light PONTIAC FIREBIRD 2001 Workshop Manual

4-13
Off-Road Recovery
You may find that your right wheels have dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to one
-quarter turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two
-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two
-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:

ªDrive ahead.º Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that might affect your passing
patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making a successful pass, wait for a better time.

Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it's all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross
a solid line on your side of the lane or a double
solid line, even if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.

4-16
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to be
impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.Here are some tips on night driving.

Drive defensively.

Don't drink and drive.

Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.

Since you can't see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.

Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.

In remote areas, watch for animals.

If you're tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50
-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20
-year-old.

4-17
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you're
driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren't even aware of it.

4-19
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can't, try to slow down before you hit them.
CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.

4-20
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops ªdimpleº the
water's surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine's air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you
can't avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. If
you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can be
carried away. As little as six inches of flowing
water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this
happens, you and other vehicle occupants could
drown. Don't ignore police warning signs, and
otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips

Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.

Have good tires with proper tread depth. See ªTiresº
in the Index.

4-21
City DrivingOne of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You'll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:

Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross
-country trip.

Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You'll save time and energy. See the
next part, ªFreeway Driving.º

Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start
to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared the intersection or may be running the
red light.

4-22
Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too
-fast or
too
-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it's slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn't another vehicle in your
ªblindº spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.

4-26
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:

Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.

You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
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 bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.

4-29

Tie a red cloth to your vehicle 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.
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. You can't see it or smell it, so you might not
know 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 on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.

5-3
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to
use another vehicle and some jumper cables to start
your vehicle. But please use the following steps to do
it safely.
CAUTION:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:

They contain acid that can burn you.

They contain gas that can explode or ignite.

They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you don't follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn't be covered
by your warranty.
The ACDelco battery in your vehicle has a
built
-in hydrometer. Do not charge, test or jump
start the battery if the hydrometer looks clear
or light yellow. Replace the battery when there
is a clear or light yellow hydrometer and a
cranking complaint.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won't work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn't a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.