PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1993 Owners Manual

Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and rear
turn signal lights will flash
on and off.
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Move the switch to the right to make
your front and rear turn signal lights flash on and off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no
matter what position your key is in, and
even if the key isn’t in.
To turn off the flashers, move the switch
to the left.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals won’t work.
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.
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Jump Statting
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
. They contain acid that can burn
They contain gas that can
They contain enough electricity
If you don’t follow these steps
exactly, some
or all of these things
can hurt you.
- can be dangerous because:
you
*
explode or ignite.
to bum
you.
Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage
to your vehicle that
wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty.
Trying to
start your Pontiac by
pushing or pulling it could damage
your vehicle, even if
you have a
manual transaxle. And if you have
an automatic transaxle, it won’t
start that way.
To Jump Start Your Pontiac:
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have
a 12-volt battery with
a negative
ground system.
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt
system
with a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged.
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Jump Starting (CONTJ
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.
I; vehicles roll. Set the parking
brake
firmly on each vehicle. Put
an automatic transaxle in
P (Park)
or a manual transaxle in
N (Neutral). I I
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!
. 8. r ~
I If you leave your radio on, it could
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
An electric fan can start up
e 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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A
1 I water. Using
a match near
a battery
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 battery has enough
You don’t need to add water to the
Delco Freedom@ battery installed
in every new GM vehicle. But if a
battery has fdler 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.
1
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t
have loose or missing 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
parts can injure you badly.
Keep your hands away from
moving parts once the engines are
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.
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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.
1 0. 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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12. Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don't touch each other
or any other metal.
lowing %ur Pontiac
Try to have a GM dealer or a
professional towing service tow your
Pontiac. The usual towing equipment is:
(A) Sling-type tow truck
(B) Wheel-lift tow truck
(C) Car carrier
If your vehicle has been changed or
modified since it was hctory-new
by
adding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
aero
skirting, or special tires and
wheels, these instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything,
turn on the
hazard warning flashers. When
you call,
tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed
fram the front or rear with sling-type
equipment, as described later
in this
section.
drive. vehicle.
lever. damaged.
That your vehicle has front-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there was an accident, what was
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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Problems on the Road
Towing Your Pontiac (CONT.:)
A others:
To help avoid injury to you or
0 Never let passengers ride in a
vehicle that is being towed.
Never tow faster than safe or
0 Never tow with damaged parts I
posted speeds.
0 Always use separate safety
chains on each side when towing
a vehicle.
hooks instead.
9 Never use “J” hooks. Use T-
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When your vehicle is being towed, have
the ignition key off. The steering wheel
should be clamped
in a straight-ahead
position, with a clamping device designed for towing service.
Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this.
The transaxle should be
in N (Neutral)
and the parking brake released.
The ignition key must be in the
Off
position to prevent the automatic door
locks from locking during towing.
--
not fully secured. Don’t have your vehicle towed on the
Never get under your vehicle after front wheels, unless you must. If the
it has been lifted by the tow truck. vehicle must be towed on the front
wheels, don’t go more than
35 mph
(56 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 km) or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded, then the front wheels have to
be supported
on a dolly.
‘I
I‘
W
I A vehicle can fall from a car
b carrier if it isn’t properly
secured. This can cause a
collision, serious personal injury
I and vehicle damage. The vehicle
should be tightly secured with
chains or steel cables before it is
transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps, canvas webbing,
etc.) that can be cut by sharp edges
underneath the towed vehicle.
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X6085
bwing from the Front-
@hide Hook-Up
;efore hooking up to a tow truck, be
.re to read all the information in
?wing Your Pontiac earlier in this
xtion. Attach a separate safety
chain around
the outboard end of each lower control
arm.
177 ...
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Problems on the Road
X5086
Towing from the Rear-
Vehide
Hook-Up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information in
Towing bur Pontiac earlier in this
section. Also be sure to use the proper
hook-up for your particular vehicle.
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 safetv
chains and wheel straps.
1-
I
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When using wheel-lift equipment,
towing over rough surfaces can
I
damage a vehicle. To help avoid
this, install a towing dolly beneath the wheels that would otherwise be
on the ground during the tow. This
will increase clearance between the
wheel-lift equipment and the
underbody of the towed vehicle. Attach
a separate safety chain to each
side
of the axle inboard of the spring.
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage
or the warning light about
a hot engine
on your Pontiac’s instrument panel. See
the
Index under Coolant Temperature
Gage
and Coolant Temperature Warning
Light.
You will also find a low coolant warning
light on your Pontiac’s instrument panel.
If Steam is Coming from Your Engine:
/1 Steam from an overheated
L L engine can burn you badly,
even
if you just open the hood. Stay
away from the engine if you see or
hear steam coming from
it. Just
turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle
until it cools down.
Wait until there is no sign of steam
or coolant before opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your
engine
is overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fire. You or others could
be badly burned. Stop your engine
if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
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