Using an owner's manual

Part 1. Preparation and safety

Objective

• Use an owner's manual to make sure that the correct lubricant specifications are used when servicing the vehicle.

Personal safety

Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:

• Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear
• Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks
• Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs
• Hand protection - such as rubber gloves and barrier cream
• Respiratory equipment - such as face masks and valved respirators

If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.

Safety check

• Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.

Points to note

• The vehicle manufacturer supplies owner's manuals to the vehicle's first or original owners.
• The information contained in an owner's manual provides the owner with information on:
  • All features of that particular vehicle
  • How to operate all vehicle controls and accessories
  • How to use vehicle security PIN codes
  • Warranty and service information
  • Basic vehicle specifications
  • Fuel, lubricant and coolant capacities
  • Tire changing, jacking and towing information
  • List of service outlets
• The layout and amount of detail in an owner's manual will vary according to the manufacturer and age of the vehicle. The procedure to use the manual, however, will be common to all manuals.

Part 2: Step-by-step instruction

1. Understand information required
   Decide what information it is that you need to know. About the job and about the vehicle. In this example, the job is to change the engine oil in this vehicle. Make sure you know the make, model and year of manufacture of the vehicle, and the type and size of the engine. In order to change the oil you need to know the engine oil specifications. How much oil to put in, and what grade of oil.
2. Locate the appropriate manual
   This kind of information is most readily found in the vehicle ‘s owner’s manual. Find the owner’s Manual – this is usually kept in the glove compartment. Open the Owner’s Manual to the first page which usually has a Table of Contents, or a section breakdown to help you quickly find the information you need. In this case it’s an older model car, and the Index is in the front of the manual.
3. Locate the correct section
   From the list of Chapters, or Sections, choose the section, which deals with the engine oil. Here it’s titled “Motor Oil”. Follow the directions to the correct page, and turn to that page.
4. Locate the specifications
   In this case the page is headed “Fuel, Oil and Coolant Recommendations”. Identify from this page the correct grade of motor oil for this vehicle. The Manual refers you to another Page for the fuel and lubricant capacities – so turn to that page. The Chart tells you all of the vehicle’s lubricant specifications. Find the correct specifications for the engine crankcase oil, and make a note of these. Flip back one page to find the Refill Capacities. The eight-cylinder engine requires five quarts or 4.8 liters of oil. A more recent Owner’s Manual will have a table of Contents or a section breakdown in the front with a Section or Chapter on Specifications.
5. Use the index as alternative
   Another way of using a more recent Owner’s Manual is to refer to the Index at the back of the book. Look under ‘E’ for Engine, and find Engine Oil, or Look under ‘L’ for Lubricants or ‘O’ for Oil. All of them should refer you to the same place. We are now ready to begin servicing the vehicle.