tow PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1996 Owner's Guide

Rear Towing
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
bumper valance will be damaged.
Use wheel lift or car carrier equipment.
Additional ramping may be required for car
carrier equipment.
Use safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground
or vehicle to wheel lift equipment
contact. To help avoid damage, install a towing
dolly and raise vehicle until adequate clearance is
obtained between the ground and/or wheel-lift
equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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If No Ste~ n Is C Jminp 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.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for, a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hbt at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@) or
DRIVE
(D) for automatic transmissions.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive.
Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 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 oflthe 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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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 bralie 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.
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
warning flashers.
I
A CAUTILN:
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 transmission shift
lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual
transmission to
FIRST (1) or
REVERSE (a).
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 opposite end.
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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.
Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
A CAUTION:’
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or
dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use
a cloth or a paper towel
to do
this; but be sure to use a scraper or wire
brush later,
if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
5-35
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A CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wh'eel could
fall off,
causing a serious accident.
6. Replace the wheel nuts with the rounded end of the
nuts toward the wheel. Tighten each nut by hand
until
the wheel is held against the hub.
5-36
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If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you d0n’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must
use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be
igjlared. And,
the transmission
or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels
as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle as well
as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while
shifting your transmission back
and forth,
you can destroy your transmission.
For infomation about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking your vehicle to get it out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
I
has traction control, you should turn the system off. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index.) Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear (or with a manual transmission, between
FIRST (1)
or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R)), spinning the
wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you
shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal
when the transmission is in gear. If that doesn’t
get you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed
out. If
you do-need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index. !-
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3800 L36 (Code K) Oil Dipstick
Turn off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan.
If you don't, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual level.
Checking Engine Oil
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
3800 L36 (Code K) Engine
~
5.7L LT 1 (Code P) Engine
6-11
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Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent driving in stop-and-go traffic).
0 Most trips are through dusty areas.
0 You frequently tow a trailer or use a carrier on top of
0 The vehicle is used for delivery service, police, taxi
your
car.
or other commercial application.
Driving under these conditions causes engine oil to
break down sooner.
If any one of these is true for your
vehicle, then you need to change your oil and filter
every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever
occurs first.
If none of them
is true, change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle with a fully warmed
engine under highway conditions causes engine oil to
break down slower.
What to Do with Used Oil
Did you know that used engine oil contains certain
elements that may be unhealthy for your skin and could
even cause cancer? Don’t let used oil stay on your skin
for very long. Clean your skin and nails with soap and
water, or a good hand cleaner. Wash or properly
throw
away clothing or rags containing used engine oil. (See
the manufacturer’s warnings about the use and disposal
of oil products.)
Used oil can be
a real threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing oil
from the filter before disposal. Don’t ever dispose of oil
by putting it in
the trash, pouring it on the ground, into
sewers, or into streams or bodies
of water. Instead,
recycle it by taking it to a place that collects used oil. zf
you have a problem properly disposing of your used oil,
ask your dealer, a service station or a local recycling
center for help.
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Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil
is changed.
Change both
the fluid and filter every 15,000 miles
(25 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one
or more
of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
con’ditions, change
the fluid and filter every 100,000 miles
(166 000 km).
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you
may choose to have this done at your Pontiac dealership
Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transmission. Too much can mean that some of
the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine
parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire.
Be
sure to get an accurate reading if you check your
transmission fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission fluid level if
you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32 ” C).
At high speed for quite a while.
0 In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
0 While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which
is 180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
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5.7L LT1 Engine Transmission Dipstick-
back
of the engine. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it
with a clean rag or paper towel.
then pull it back out again.
1. The transaxle fluid handle is the red loop near the
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
5.7L LT1 Engine Transmission Dipstick
The fluid level
must be in the COLD area for a cold
check QT in the HOT area or cross hatch area for a
hot check.
L 33
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