to spill fuel. Clean
fuel from painted surfaces as soon as possible.
SeeCleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle on
page 5-100.
5-8