GMC SIERRA 1998 Owners Manual

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
6-6
6- 8
6-9
6- 13
6- 14
6-18
6-2
I
6-24
6- 25
6-26
6-26
6-28 6-32
6-32 Service
Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
Fuels
in Foreign Countries (Gasoline Engines)
Filling Your Tank (Gasoline Engine)
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
Checking Things Under the Hood
Noise Control System
Engine Oil (Gasoline Engine)
Air Cleaner Filter (Gasoline Engine)
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Manual Transmission Fluid
Hydraulic Clutch
Rear Axle
Four-wheel Drive
Engine Coolant Radiator Pressure Cap (Gasoline Engine)
Thermostat
, 6-33
6-3 3
6-35
6-39
6-39
6-50
6-5
1
6-6 1
6-62
6-65 6-69
6-70
6-70
' 6-76
6-77 6-79 Power
Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery
Bulb Replacement
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside
of Your Vehicle
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System Replacement
Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
6-1
ProCarManuals.com

Service
Your 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:
Genuine
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want
to use 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 has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle”
in the Index.
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.
6-2
ProCarManuals.com

-
/! 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 airflow 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 (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 Manufxturers Association
(AAMA) for better vehicle performance and engine
protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA specification
could provide improved chiveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
6-3
ProCarManuals.com

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 norlnal,
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 emission control
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’ fdilure. 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.
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.
6-4
ProCarManuals.com

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.
Fuels in Foreign COUI
(Gasoline Engines)
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States
or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended
in the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact
a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write us at the following address for
advice. Just tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa. Ontario
L 1 H 8P7
6-5
ProCarManuals.com

Filling Your Tank (Gasoline Engine)
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see “Filling Your
Tank (Diesel Engine)” in
the Diesel Engine Supplement. On
a chassis-cab model, refuel the front tank first, or in
instances when only
a partial fuel fill is desired. An
automatic transfer mechanism
will maintain
approximately equal fuel levels
in both tanks, so no
switching is required by the operator.
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
The fuel cap is located on the left side of your vehicle.
6-6
ProCarManuals.com

While refueling, let the cap hang by the tether below the
fuel filler neck.
To remove the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burnea.
Gasoline can spray out on you if you open the
fuel filler cap
too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap
all the way.
6-7
ProCarManuals.com

~ Be
careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
~ painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
i Outside of Your Vehicle” in the Index.
When you put
the cap back on, turn it to the right
(clockwise)
until you hear a clicking sound. Make sure you
fully install the cap. The diagnostic system can determine if
the fuel cap has been left off or improperly installed. This
would allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. See
“Malfunction Indicator Lamp”
in the Index.
NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you. If you get
the wrong type, it may not
fit properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light
and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged. See ‘LMalfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor. You can
be badly burned and your vehicle damaged
if this
occurs.
To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into
approved containers.
Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in
a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
inside of the
fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.
0 Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
0 Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline.
6-8
I
ProCarManuals.com

Checking Things Under the Hood
I I A CAUTION:
If your vehicle has air conditioning, the auxiliary
engine 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.
I
A CAUTION:
I
I
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline or
diesel fuel, oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield
washer and other fluids, 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.
6-9
ProCarManuals.com

Hood Release
To open the hood, first
pull the handle inside
the vehicle.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and pull up on the
secondary hood release, located just to the passenger’s
side of the center
of the grill.
Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all filler caps
are on
properly. Pull down the hood and close it firmly.
6-10
ProCarManuals.com