maintenance OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2003 Owners Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: OLDSMOBILE, Model Year: 2003, Model line: AURORA, Model: OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2003Pages: 387, PDF Size: 18.05 MB
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The 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts
.............................................. 4 -8
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-28
Air Bag Systems
...................................... 1-47
Restraint System Check
............................ 1-55
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
...................................... 2-10
Windows
................................................. 2-1 7
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-1 9
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
........... 2-23
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-35
Onstar@ System
...................................... 2-39
HomeLink@ Transmitter
............................. 2-41
Storage Areas
......................................... 2-45
Sunroof
.................................................. 2-47
venicie Personaiization
............................. 2-48
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-23
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
......... 3-30
D!%%?r !!?formatior! Center (D!C) .................. u 12-AK -rJ
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-59 Driving
Your Vehicle
....................................... 4-1
Your Driving. the Road. and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Service and Appearance Care
.......................... 5-1
Towing
................................................... 4-33
Service
............................... ;. .................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under
the Hood
............................................. 5-12
Headlamp Aiming
..................................... 5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
= ~ iI I I 5-59
Tires ...................................................... 5-60
Appearance Care
..................................... 5-82
Vehicle Identification
................................. 5-90
Electrical System
...................................... 5-91
Capacities and Specifications
................... 5-1 00
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information
.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Bulb
Replacement
.................................... 5-54
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
.... 5-101
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
I-- -I ~ a lnQex ................................................................. 1
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Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air
bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Notice: If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s air bag, or the air
bag covering on the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s air bag, or both the air bag module
and seatback for the driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service
manual have information about servicing your vehicle
and the air bag systems.
To purchase a service manual,
see
Service Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-9.
or up to IO seco s after tl lition y is
turned
off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can
still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close to
an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air
bag system. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to do
so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
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Page 62 of 387

Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired. Torn
or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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Page 153 of 387

This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The
CHECK ENGINE light comes on to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice: If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may not be covered by your warranty.
Notice: Modifications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test. This light should
come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition
is on and the engine is
not running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one
of two ways:
Light Flashing - A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center
diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady - An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
* Avoiding hard accelerations.
b Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
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Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the CHECK
ENGINE light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving.
If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, see your dealer or qualified service
center to prepare the vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
If you have a problem with
your
oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on when
you are driving.
A warning chime and the DIC message
LOW OIL
PRESSURE may also come on.
These indicate that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it cool. The engine could be
low on oil, or could have some other oil problem. Have
it fixed right away.
The oil light could also come on briefly when the ignition
is on but the engine is not running. The light will
come on as a test to show you it is working, but the
light will go out about five seconds after you turn
the ignition to START.
If it doesn’t come on with the
ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse
or bulb. Have it fixed right away.
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Page 161 of 387

Oil Life
The GM Oil Life SystemTM is the only function accessible
in the OIL mode. Engine oil life is displayed in a
reading such as the following:
OIL LIFE 30%
This is an estimate of the oil’s remaining useful life. It
will show
100% when the system is reset after an
oil change. It will alert you to change your oil on a
schedule consistent with your driving conditions.
When the remaining
oil life is low, the system will alert
you with this message:
CHANGE OIL
SOON
Always reset the OIL LIFE reminder after an oil change.
To reset the oil life system, see “How to Reset the
Oil Life System” under
Engine Oil on page 5-75.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE yourself after
each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE accidentally at any
time other than when the oil has just been changed. It
can’t be reset accurately until the next oil change.
The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual.
Also, the oil change reminder will not
detect dusty conditions or engine malfunctions that may
affect the oil. If you drive
in dusty areas, change your
oil after every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or three months,
whichever occurs first, unless the DIC instructs you
to do
so sooner. Also, the oil change reminder does not
measure how much oil you have in your engine.
So,
be sure to check your oil level often. See Engine Oil on
page 5- 15.
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Page 232 of 387

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
start your engine,
shift into a gear, and
release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, drive belt, cooling system
and brake system.
Each of these
is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering,
it’s
a good idea to review this information before you
start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See
Engine Overheating on
page
5-28.
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Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Appearance Care ......................................
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle ...............
Weatherstrips .............................................
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle ............
Sheet Metal Damage ...................................
Finish Damage ...........................................
Underbody Maintenance ..............................
Chemical Paint Spotting ...............................
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials .........
Care of Safety Belts ....................................
-5-82
. 5.82
. 5.84
. 5.84
. 5.85
. 5.87
. 5.87
. 5.87
-5-87
. 5.88
Vehicle Identification ...................................... 5.90
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
................. 5-90
Service Parts Identification Label
.................... 5-90
Electrical System
........................................... 5-91
Add-on Electrical Equipment
......................... 5-91
Windshield Wiper Fuses
................................ 5-91
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
........................... 5-92
Removing the Rear Seat Cushion ................... 5-95
Capacities and Specifications
........................ 5-100
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ......... 5-101
Headlamp
Wiring
.......................................... 5-91
Power Windows and Other Power Options
....... 5-91
5-2
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Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want
to use the proper 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 Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-9.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page
1-54.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Part E: Maintenance Record on page 6- 16.
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.
5-4
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Page 238 of 387

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
87 or higher. However, for best performance and for
trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade
or premium unleaded gasoline.
If the octane is less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you
drive.
If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane
or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might
damage your engine.
Gasoline Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association and endorsed by the
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association for better
vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasoline
meeting these specifications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
“Auto Makers’ Choice”
label on the pump.
Canada Only
5-5
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