jump cable PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1993 Owners Manual

Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may
want to use another vehicle and some
jumper cables
to start your Pontiac. But
please follow the steps here to do
it
safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They
- L be dangernus because:
* ' :y contain acid that an burn
0 They contain gas that can
They contain enough electricity
If you don't follow these steps
pyactly, some or all of these things
YQU.
explode or ignite.
to burn you.
Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage to your vehicle that
To Jump Start Your Pontiac:
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have
a 12-volt battery with a negative
charge system.
I I
If the
other system isn't a 12-volt
system with a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged.
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Problems on the Road
Jump Starting (CONT:)
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the
jumper cables can reach, but be sure
the vehicles aren't touching each
other. If they are, it could cause a
ground connection you don't want.
* You wouldn't be able to start your
Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
L You could be injured if the
~ Jehicles roll. Set the parking
brake
firmly on each vehicle. Put
an automatic transaxle in P (Park)
or a manual transaxle in N (Neut] . -.
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn off all lights that aren't
needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
I I I
4. Open the hoods and locate the
batteries.
If you leave your radio on, it could
be badly damaged. The repairs
wouldn't be covered by your
warranty.
CAUTlON
An electric fan can start up I I
I even when the engine is not
running and can injure you. Keep
hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
Find the positive
(+) and negative
(-) terminals on each battery.
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, Using a match near a battery
- b can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. .Use a flashlight
if you
need more light.
Be sure the batteries have enough
water. You don’t need to add water
to the Delco Freedom@ battery installed in every new
GM vehicle.
But if a battery
has filler caps, be
sure the right amount
of fluid is
there. If
it is low, add water to take
care
of that first. If you don’t,
explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can
burn you. Don’t get it
on you. If
you accidentally get it in your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place
with water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t
have loose or missin.g insulation.
If
they do, you could get a shock. The
vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are
some things
you should know. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+) and negative
(-) will go to negative (-) or a metal
engine part. Don’t connect
(+) to (-) or
you’ll get a short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts, too. Fans
or other moving engine
running.
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Problems on the Road
Jump Starting (CONI)
6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to
the positive
(+) terminal of the
vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
7. Don’t let the other end touch metal.
Connect it to
the positive (+)
terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
8. Now connect the black negative (-)
cable to the good battery’s negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch anything
until the next step. The other end
of the
negative cable doesn’t go to the dead
battery.
It goes to a heavy unpainted
metal part
on the engine of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches
(45 cm) away from the dead battery,
but not near engine parts that move.
The electrical connection is just as
good there, but
the chance of sparks
getting back to the battery is much less.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good
battery and
run the engine for a
while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the
dead battery.
If it won’t start after a
few tries, it probably needs service.
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Replacing Brake System Pants
The braking system on a modem vehicle is complex. Its many parts have to be of
top quality and work well together if the
vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have top-
quality GM brake parts in them, as your
Pontiac does when it is new. When you replace parts of your braking system-
for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you have to have new
ones put in-be sure you get new
genuine GM replacement parts. If you
don’t, your brakes may no longer work
properly. For example, if someone puts
in brake linings that are wrong for your
vehicle, the balance between your front
and rear brakes can change, for the
worse. The braking performance you’ve
come to expect can change
in many
other ways
if someone puts in the wrong
replacement brake parts.
Battery
Every new Pontiac has a Delco
Freedom@ battery.
You never have to
add water to one of these. When it’s
time for a new battery, we recommend a
Delco Freedom@ battery. Get one that
has the catalog number shown on the
original battery’s label.
Jump Starting
For jump starting instructions, see the
Index under Jump Starting.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle
for 25 days or more, take off the black
negative
(-) cable from the battery.
This will help keep your battery from
running down.
1
Batteries have acid that can
burn you and gas that can
explode.
You can be badly hurt if
you aren’t careful. See the Index
under Jump Starting for tips on
working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how
to
prepare your vehicle for longer storage
periods.
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