1996 Pontiac Trans Sport Owner's Manual - Page 258

You can be injured and your vehicle could be damaged if you try to do service work on a .' vehicle without knowing enough ab'out it.-;-: i ...' .. Be sure you have sufficient knowledge, ' :. experience, and the proper replacement . ; parts and tools before you attempt any ,,: . y vehicle maintenance task. . '5 ,;:.,;i . 0 Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and .':ir other fasteners. "English" and "metric" fasteners canbe easily confused. If you use the wrong fasteners, parts can later break :,it : I -; or fall off. could be hurt. You . s-.'! 'I _I : - I " ' I ~ t .' I . , -+..< i:, /* . 1 - ' ? >z : + '1. . ~ Fuel Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications ASTM D4814 in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93 in Canada. Improved gasolinesplecifications have been developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) forbetter 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 theposted octane is at least 87. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noisewhen you drive. If it's bad enough, it can damage your engine. If you're using fuel rated at 87 octane or higher and you still hear heavy knoclung, 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, to and you don't have tobuy a higher octane fuel get rid of pinging. It's the heavy, constant knockthat means you have a problem. If your vehi'cleis 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 panelmay turn on and/or your vehicle may fail a smog-check test.If this occurs,return to your authorized Pontiac dealer for diagnosis to determine the cause of failure. In the eventit is determinedthat the cause of the conditionis the type of fuels used, repairs may not be covered by yourwarranty.