checking oil GMC SIERRA 2004 Owner's Manual

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 Speci®cations....................................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.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-18
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-23
Automatic Transmission Fluid (Except Allison
Transmission
ž) ..........................................5-25
Automatic Transmission Fluid (Allison
Transmission
ž) ..........................................5-28
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-31
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-32
Engine Coolant.............................................5-33
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-36
Engine Overheating.......................................5-36Cooling System............................................5-39
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-44
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-45
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-46
Brakes........................................................5-48
Battery........................................................5-52
Jump Starting...............................................5-53
Rear Axle.......................................................5-59
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-60
Noise Control System.....................................5-62
Tampering with Noise Control System
Prohibited.................................................5-62
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-64
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-64
Headlamps..................................................5-64
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Daytime
Running Lamps.........................................5-66
Roof Marker Lamps......................................5-67
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp.............................................5-69
Pickup Box Identi®cation and Fender Marker
Lamps.....................................................5-70
Taillamps.....................................................5-71
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-74
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Checking Things Under
the Hood
{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 inside
the vehicle located
under and to the left of
the steering wheel.
5-10

Engine Oil
If your vehicle has a diesel engine, see ªEngine Oilº in
the Diesel Engine Supplement.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light appears on the
instrument cluster (except vehicles equipped with the
4.3L engine), it means you need to check your engine oil
level right away.
For more information, see
Driver Information Center
(DIC) on page 3-55.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
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.Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don't, the oil
dipstick might not show the actual level.
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.
All Other Engines
8.1L Engine
5-18

Automatic Transmission Fluid
(Except Allison Transmission
ž)
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 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:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·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,
change the ¯uid and ®lter every 100,000 miles
(166 000 km).
See
Scheduled Maintenance 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 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·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 180ÉF to 200ÉF
(82ÉC to 93ÉC).
5-25

Automatic Transmission Fluid
(Allison Transmission
ž)
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 25,000 miles
(41 500 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) 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).
See
Scheduled Maintenance 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 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic ± especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
5-28

Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Roof Marker Lamps.....................................5-67
Taillamps....................................................5-71
Buying New Tires...........................................5-89
C
California Fuel.................................................. 5-5
Canada........................................................... 7-5
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Canadian Roadside Assistance........................... 7-7
Capacities and Speci®cations..........................5-134
Car Washes for QUADRASTEERŸ Equipped
Vehicles.....................................................4-16
Carbon Monoxide...................4-47, 4-70, 2-14, 2-53
Care of
Safety Belts..............................................5-119
Your Cassette Tape Player..........................3-129
Your CD and DVD Player...........................3-131
Your CDs and DVDs..................................3-130
Cargo Lamp...................................................3-18
CARGO LAMP ON.........................................3-67
Cassette Tape Messages.................................3-98
CD Adapter Kits.............................................3-99
CD Messages.............................3-87, 3-101, 3-115
Center Console Storage Area...........................2-67
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp...............................................5-69
Center Instrument Panel Fuse Block................5-128Center Passenger Position, Safety Belts.............1-25
Chains, Tires..................................................5-94
CHANGE ENGINE OIL....................................3-68
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-49
Check Engine Light.........................................3-49
CHECK OIL LEVEL.........................................3-67
CHECK WASHER FLUID.................................3-67
Checking Brake Fluid......................................5-49
Checking Coolant............................................5-35
Checking Engine Oil........................................5-18
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-10
Checking Your Restraint Systems......................1-87
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-123
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-39
Infants and Young Children...........................1-35
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)..........................1-48
Older Children.............................................1-33
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System......................1-50, 1-51
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position...........................................1-58
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position...........................................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position...........................................1-60
Top Strap...................................................1-43
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