service OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 2003 Workshop Manual

9. Connect the other end
of the negative
(-)
cable at least 18 inches
(45 cm) away from
the dead battery, but not near engine
parts that move.
The electrical connection is just as good there, and
the chance
of sparks getting back to the battery
is much less.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Notice: Damage to your vehicle may result from
electrical shorting
if jumper cables are removed
incorrectly.
To prevent electrical shorting, take care
that the cables don’t touch each other or any
other metal. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
5-48

Carrier Assembly-Differential
(Rear Drive Module)
When to Check and Change Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant and when to change it. See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on page 6-4.
How to Check Lubricant
If the level is below the bottom of the filler plug hole,
you’ll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level
to the bottom of the filler plug hole.
A fluid loss could indicate a problem; check and have it
repaired,
if needed.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of lubricant to use. See Part D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page
6-16.
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.
5-51

Tires
Your new vehicle comes with high-quality tires made by
a leading tire manufacturer.
If you ever have questions
about your tire warranty and where to obtain service,
see your Oldsmobile Warranty booklet for details.
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires
are dangerous.
Overloading your tires can cause
overheating as a result of too much
friction. You could have an air-out and a
serious accident. See “Loading Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
CAUTION: (Continued]
0 Underinflated tires pose the same danger
as overloaded tires. The resulting accident
could cause serious injury. Check all tires
frequently to maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure should be checked
when your tires are cold.
Overinflated tires are more likely to be
cut, punctured or broken by a sudden impact
- such as when you hit a pothole.
Keep tires at the recommended pressure.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents.
If your tread is badly worn, or if your
tires have been damaged, replace them.
5-60

Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles (12 500 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires
as soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. See
When It Is Time
for New Tires on page
5-63 and Wheel Replacement
on page
5-66 for more information.
Make sure the spare tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to rotate or turn the tire,
If it moves, use the
folding wrench to tighten the cable. See
Changing a Flat
Tire on page
5-70.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The first rotation
is the most important. See “Part A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services,” in Section
6, for scheduled
rotation intervals.
I,‘
/I
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
5-62

Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Certificationflire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had a
Tire Petformance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread design,
the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS” (for mud
and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same
size, load range, speed rating and construction type
(bias, bias-belted or radial) as your original tires. Mixing tires coul-.
Lause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires
of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels. It’s
all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily,
it was developed
for use on your vehicle. See “Compact Spare
Tire”
in the index.
If you use bias-ply
1 1s on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles
of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
5-64

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance.
(This applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to
12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
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Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1
5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction - AA, A, 9, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
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5-65

Accessory Inflator
Your vehicle may have an air inflator. With it, you can
inflate things like air mattresses and basketballs,
and you can also use it to bring your tires up to the
proper pressure.
The air inflator is located in the rear compartment on
the driver’s side. To remove the cover, pull the tab
on the cover and pull it
off.
This is the switch for
the air inflator.
There may be an air inflator kit stored in the glove box.
It includes a 20-foot
(6 m) hose with an air pressure
gage and nozzle adapters.
....___ ting something too much can make it
explode, and you or others could be injured.
Be sure to read the inflator instructions, and
inflate any object only
to its recommended
pressure.
To use your air inflator system, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
2. Attach the appropriate nozzle adapter, if required,
to the end
of the hose that has the pressure gage.
3. Attach that end of the hose to the object you wish
to inflate.
4. Remove the protective cap covering the outlet.
5. Attach the other end of the hose to the outlet.
6. Press the accessory inflator switch. The light in the
switch will come on to show the system is working.
If the air inflator system does not turn on or the
light does not come on, the fuse may be blown or
installed incorrectly. See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 5-96 or see your dealer for service.
5-68

Aluminum Wheels
Keep your wheels clean using a soft clean cloth
with mild soap and water. Rinse with clean water.
After rinsing thoroughly, dry with a soft clean towel.
A wax may then be applied.
The surface of these wheels is similar to the painted
surface of your vehicle. Don’t use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes, abrasive cleaners,
cleaners with acid, or abrasive cleaning brushes on
them because you could damage the surface.
Do not
use chrome polish on aluminum wheels.
Don’t take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicone carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage the surface of these wheels
Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with tire cleaner.
Notice: When applying a tire dressing, always take
care to wipe
off any overspray or splash from all
painted surfaces on the body or wheels of the
vehicle. Petroleum-based products may damage the
paint finish and tires.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Original manufacturer replacement parts will provide the
corrosion protection while maintaining the warranty.
Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches in the
finish should be repaired right away. Bare metal
will corrode quickly and may develop into major repair
expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch-up
materials avaliable from your dealer or other service
outlets. Larger areas
of finish damage can be corrected
in your dealer’s body and paint shop.
5-92

Vehicle Identification
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
This is the legal identifier for your vehicle. It appears
on a plate in the front corner of the instrument panel,
on the driver’s side. You can see it if you
look through
the windshield from outside your vehicle. The VIN
also appears on the Vehicle Certification and Service
Parts labels and the certificates of title and registration.
Engine Identification
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This code will help you identify your engine,
specifications and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identification Label
You’ll find this label on the inside of the glove box door.
It’s very helpful
if you ever need to order parts.
On this label is:
0 your VIN,
the model designation,
0 paint information and
0 a list of all production options and special
equipment.
Be sure that this label is not removed from the vehicle.
5-95

Section 6 Maintenance Schedule
Maintenance Schedule ...................................... 6.2
Introduction
................................................... 6.2
Your Vehicle and the Environment
.................... 6-2
Maintenance Requirements
.............................. 6.2
How This Section is Organized
......................... 6.3
Part
A: Scheduled Maintenance Services ........... 6.4
Scheduled Maintenance
................................... 6-5
Part
B: Owner Checks and Services ................ 6-10
At Each Fuel Fill .......................................... 6-10
At Least Once a Month ................................. 6-10
At Least Twice a Year ................................... 6-10
At Least Once a Year ................................... 6-11
Using Your Maintenance
Schedule
.................... 6.4
Part C: Periodic Maintenance Inspections
......... 6-14 Steering.
Suspension and Front Drive Axle
Boot and Seal Inspection
............................ 6.14
Exhaust System Inspection
............................ 6.14
Fuel System Inspection
.................................. 6.14
Engine Cooling System Inspection
................... 6.14
Throttle System Inspection
............................. 6.15
Transfer Case (Power Transfer Unit) and
Carrier Assembly-Differential
(Rear Drive Module) All-Wheel Drive
Inspection
................................................ 6.15
Brake System Inspection
................................ 6.15
Part D: Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants
................................................ 6.16
Part
E: Maintenance Record ........................... 6.18
6-
1