PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998 Owners Manual

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFlLOCK@ is designed to discourage theft of your
radio, It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power
is removed.
The THEFIZOCK feature for
the radio may be used or
ignored.
If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio
is not protected by the feature. If THEFIZOCK is
activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When
THEFI'LOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power
is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code
before it
will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow explain how to enter your
secret code to activate the
THEFI'LOCK system. It is
recommended that you read through
all nine steps
before
starting the procedure.
NOTE: If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between
any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time
and you must start the procedure over at Step 4.
1. Write down any three or four-digit number from
000 to 1999 and keep it in a safe place separate from
the vehicle.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
Turn the radio off.
Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until -- shows on the display. Next you will use the
secret code number which you have written down.
Press
MIN and 0oO will appear on the display.
Press
MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press
HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press
AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches
the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
REP to let you know that you
need to repeat Steps
5 through 7 to confirm your
secret code.
Press
AM-FM and this time the display will show
SEC to let you know that your radio is secure.
Note that
with the ignition off, the THEFTLOCK
indicator will
flash, indicating a secured radio.
3-20

Unlocking the Theft-Deterrent Feature After a
Power
Loss
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1. LOC appears when the ignition is on.
2. Press MIN and 000 will appear on the display.
3. Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
4. Press HR to make the fist one or two digits agree
5. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
with your code.
with your code.
code matches the secret code
you have written down.
The display will show SEC, indicating the radio is
now operable and secure.
If
you enter the wrong code eight times, INOP will
appear on the display. You will have to wait an hour
with the ignition on before you can try again. When you
try again, you will only have three more chances (eight
tries per chance) to enter the correct code before
INOP appears.
If
you lose or forget your code, contact your dealer.
Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than 15 seconds between steps:
1. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
SEC shows on the display.
4. Press MIN and OOO will appear on the display.
5. Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
6. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
7. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
with your code.
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display
will show ---, indicating that the radio is
no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect, SEC will appear on the
display. The radio will remain secured until the correct code is entered.
When battery power is removed and later applied to a
secured radio, the radio won't turn on and LOC will
appear on the display.
3-21

To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After
a Power Loss” earlier in
this section.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
SEEK: Press the up arrow to tune to the next radio
station and
the down arrow to tune to the previous radio
station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the
player
will advance with the up arrow and rewind with
the down arrow.
AM-FM: Press this button to choose AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, it will stop
and the radio will play.
PRESET: Press this button to play a station you have
programmed
on the radio preset buttons.
PLAY: Press this button to play a cassette tape or
compact
disc when the radio is playing.
MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn on the sound.
I VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
If your vehicle has
this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
3-22

Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other.
AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it. \
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or
hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and go.
Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late.
Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
0 Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can
add what you want, If you can, it’s very
important
to do it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of
your vehicle’s engine, Delco Electronics radio or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems may interfere
with the
operation
of sound equipment that has been
added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal
rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
3-23

Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored
in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat.
If they aren’t, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of
the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLN to indicate
that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without
resetting the tape clean timer.
If this message appears on
the display, your cassette tape player needs to
be
cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as\

soon as possible to prevent damage to your
tapes and
player. If you notice a reduction
in sound quality, try a
known good cassette to see
if it is the tape or the tape
player at fault. If this other cassette has no improvement
in sound quality, clean the tape player. Cleaning
may be done with a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette
turn.
Follow these steps to prevent the cassette from being
ejected due to the CUT
TAPE DETECTION feature:
1. l7.m the radio off and the ignition on.
2. Press and hold the TUEPLAY button for three
seconds (tape indicator will flash for two seconds).
3. Insert the cleaner cassette (a CD adapter kit may also
be inserted).
The radio will default
back to CUT TAPE DETECTION
when the cleaner cassette (or CD adapter kit) is ejected.
You may
also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean
the
tape head. It may not clean as thoroughly as the
scrubbing type cleaner.
After
you clean the player, press and hold EJECT for
five seconds to reset the
CLN indicator. The radio will
display
--- to show the indicator was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and
the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape
is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
3-24

Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust.
If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the signal surface when handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your Compact Disc Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the
risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with
lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged.
If the mast should ever become
slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the
mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, you should
replace it.
Check every once in a while to be sure the mast is still
tightened to the fender.

NOTES
3-26

Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds\
of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve also
included many other useful tips on driving.
4-2
4-3
4-6
4-6
4- 10
4-13
4-13
4- 14
4-16
4-18
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking Steering
Off-Road Recovery
Loss of Control
Driving at Night
Driving in Rain
and on Wet Roads
Passing
4-2 1
4-22
4-23
4-24
4-24
4-26
4-30
4-33
4-35
City Driving
Freeway Driving
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis
Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
4-1

Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Pontiac: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads
or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless
and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural
driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or
turn suddenly.
4-2

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
~
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
0 Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost ha rlf of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so
they never drive after drinking. For persons under 2 1,
it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for
people never to drink alcohol and then
drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here
is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
consume the alcohol.
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
According to the American Medical Association, a
180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same
BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had
1 - 1/2 ounces
(45
ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.