change wheel PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1997 Owners Manual

Tilt Steering Wheel Thrn SignaVMultifunction Lever
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before
you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when
you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to
a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Chaaage Indicator
0 Headlamp HighLow Beam Changer and
Passing Signal
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
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Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at
a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you cauld lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
0 Cruise control ‘can be dangerous on
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin,
the
cruise control will automatically disengage. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index.) When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control
back on.
Setting Cruise Control
~ ~~~
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might
hit a button and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the cruise
control switch OFF until you want to use it.
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Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your Pontiac.
Be sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
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3-3
3-3
3-4
3-4
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3
-4
3-5
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3-6
3 -6
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Comfort Controls
Air Conditioning
Cooling
Heating
Bi-Level Heating
Ventilation
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Ventilation System
Audio Systems Setting the Clock
for All Systems
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
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3-16
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3-2
1
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3-24 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape Player
and Equalizer
AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player
and Equalizer
Trunk Mounted
CD Changer
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care
of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Power Antenna Mast Care
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Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio and compact disc functions using the buttons on
your steering wheel.
VOLUME: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
PLAY: Press this button to play a cassette tape or
compact disc when the radio is playing.
MUTE: Press this button t'o silence the system. Press it
again to turn
on the sound.
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.
PRESET Press this button to hear the radio stations
that are set on your pushbuttons. Pressing this button
while playing
a tape will cause the tape to change sides.
If it is pressed while playing a CD, the CD random
feature can be turned
off and on. If this button is pressed
when using the optional 12-disc changer, the changer
will select the next
,disc available.
AM-FM: Press this button to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the tape or
disc will stop playing and
the radio will play. If this
button is pressed with a CD in the CD changer, the disc
will go to the next selection.
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The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than any driver could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time
you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance.
If you
get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down and let anti-lock work for you.
You may feel
the system working, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a
braking skid, this light will come on.
See
“Low Traction Light” in the Index.
Traction Control System
(Option: LTI V8 Engine)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This
is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only
if it senses
that one or
both of the rear wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens,
the
system works the rear brakes and reduces engine power
(by closing the throttle and managing engine spark)
to limit wheel spin.

A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is
the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems -- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Unless you have traction control and the system
is on, adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much of
those places. You can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based
on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room.
That’s the time for evasive action -- steering around
the problem.
Your Pontiac can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.)
It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem,
to the left
or right depending on the space available.
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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps
are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to
the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to your Pontiac’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in
the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid
is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If
you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
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12. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other
or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Pontiac.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions may not be correct.
Before you
do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When
you call, tell the towing service:
0 That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment.
0 That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an ac’cident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator
may want to
see them.
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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 brake to
a st,ot, 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 t,o a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Cham- ng 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 tu
FIRST (1) or REWRSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle wan? 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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~ 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.
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing a serious accident,
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.
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