PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1996 Owners Manual

~f you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here
are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep you vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels
and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and transaxle.
These parts
can work hard on mountain roads.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing
to know is this: let your engine do some of the
slowing
down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
If ‘you don’t shift down, your brakes could get so
hot that they wouldn’f work well. You would then
have poor braking
or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Shift down to let your engine
assist your brakes on
a steep downhill slope. Coasting
downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with
the
ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have
pm braking or even none going down a hill.
1 You could crash. Always have your engine running
~ and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
Know how to go uphill. Shift down to THIRD (3).
This will help cool your engine and transaxle, and
you can climb the
hill better.
roads in
hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across
the center of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
0 Stay in your own he when driving on two-lane
0 As you go over the top of a hill, be dert. There could be
something in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
specid ‘problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
: I’ no-passing zones, a falling rwkx area or winding
,:\. .. roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate action.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk. Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red cloth and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include .a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap hgs
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have
good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and,,
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have
a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very
careful.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice
can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because
it may offer the
least traction
of all. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing
(32°F; O°C) and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
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Whatever the condition -- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
If you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
ipprove your ability to accelerate when driving
on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle. has a traction
control system, you’ll want to slow down and adjust
your driving to the road conditions. See “Traction
Control System” in the Index.
If you don’t have the traction control system, accelerate
gently. Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more. Your
anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make
a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock’’ in the Index.
0
0
Allow greater following distance on any slippery
road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit
a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the
sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may
remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear. If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you
know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow, Here are some
things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
0 Turn on your hazard flashers.
0
0
Tie a red cloth to your vehcle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the
snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators
from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats -- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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_I .
-- 1. <. i - .
A CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide)'gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you. Youxan't see
it or smell it, so you might not
~QW it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn't
collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle
that's away from the wind. This will help
keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it
go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly.
This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling
later OIZ
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat
this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or so until help comes.
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Loading Your Vehicle
'@I OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAP. WT.
TIRE-LOADING IiNFORMATlON
FRT. CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPAC,lTY WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI/KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1/28KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Wo labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found
on the rear edge of the driver's door tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures
for the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes 'the weight of all occupants, cargo and all
nonfactory-installed options.
MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GYWR GAWR FRT GAWR RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S.
FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER,
AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
The other label is the Certification label, found on the rear
edge
of the driver's door. It tells you the gross weight
capacity
of your vehicle, called the GVWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight
Rating). The GVWR includes the weight of the
vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo. Never exceed the
GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for either the fi-ont or rear axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it
out. Don't cq more than 176 lbs: (80 kg) in your h-unk.
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Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVVVR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can break,
or it
can change the way your vehicle handles.
These could cause you to lose control.
Also,
overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle.
NOTICE:
I
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that fail because of overloading.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases?
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they'll keep going. Things
you put inside
your vehicle can strike
and injure people in
a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them as far forward as you can.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don't leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Don't leave a seat fold'ed down unless you
need to.
Electronic Level Control (Option)
This feature keeps the rear of your'vehide level as the
load changes. It
is automatic -- you do not need to
adjust anything.
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Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly,
you can lose control when you pull a
&der. For example, if the trder is too,heavy, the
brakes
may not work well -- or even at all. You and
your passengers could be’ seriously injured. Pull a
trailer only if you have followed all the steps in this
section. Ask your Pontiac dealer for advice and
information about towing
a trailer with your vehicle.
’ I NOTICE:
~
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your Pontiac
dealer- for important information about towing a
trailer
with your vehicle.
Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is equipped with the
SSE package.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
SE package and proper trailer towing equipment. To
identify what’the vehicle ‘trailering capacity is for your
vehicle, you should read the information i.i “Weight of
the Trailer” that appears
later in this section. But
trailehg is different
than just driving your vehicle by
itself. Trailering means changes
in handling;durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has
to be used properly.
That’s
the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefially
before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling_components
such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies
and tires are forced to work harder
against
the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater
loads, generatkig extra heat, What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements, -
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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
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0
0
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you.live but
also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at
all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 h) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then,
during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you tow
a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t
make
starts at full throttle. This helps your engine and
other
parts of your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers
(or no more than 55 mph (90 km/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 lbs. (450 kg). But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull, a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend
on any
special equipment that you have on
your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at:
Customer Assistance Center
Pontiac Division
One Pontiac. Plaza
Pontiac,
MI 48340-2952
In ‘Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer, = .\,
the weight of the trailer tongue
d ,and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
.hi. .+ . ,.
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