PONTIAC GRAND AM 1997 Owners Manual

/11 CAUTION:
I
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don% 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 NOTICE:
.
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fan is running. If the engine is
overheating, the fan should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at or above
FULL COLD, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@
coolant at the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling
system, including the coolant surge tank pressure cap,
is
cool before you do it. (See “Engine Coolant” in the
Index for more information.)
A CAUTION:
Steam and scalding lipuids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn you badly. They
are under pressure, and
if you turn the coolant
surge tank pressure cap
-- even a little -- they
can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the
cooling system and coolant surge tank pressure
cap to cool if you ever have to turn the
pressure cap.
5-18

1 A CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to 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
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned, Use
a 50/50 mix of clean
~ water and DEX-COOL@ coolant.
NOTICE:
r
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts,
So
use the recommended coolant. 1
5-19

A CAUTION:
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.
1. You can remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap and upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly about
one-quarter turn to the left and then stop.
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 slowly, and
remove it.
5-20

3. Then fill the coolant surge tank with the proper mix,
up to FULL
COLD, or just above the small cvlinder
at the base of the opening.
4. With the coolant surge tank pressure cap off, start the
engine and let it run until you can feel the upper
radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fan.
By this time, the coolant level inside the coolant
surge tank may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more of the proper mix to the coolant surge tank
until the level reaches FULL
COLD, or just above
the small cylinder at the base of the opening.
5-21

5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure
cap is tight.
If a 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 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, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
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 a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
5-22

Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
war
kg flashers.
A CAUTION:
-
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured,
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2, Put an automatic transaxle shift lever in
PARK
(P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST
(1) or REVERSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks
at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the oDposite end, The following steps will
tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
5-23

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
Lift and remove the cover. See “Compact Spare Tire”
later in this section for more information about the
compact spare. Turn
the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift off the
spacer and remove the
spare tire.
Remove the jack and wheel wrench from the trunk. Your
vehicle’s jack and wheel wrench are stored in
a foam
tray. Remove the band around the jack.
5-24

Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Remove the wheel nut caps (you may need to use the
wheel wrench to loosen and remove them, if your
fingers do not fit into this small area).
The tools you’ll be using include the
jack (A) and wheel
wrench
(B).
2. Then use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel
nuts. Don’t remove them yet.
5-25

3. Position the jack and raise the jack head until it fits
firmly into the notch in the vehicle’s frame nearest
the flat tire. Put the compact spare tire near you.
A CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
A CAUTION:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall.
To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to
fit the jack
lift head into the proper location before raising the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Do not jack or lift your vehicle using the oil pan.
Pans could crack and begin to leak fluid.
5-26

4. Raise the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground
so there is enough room for the spare
tire to
fit.
5. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
6. Remove the wheel cover from the wheel, if your flat
tire has one. Then take
off the flat tire.
5-27