service Oldsmobile Aurora 1997 s Owner's Guide

Service Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your
own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Aurora” 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.
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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.
Your Aurora retailer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you’ll
go to your
retailer 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 Aurora Service Manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your Aurora than
this manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
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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 Aurora retailer before adding equipment to the
outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 91 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 for premium is at least 9 1. If
the octane is less than 9
1, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive. (In an emergency, you may be
able to use a lower octane
-- as low as 87 -- if heavy
knocking does not occur.)
If you’re using 91 or higher
octane unleaded gasoline and you hear heavy knocking,
your engine needs service.
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 Aurora retailer 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.
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 recornend 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 affkcted. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized
Aurora retailer for service.
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Engine Oil Additives
Don’t add anything to your oil. Your Aurora retailer 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 trip/city
maintenance schedule:
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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. (See “Change Oil Message’’ in the Index.)
If
the CHANGE OIL NOW message appears in the Driver
Information Center, you should change your oil.
If none of them is
true, use the long triphighway
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.
(See “Change Oil Message” in the Index.) Always reset
the engine oil life to 100% after every oil change.
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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 retailer, a service station or a local recycling
center for help.
Air Cleaner
To Check or Replace the Air Filter:
1. Remove hose from resonator channel.
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6. Remove the air filter. 5. Unsnap the two clamps by pushing down on
the top
of the air cleaner cover and pushing in on the
clamps toward the center
of the cover. Then remove
the cover. 7. Install the new air filter and reverse all steps to
reinstall the cover, electrical wires, duct and clamp.
Be sure
the tabs of the air cleaner cover fit into the
slots
of the air cleaner housing. Then make sure both
clamps are
fully engaged.
Refer
to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when to
replace the air filter.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services”
in the Index.
6- 17

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.
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.
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle 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 is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90 OF (32 O C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If 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.
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How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Aurora retail facility
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.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which
is 180°F to 200°F (82°C
to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about
15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50°F
(10°C). If it's colder than 50°F (lO"C), you may have
to drive longer.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle.
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
transaxle fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level if
you have been driving:
0 When outside temperatures are above 90 OF (32 O C).
0 At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
Checking the Fluid Level
Park your vehicle on a level place. keep the
engine running.
With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
in PARK
(P).
With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).
0 Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.

What to Use I
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you use
only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result.
In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs
first. Damage caused by the use
of coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half
DEX-COOL@ coolant which
won’t damage aluminum
parts. If you use this mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else. A special procedure
is required for adding sealer; see the Aurora Service
Manual.
(To order a service manual, see “Service
Publications’’ in the Index.)
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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@ coolant.
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NOTICE:
Using the wrong fluid can badly damage
brake system parts. For example, just
a few
drops
of mineral-based oil, such as engine
oil, in your brake system can damage brake
system parts
so badly that they’ll have to be
replaced. Don’t let someone put in the
wrong kind of fluid.
If you spill brake fluid on your vehicle’s
painted surfaces, the paint finish can be
damaged. Be careful not to spill brake fluid
on your vehicle.
If you do, wash it off
immediately. See “Appearance Care” in
the Index.
Brake Wear
Your Aurora has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when
the brake pads are worn
and new pads are needed. The sound may come and go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except when
you are pushing on the brake pedal fiily).
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.

Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, take off the black, negative
(-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
r ning down.
A CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful. See
“Jump Starting” in the Index
for tips on working around
a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your retailer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature”
in the Index.
Bulb Replacement
For any bulb changing procedure not listed in this
section, contact your Aurora retailer’s service
department.
For the type of bulb to
use, see “Replacement Bulbs” in
the Index.
Halogen Bulbs
I A CAUTION:
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside and
can burst if you drop or scratch the bulb.
You or
others could be injured. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions on the bulb package.