PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1993 Owners Manual

Problems on the Road
bwing from the Front- I
L
A r
X6019
@hick Hook-up (SSE & SSEi ONLY) Attach a separate safety chain around
lefore hooking up to a tow truck, be the outboard end
of each control arm.
ure to read all the information on
bwing Your Pontiac earlier in this
xtion.
Do not tow with sling-type
equipment or hcia/fog light damage
will occur. Use wheel-lift or car
carrier equipment (additional
ramping may be required for car
carrier equipment). Use safety
chains and wheel straps.
To help avoid damaging a vehicle
during a tow over rough surfaces,
install a towing dolly beneath the
wheels that would otherwise be on
the ground during the tow. This
will increase clearance between the wheel-lift equipment and the
underbody
of the towed vehicle.
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lowing from the Rear-
Vehice Hook-up (ALL)
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information on
Towing Your Pontiac earlier in this
section.
1. Attach T-hook chains on both sides in
the slotted holes in the floor pan
support rails just ahead of the rear
wheels.
2. Position the lower sling crossbar
directly under the rear bumper. 3. Attach a separate safety chain around
the outboard end
of each lower
control arm.
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I' Problems on the Road
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage
or the warning light about a hot engine
on your Pontiac's instrument panel. See
the
Index under Coolant Temperature
Gage
and Coolant Temperature Warning
Light.
202
If your engine catches fire because
you keep driving with no coolant,
your vehicle can be badly
damaged. The costly repai
not be covered
by your warranty.
' Steam is Coming from Your Engine:
Steam from an overheated
, engine can burn you badly,
even
if you just open the hood. Stay
away hm the engine if you see or
hear steam coming from it. Just
turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until itmols down.
Wait until there is no sign of steam
or coolant before opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your
engine is overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fm You or-others
could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it wetheats, and get out
of the vehicle until the engine is
cool.
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If No Steam is Coming from Your
Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see
or hear no steam, the problem may not
be too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer. If you
get the overheat warning with no
sign of steam, try this for a minute or
so:
1 . Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn your heater to full hot at the
highest blower speed and open the
window as necessary.
N (Neutral).
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to
If you no longer have the overheat
warning, you can drive. Just
to be safe,
drive slower for about ten minutes.
If
the warning doesn’t come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop,
and park your vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign
of steam, you can
idle the engine for two or three minutes
while you’re parked, to see if the
warning stops. But
then,
if you still have the warning,
TURN
OFF THE ENGINE AND GET
EVERYONE OUT
OF THE VEHICLE
until it cools down. You may decide not
to lift the hood but to get service help
right away.
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Problems on the Road
Engine Overheating (CONK)
Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to
lift the
hood, here’s what you’ll see:
(A) Coolant recovery tank
(B) Radiator pressure cap
(C) Electric engine fan
An
electric fan under the hood
h can start up even when the
engine is not running and can
injure
you. Keep hands, clothing
and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant
recovery tank is boiling, don’t do
anything else
until it cools down.
The coolant level should be at or above
the
FULL COLD mark. If it isn’t, you
may have a leak
in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or
somewhere else
in the cooling system.
I I 1 Heater and radiator hoses, anc
- other engine parts, can be
very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a
leak.
If you run the engine, it
could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could
be burned. Get any leak fixed
before you drive the vehicle.
I
Engine damage from running your
engine without coolant isn’t
covered by your warranty.
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should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
How
to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank:
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but
the coolant level isn’t up to the
FULL
COLD mark, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and a
proper antifreeze at the coolant recovery
tank. See the Index under Coolant for
more information about the proper
coolant mix.
I b-Au I IUN If there seems to be no leak, check to
see
if the electric engine fan is running. Adding only plain water to
If the engine is overheating, the fan L your cooling system can be
dangerous. Plain water, or some
other liquid like alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant
mix will.
Your vehicle’s coolant
warning
,k L
You can be burned if you spill
coolant on
hot engine parts.
Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts
are
hot enough. Don’t spill coolant
on a hot engine.
system is set for the proper coolant
I
mix. With plain water or the
too hot but you wouldn’t get the
overheat warning. Your engine
could catch fm and you or others
be Use a mix
of clean water and a proper
antifreeze. When
the coolant in the coolant
COLD, start your vehicle. If the
overheat warning continues, there’s one
proper coolant mix directly
to the
more
thing you can try. You can add the
radiator, but be sure the cooling system
is cool before
you do it.
wrong
mix, Your
engine could get recovery tank is at or above FULL
I
In cold weather, water can freeze II
and crack the engine, radiator,
heater core and other
parts. Use
the recommended coolant.
I
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Problems on the Road
i '. 'k
I Engine Overheating (CONT.)
Steam and scalding liquids
From a hot cooling system can
3w out and burn you badly. They
ale under pressure, and if you turn
I thl= radiator pressure cap-even a
tle-they can come out at high
I eed. Never turn the pressure cap
when the cooling system, including
the radiator pressure cap,
is hot.
Wait for the cooling system and
radiator pressure cap to cool if you
ever have to turn. the pressure cap.
How to Add Coolant to the Radiator:
1. You can remove the radiator pressure
cap when the cooling system,
including the radiator pressure cap
and upper radiator hose, is no longer
hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly to
the left
until it first stops. (Don't
press down while turning the
pressure cap.)
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop.
A hiss means there is still some pressure
left.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap,
but now push down as you turn it.
Remove the pressure cap.
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3. Fill the radiator with the proper mix,
up to the base of the filler neck.
4. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to 5. Put the cap back on the coolant
I the FULL COLD mark. recovery
tank, but leave the radiator
pressure cap off.
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Problems on the Road
I Engine Overheating (CONT.)
6. Start the engine and let it run until
you can feel the upper radiator hose
getting hot. Watch out for the engine
fan.
7. By this time, the coolant level inside
the radiator filler neck may be lower.
If the level is lower, add more of the
proper mix through the filler neck
until the level reaches the base of the
filler neck.
8. Then replace the pressure cap. Be
sure the arrows on the pressure cap
line up like this.
Ifa Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out”
while you’re driving, especially if you
maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to
leak out slowly. But
if you should ever 1
have a “blowout:’ here are a few tips
about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will
create a drag that pulls
the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and grip the steering
wheel firmly. Steer
to maintain lane
position,
then gently brake to a stop well
out of the traffic lane.
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A rear blowout, particularly on a curve,
acts much like a skid and may require
the same correction you'd use in a skid.
In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the accelerator pedal. Get the
vehicle under control by steering the
way you want the vehicle to
go. It may
be very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer, Gently brake to a stop, well
off the road
if possible.
If your tire goes flat, the next section
shows how to use your jacking
equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Air lnflator Sysfem
Some vehicles have an air inflator for
use in bringing tires up to the proper
pressure. The air inflator is located in
the trunk. The
ON switch will work
even with the ignition off. The air
inflator comes with
a kit that
includes a 20-foot hose and an air
pressure gage, as well as instructions
and special adapters for inflating things
like an air mattress or basketball.
Inflating something too much
can make it explode, and
you
or others could be injured. Be sure
to read the inflator instructions,
and inflate any object only
to its
1 recommended pressure.
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