2006 Pontiac GTO Owner's Manual - Page 225

Brakes Brake Fluid Your brake master cylinder reservoir is filled with DOT-4 brake fluid. See Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12 for the location of the reservoir. {CAUTION: If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill on the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine is hot enough. You or others could be burned, and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake fluid only when work is done on the brake hydraulic system. See "Checking Brake Fluid" in this section. When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake warning light will come on. See Brake System Warning Light on page 3-27. There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in the reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in, the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is that fluid is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you should have your brake system fixed, since a leak means that sooner or later your brakes will not work well, or will not work at all. So, it is not a good idea to top off your brake fluid. Adding brake fluid will not correct a leak. If you add fluid when your linings are worn, then you will have too much fluid when you get new brake linings. You should add or remove brake fluid, as necessary, only when work is done on the brake hydraulic system. Checking Brake Fluid You can check the brake fluid without taking off the cap. Look at the brake fluid reservoir. The fluid level should be between the MIN and MAX marks on the reservoir. If it is not, have your brake system checked to see if there is a leak. After work is done on the brake hydraulic system, make sure the level is between the MIN and MAX marks. 5-35