that the oil has been certified by the American Petro-
leum Institute (API) to meet all the lubrication
requirements specified by DaimlerChrysler Corpora-
tion.

GEAR LUBRICANTS

SAE ratings also apply to multigrade gear lubri-

cants. In addition, API classification defines the
lubricants usage. Such as API GL-5 and SAE 75W-
90.

FLUID TYPES

DESCRIPTION

ENGINE OIL

WARNING: NEW OR USED ENGINE OIL CAN BE
IRRITATING TO THE SKIN. AVOID PROLONGED OR
REPEATED SKIN CONTACT WITH ENGINE OIL.
CONTAMINANTS IN USED ENGINE OIL, CAUSED BY
INTERNAL COMBUSTION, CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO
YOUR HEALTH. THOROUGHLY WASH EXPOSED
SKIN WITH SOAP AND WATER. DO NOT WASH
SKIN WITH GASOLINE, DIESEL FUEL, THINNER, OR
SOLVENTS, HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN RESULT. DO
NOT POLLUTE, DISPOSE OF USED ENGINE OIL
PROPERLY. CONTACT YOUR DEALER OR GOVERN-
MENT AGENCY FOR LOCATION OF COLLECTION
CENTER IN YOUR AREA.

When service is required, DaimlerChrysler Corpo-

ration recommends that only Mopar

t brand parts,

lubricants and chemicals be used. Mopar

t provides

the

best

engineered

products

for

servicing

DaimlerChrysler Corporation vehicles.

Only lubricants bearing designations defined by

the following organization should be used.

• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

• American Petroleum Institute (API)

• National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI)

• Association des Constructeurs Européens d’

Automobiles (European Automobile Manufacturers
Association) (ACEA)

API SERVICE GRADE CERTIFIED

Use an engine oil that is API Certified (GF-3).

Mopar

t provides engine oils, meeting Material Stan-

dard MS-6395, that meet or exceed this requirement.

SAE VISCOSITY

An SAE viscosity grade is used to specify the vis-

cosity of engine oil. Use only engine oils with multi-
ple viscosities such as 5W-30 or 10W-30. These are
specified with a dual SAE viscosity grade which indi-
cates the cold-to-hot temperature viscosity range.
Select an engine oil that is best suited to your par-
ticular temperature range and variation (Fig. 3).

ACEA CATEGORIES

For countries that use the ACEA European Oil

Categories for service fill oils, use engine oils that
meet the requirements of ACEA A1/B1, A2/B2, or
A3/B3.

Fig. 2 API Symbol

0 - 2

LUBRICATION & MAINTENANCE

PARTS & LUBRICANT RECOMMENDATION (Continued)

ENERGY CONSERVING OIL

An Energy Conserving type oil is recommended for

gasoline engines. The designation of ENERGY CON-
SERVING is located on the label of an engine oil con-
tainer.

CONTAINER IDENTIFICATION

Standard engine oil identification notations have

been adopted to aid in the proper selection of engine
oil. The identifying notations are located on the front
label of engine oil plastic bottles and the top of
engine oil cans (Fig. 4).

This symbol means that the oil has been certified

by the American Petroleum Institute (API). Diamler-
Chrysler only recommends API Certified (GF-3)
engine oils that meet the requirements of Material
Standard MS-6395. Use Mopar

t or an equivalent oil

meeting the specification MS-6395.

SYNTHETIC ENGINE OILS

There are a number of engine oils being promoted

as either synthetic or semi-synthetic. If you chose to
use such a product, use only those oils that meet the
American Petroleum Institute (API) and SAE viscos-
ity

standard.

the

service

schedule

that

describes your driving type.

ENGINE OIL ADDITIVES/SUPPLEMENTS

The manufacturer does not recommend the addi-

tion of any engine oil additives/supplements to the
specified engine oil. Engine oil additives/supplements

should not be used to enhance engine oil perfor-
mance. Engine oil additives/supplements should not
be used to extend engine oil change intervals. No
additive is known to be safe for engine durability and
can degrade emission components. Additives can con-
tain undesirable materials that harm the long term
durability of engines by:

• Doubling the level of Phosphorus in the engine

oil. The ILSAC (International Lubricant Standard
Approval Committee) GF-2 and GF-3 standards
require that engine oil contain no more than 0.10%
Phosphorus to protect the vehicles emissions perfor-
mance. Addition of engine oil additives/supplements
can poison, from the added sulfur and phosphorus,
catalysts and hinder efforts to guarantee emissions
performance to 80,000 miles.

• Altering the viscosity characteristics of the

engine oil so that it no longer meets the require-
ments of the specified viscosity grade.

• Creating potential for an undesirable additive

compatibility interaction in the engine crankcase.
Generally it is not desirable to mix additive packages
from different suppliers in the crankcase; there have
been reports of low temperature engine failures
caused by additive package incompatibility with such
mixtures.

