OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS 1997 Owners Manual

& NOTES
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& NOTES
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& NOTES
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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your Oldsmobile. This section begins with service and fuel
information, and then it shows how to check important fluid an\
d lubricant levels. There is also technical information
about your vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.\

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6-33 Doing
Your Own Service Work
What Kind of Fuel to Use
Using Fuel in Foreign Countries Where to Put the Fuel and Filling the Tank
Checking Things Under the Hood
Checking Your Engine Oil
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Engine Coolant
Where to Fill the Windshield Washer Fluid
Important Brake Information
Infomation on Your Vehicle’s Battery
Tips on Vehicle Storage
Bulb Replacement Procedures
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement How and When to Check Tire Inflation When
it is
Time to Buy New Tires
Wheel Alignment Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
Care of the Safety Belts
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
How to Clean Aluminum Wheels
Underbody Maintenance
Recornended Appearance Care Materials
Your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
The Electrical System
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Replacement Bulb Types for Your Vehicle
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Specifications
Normal Replacement Parts
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Service
Your Oldsmobile 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:
El”
n
Delco
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to get the proper Oldsmobile Service Manual. It
tells you much more about how to service your
Oldsmobile 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 Oldsmobile” 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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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 andor your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Oldsmobile 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
methylcyclopentadlenyl manganese tricarbonyl
("T);
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
Oldsmobile 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.
s
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.
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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 International Product Center
1908 Colonel
Sam Drive
Oshawa. Ontario
L1H 8P7
Filling Your Tank
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.
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The cap is behind a hinged door on the right side of your
vehicle.
To open the door, insert your finger into the
finger depression
in the fuel door.
While refueling, hang the tethered cap inside the
‘fuel door.
To take off 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.
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 fnll, 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 Oldsmobile” 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.
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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.
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. Things
that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop
OF spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.
The following sections tell you how to check fluids,
lubricants and important parts under the hood.
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull
the hood release handle
inside the vehicle.
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