General Precautions

The WARNINGS below describe some general precautions that you should observe when servicing a vehicle. These general precautions apply to many of the service procedures described in this database, and they will not necessarily be repeated with each procedure to which they apply.

WARNING:

- Whenever raising a vehicle for service, be sure to follow the instructions under "VEHICLE LIFTING POINTS."

- When it is necessary to do service work with the engine running, make sure that the parking brake is set fully and the transmission is in Neutral (for manual transmission vehicles) or Park (for automatic transmission vehicles), Keep hands, hair, clothing, tools, etc. away from the fan and belts when the engine is running.

- When it is necessary to run the engine indoors, make sure that the exhaust gas is forced outdoors.

- Do not perform service work in areas where combustible materials can come in contact with a hot exhaust system. When working with toxic or flammable materials (such as gasoline and refrigerant), make sure that the area you work in is well-ventilated.

- To avoid getting burned, keep away from hot metal parts such as the radiator, exhaust manifold, tailpipe, muffler, etc.

- New and used engine oil can be hazardous. Children and pets may be harmed by swallowing new or used oil. Keep new and used oil and used engine oil filters away from children and pets. Continuous contact with used engine oil has been found to cause [skin] cancer in laboratory animals. Brief contact with used oil may irritate skin. To minimize your exposure to used engine oil, wear a long-sleeve shirt and moisture-proof gloves (such as dishwashing gloves) when changing engine oil. If engine oil contacts your skin, wash thoroughly with soap and water. Launder any clothing or rags if wet with oil. Recycle or properly dispose of used oil and filters.