service SATURN ION 2004 Owner's Guide

Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid:Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades:Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps:Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires:They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts:What is the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps:Do you have up-to-date maps?
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Do not let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can
leave the road inless than a second,and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service or parking area and take a nap, get some
exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
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Vehicles Equipped with VTi Variable
Transaxle
If you press too hard on the accelerator pedal, you may
not be able to shift into DRIVE (D) or REVERSE (R).
If this happens, release the accelerator pedal, then shift
to the gear you want.
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-5.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle – such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your vehicle
with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly towing”
(towing your vehicle with two wheels on the ground and
two wheels up on a device known as a “dolly”).With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy
Towing” and “Dolly Towing” following in this section.
Here are some important things to consider before you
do recreational vehicle towing:
What’s the towing capacity of the towing vehicle?
Be sure you read the tow vehicle manufacturer’s
recommendations.
How far will you tow? Some vehicles have
restrictions on how far and how long they can tow.
Do you have the proper towing equipment?
See your dealer or trailering professional for
additional advice and equipment recommendations.
Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as you
would prepare your vehicle for a long trip, you’ll
want to make sure your vehicle is prepared to be
towed. SeeBefore Leaving on a Long Trip on
page 4-22.
Dinghy Towing (Five-Speed Automatic
Transaxle and VTi Variable Transaxle)
Your vehicle was not designed to be towed with all four
wheels on the ground. Your vehicle may be towed
from the front with two of its wheels on the ground, or
with car carrier equipment. See “Dolly Towing” later
in this section.
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Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. SeeScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4for more information. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transaxle
uid (don’t overll), engine oil, axle lubricant, drive belt,
cooling system and brake system. Each of these is
covered in this manual, and the Index will help you nd
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. SeeEngine Overheating on
page 5-29.
Changing a Tire When Trailer Towing
If you get a at tire while towing a trailer, be sure
to secure the trailer and disconnect it from the vehicle
before changing the tire.
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Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling Your Tank............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-22
Automatic Transaxle Fluid..............................5-24
Manual Transaxle Fluid..................................5-25
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-25
Engine Coolant.............................................5-26Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-29
Engine Overheating.......................................5-29
Cooling System............................................5-32
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-37
Brakes........................................................5-38
Battery........................................................5-41
Jump Starting...............................................5-42
Headlamp Aiming...........................................5-47
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-48
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-48
Headlamps (Sedan)......................................5-48
Headlamps (Coupe)......................................5-50
Front Turn Signal Lamps (Sedan)...................5-51
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps
(Coupe)...................................................5-53
Fog Lamps..................................................5-53
Sidemarker Lamps (Coupe)............................5-54
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-55
Taillamps, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps........5-55
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-56
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
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Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-57
Tires..............................................................5-58
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-66
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-68
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-69
Buying New Tires.........................................5-70
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-71
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-72
Wheel Replacement......................................5-72
Tire Chains..................................................5-74
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-75
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-76
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-86
Appearance Care............................................5-87
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-87
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-89
Weatherstrips...............................................5-90Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-90
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-92
Finish Damage.............................................5-92
Underbody Maintenance................................5-92
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-92
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-93
Vehicle Identication......................................5-94
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-94
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-94
Electrical System............................................5-95
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-95
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-95
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-95
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-95
Capacities and Specications........................5-102
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
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Service
Your Saturn retailer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you will go to your
retailer for all your service needs. You will get genuine
Saturn parts and Saturn-trained and supported
service people.
We hope you will want to keep your Saturn vehicle all
Saturn.
Genuine Saturn parts have one of these marks.
California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems
(including some inside the vehicle), many uids, and
some component wear by-products contain and/or emit
these chemicals.
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Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you
will 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,
seeService Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-10.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, seeServicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-58.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-18.
{CAUTION:
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)

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 airow 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.
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Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
If your vehicle has the 2.2L L4 engine, use regular
unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or higher.
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.
A little pinging noise when you accelerate or drive uphill
is considered normal. This does not indicate a problem
exists or that a higher-octane fuel is necessary.
If you are using 87 octane or higher-octane fuel and
hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
If your vehicle has the 2.0L Supercharged engine, use
premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
91 or higher for best performance. You may also
use middle grade or regular unleaded gasoline rated
at 87 octane or higher, but your vehicle’s acceleration
may be slightly reduced. 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 Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide
Fuel Charter which is available from the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers at
www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline
meeting these specications 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
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Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does
not recommend the use of such gasolines. Fuels
containing MMT can reduce the life of spark plugs and
the performance of the emission control system may
be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized Saturn retailer
for service.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 nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
be covered by your warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.
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When to Change Engine Oil
(GM Oil Life System)
Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know
when to change the engine oil and lter. This is
based on engine revolutions and engine temperature,
and not on mileage. Based on driving conditions,
the mileage at which an oil change will be indicated
can vary considerably. For the oil life system to
work properly, you must reset the system every time
the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has been
diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is
necessary. A CHG OIL message will come on.
SeeChange Engine Oil Message on page 3-43for
more information on this message. Change your oil as
soon as possible within the next two times you stop
for fuel. It is possible that, if you are driving under the
best conditions, the oil life system may not indicate
that an oil change is necessary for over a year.However, your engine oil and lter must be changed at
least once a year and at this time the system must
be reset. Your retailer has trained service people who
will perform this work using genuine Saturn parts
and reset the system. It is also important to check your
oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must
change your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your
last oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system
whenever the oil is changed.
How to Reset the Oil Life System
The GM Oil Life System calculates when to change
your engine oil and lter based on vehicle use.
Anytime your oil is changed, reset the system so it can
calculate when the next oil change is required. If a
situation occurs where you change your oil prior to the
CHG OIL message being turned on, reset the system.
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