ENGINE COOLANT

WARNING: ANTIFREEZE IS AN ETHYLENE GLYCOL
BASE COOLANT AND IS HARMFUL IF SWAL-
LOWED OR INHALED. IF SWALLOWED, DRINK
TWO GLASSES OF WATER AND INDUCE VOMIT-
ING. IF INHALED, MOVE TO FRESH AIR AREA.
SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT
STORE IN OPEN OR UNMARKED CONTAINERS.
WASH SKIN AND CLOTHING THOROUGHLY AFTER
COMING IN CONTACT WITH ETHYLENE GLYCOL.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DISPOSE OF
GLYCOL BASE COOLANT PROPERLY, CONTACT
YOUR DEALER OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOR
LOCATION OF COLLECTION CENTER IN YOUR
AREA. DO NOT OPEN A COOLING SYSTEM WHEN
THE ENGINE IS AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE OR
HOT UNDER PRESSURE, PERSONAL INJURY CAN
RESULT. AVOID RADIATOR COOLING FAN WHEN
ENGINE COMPARTMENT RELATED SERVICE IS
PERFORMED, PERSONAL INJURY CAN RESULT.

CAUTION: Use of Propylene Glycol based coolants
is not recommended, as they provide less freeze
protection and less boiling protection.

The cooling system is designed around the coolant.

The coolant must accept heat from engine metal, in
the cylinder head area near the exhaust valves and

Fig. 3 Temperature/Engine Oil Viscosity

Fig. 4 API Certification Mark

LUBRICATION & MAINTENANCE

0 - 3

FLUID TYPES (Continued)

engine block. Then coolant carries the heat to the
radiator where the tube/fin radiator can transfer the
heat to the air.

The use of aluminum cylinder blocks, cylinder

heads, and water pumps requires special corrosion
protection.

Mopar

Antifreeze/Coolant,

Year/100,000 Mile Formula (MS-9769), or the equiva-
lent ethylene glycol base coolant with hybrid organic
corrosion inhibitors (called HOAT, for Hybrid Organic
Additive Technology) is recommended. This coolant
offers the best engine cooling without corrosion when
mixed with 50% Ethylene Glycol and 50% distilled
water to obtain a freeze point of -37°C (-35°F). If it
loses color or becomes contaminated, drain, flush,
and replace with fresh properly mixed coolant solu-
tion.

The green coolant MUST NOT BE MIXED with

the orange or magenta coolants. When replacing cool-
ant the complete system flush must be performed
before using the replacement coolant.

CAUTION:

Mopar

Antifreeze/Coolant,

Year/100,000 Mile Formula (MS-9769) may not be
mixed with any other type of antifreeze. Doing so
will reduce the corrosion protection and may result
in premature water pump seal failure. If non-HOAT
coolant is introduced into the cooling system in an
emergency, it should be replaced with the specified
coolant as soon as possible.

FLEXIBLE FUEL ENGINE OIL

The information in this section is for Flexible Fuel

Vehicles (FFV) only. These vehicles can be identified
by the unique Fuel Filler Door Label that states
Ethanol (E-85) or Unleaded Gasoline Only. This sec-
tion only covers those subjects that are unique to
these vehicles. Please refer to the other sections of
this manual for information on features that are
common between Flexible Fuel and gasoline only
powered vehicles.

ETHANOL FUEL (E-85)

E-85 is a mixture of approximately 85% fuel etha-

nol and 15% unleaded gasoline.

WARNING: Ethanol vapors are extremely flammable
and could cause serious personal injury. Never
have any smoking materials lit in or near the vehi-
cle when removing the fuel filler tube cap (gas cap)
or filling the tank. Do not use E-85 as a cleaning
agent and never use it near an open flame.

FUEL REQUIREMENTS

The vehicle will operate on both unleaded gasoline

with an octane rating of 87, or E-85 fuel, or any mix-
ture of these two.

For best results, a refueling pattern that alternates

between E-85 and unleaded gasoline should be
avoided. When you do switch fuels, it is recom-
mended that

• you do not switch when the fuel gauge indicates

less than 1/4 full

• you do not add less than 5 gallons when refuel-

ing

• you operate the vehicle immediately after refuel-

ing for a period of at least 5 minutes

Observing these precautions will avoid possible

hard starting and/or significant deterioration in
driveability during warm up.

FFV STARTING

The characteristics of E-85 fuel make it unsuitable

for use when ambient temperatures fall below 0°F. In
the range of 0°F to 32°F, you may experience an
increase in the time it takes for your engine to start,
and a deterioration in driveability (sags and/or hesi-
tations) until the engine is fully warmed up.

Engine Operating on E-85 Fuel

If vehicle operates on E-85 fuel either full or part-

time, use only Mopar

t Flexible Fuel 5W-30 engine oil

or an equivalent that meets DaimlerChrysler Stan-
dard MS-9214. Equivalent commercial Flexible Fuel
engine oils may be labeled as Multi-Fuel, Variable
Fuel, Flexible Fuel, etc. These engine oils may be
satisfactory if they meet the DaimlerChrysler Stan-
dard.

SAE 5W-30 engine oil is preferred for use in Flex-

ible Fuel engines.

CAUTION: If Flexible Fuel engine oil is not used
when using E-85 fuel, engine wear or damage may
result.

CRUISING RANGE

Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon

than gasoline, you will experience an increase in fuel
consumption. You can expect your MPG and your
driving range to decrease by about 30% compared to
gasoline operation.

AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE FLUID

NOTE: Refer to the maintenance schedules for the
recommended

maintenance

(fluid/filter

change)

intervals for these transaxles.

0 - 4

LUBRICATION & MAINTENANCE

FLUID TYPES (Continued)

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