Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

& NOTES

b NOTES
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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.
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6-5 1 Service
Fuel
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Engine Coolant
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery Bulb Replacement
Headlamp Aiming
Tires Appearance Care 6-5
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6-72 Cleaning the
Inside of Your Vehicle
Cleaning the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Underbody Maintenance Chemical Paint Spotting
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System
Removing the Rear Seat Cushion
Replacement Bulbs Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
Engine Specifications
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts Vehicle Dimensions
6-1

Service
Your 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:
Genuine
Parts
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper Aurora 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

Fuel
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 retailer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle. Use premium unleaded
gasoline rated at 91 octane or
higher for best performance. You may use middle grade
or regular unleaded gasolines, but your vehicle may not
accelerate as well.
At a minimum, the gasoline
you use 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 91 (at
least 89 for middle grade and 87 for regular).
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 the recommended 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 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.

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 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 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
Aurora retailer for service. 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.
I 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.
6-4

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
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
LlH 8P7
Filling Your Tank
,A CAUTION: I
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.
I I
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The cap is behind a hinged door on the left side of
your vehicle.
The remote fuel door release can help keep your fuel
tank from being siphoned. Always be sure the fuel door
is closed and latched after refueling.
To open the fuel door (on
the driver's side of the
vehicle), press the button
next to the trunk release
button, to the right of the
steering column. The
ignition does not need to
be
on. The remote fuel door
release will work in all
transaxle positions. The fuel
door can
be opened
manually in case
of an
electrical power failure. To
do so, first open the trunk.
The release mechanism is
on the driver's side
of the
vehicle, at the top
of the
trunk compartment. Pull
the tab toward you to
release the
fuel door.
NOTICE:
Prying on a locked fuel filler door could damage
it. Use the remote fuel door manual release
located
in the trunk.
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To remove the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise). The cap has a spring in it; if
you let go of the cap too soon, it will spring back
to the right.
While refueling, hang the tethered cap from the hook
on the fuel door.
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites
it, you could be badly burned.
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.
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
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.
6-7

NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your retailer 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 “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
FYng a Portable Fuel Container
I-
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
I
!
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.
Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under the Hood
An electric 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.
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