service GMC SAVANA 1996 Owner's Manual

A CAUTION: A CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
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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
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 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.
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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.
Stop after high-speed driving.
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
-- 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,
tLtrn off the engine atzd get everyone out ofthe
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not
to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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A CAUTIO1 . .
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:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
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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.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the
FULL COLD mark, add a 50150 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index for
more information.)
Adding only plain water
to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use
a 50/50 mix of clean
water and DEX-COOL
TM antifreeze.
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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.
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:
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.
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Your vehicle may have an air bag system. If it does, see
1 “Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the
I Index 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 suffkient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
0 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.
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.
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Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane,or
higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM D4814 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
still 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.
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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (inciicatecl 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
Y~LII' instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this OCCLII-S, return to YOLK
authorized GM dealer for diagnosis to determine the
cause of failure.
In the event it is cletermined that the
ca~~se
of the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered
by your warranty.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane-enhancing
additive crdled MMT.
IF you LIS~ such f~~els. your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on.
If this happens, return to YOLII'
authorized GM dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines 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 reforn~~lated gasolines may
be
available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recmnlnends that you use these gasolines ilthey
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.
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When to Change Engine Oil
See if any one of these is true for you:
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Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 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).
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, change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (1 2 SO0 km) or 12 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle
with a fully warnled
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.
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Air Cleaner Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when to
replace the air filter and crankcase ventilation filter.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services’‘
in the Index.
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To remove the air cleaner filter:
loosen screw bolt to air induct hose
0 remove the three bolts
remove the f~dl air cleaner housing
unsnap the three clips
Then
tilt the top cover up and back to expose the filter
element. Install
a new filter element with the folds in the
down position.
See “Normal Replacement Parts” for the proper filter
to use.
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Operating the engine with the air cleaner off can
cause you or others to be burned. The air cleaner
not only cleans the
air, it stops flame if the engine
backfires.
If it isn’t there, and the engine
backfires, you could be burned. Don’t drive with
it
off, and be careful working on the engine with
the
air cleaner off.
1 NOTICE:
If the air cleaner is off, a backfire can cause a
damaging engine fire. And, dirt can easily get
into your engine, which will damage it. Always
have the
air cleaner in place when you’re driving.
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Automatic Transmission Fluid
7 ’ ~ n to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change
both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle’s GVWR is over 8,600 or
if
the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of
these conditions:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 When doing frequent trailer towing.
regularly
reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If your vehicle’s GVWR is not over 8,600 and you do
not use your vehicle under any of these conditions, the
fluid and filter do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services”
in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you
may choose to have this done at your GM dealer
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 fluid can damage your
transmission.
Too much can mean that some of
the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be
sure to get an accurate reading if you check your
transmission fluid.
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How to Add Fluid Rear Axle
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission fluid to use. See “Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants”
in the Index.
Add
tluid only after checking the transmission fluid
HOT. (A COLD check is used only as a reference.) If
the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid to bring
the level up to the HOT area for a hot
check.
It doesn’t take much fluid, generally less than a
pint (0.5 L). DOLJ ’t overfill. We recommend you use only
fluid labeled DEXRON@-111, because fluid with that
label is made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by
fluid other than DEXRON-111 is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under ”How to Check.”
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back
in all the way; then flip the handle
down to lock
the dipstick in place.
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
“Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check Lubricant
If the level is below the
bottom of the filler plug
hole,
you’ll need to add
some lubricant. Add
enough lubricant to raise
the level
to the bottom of
the filler plug hole.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of lubricant to use. See “Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants”
in the Index.
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