wheel PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1993 Owners Manual

Seats & Safety 6elts
I4
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you
go as fast as it goes.
1. For example, if the bike is going
10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child.
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2. When the bike hits the block, it
stops.
But the child keeps going!
I
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3. Take the simplest “car.” Suppose
it’s just a seat
on wheels.
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Features & Controls
‘1
Rear Door Security Locks (CONT.)
To Cancel the Rear Door Lock:
1 . Unlock the door from the inside and open the door from the outside.
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2. Use a key to move the lock all the
3. Do the same for the other rear door.
The rear door locks will now work
normally. way
down.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially
in some cities.
Although your Pontiac has a number of
theft-deterrent features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible
to steal. However, there are
ways you can help.
Key in the Ignition: If you walk away
from your vehicle with the keys inside,
it’s an easy target for
joy riders or
professional thieves-so don’t do it.
When you park your Pontiac and open
the driver’s door, you’ll hear a chime
reminding you to remove your key from
the ignition and take it with you.
Always do
this. Your steering wheel will
be locked, and
so will your ignition. If
you have an automatic transaxle, taking
your key out
also locks your transaxle.
And remember to lock the doors.
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lgnition Switch
With the ignition key in the ignition switch,
you can turn the switch
to five positions:
Accessory: An “~n” position in which
you can operate some of your electrical
power accessories. Press in the ignition
switch as you turn the top of it toward you.
Lock: The only position in which you
can remove the key. This locks your
steering wheel, ignition and transaxle
(on automatic models).
Off: Unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition, and transaxle (on automatic
models), but does not send electrical
power to any accessories. Use this
position if your vehicle must be pushed
or towed, but never try to push-start
your vehicle.
A warning chime will
sound if
you open the driver’s door when
the ignition is
off and the key is in
the ignition.
Run: An “on” position to which the
switch returns after you
start your
engine and release the switch. The
switch stays in the
Run position when
the engine is running. But even when
the engine is not running,
you can use
Run to operate your electrical power
accessories, and
to display some
instrument panel warning lights.
Start: Starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The
ignition switch will return to
Run for
normal driving.
Note that even if the engine is not
running, the positions
Accessory and
Run are “on” positions that allow you
to operate some of your electrical
accessories, such
as the radio.
Key Release Button
(MANML TRANSAXLE)
The ignition key cannot be removed
from the ignition unless the key release
button is used.
To Remove the Key:
Turn the key to the Lock position while
pressing the key release button in.
Keeping your finger on the button, pull
the key straight out.
51 ...
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Shifting the Automatic Transaxle
Your automatic transaxle has a shift
lever located on the console between the
seats.
There are several different positions for
your shift lever. In this manual, these
are referred
to by the commonly used
symbols in the right column below:
Park P
Reverse R
Neutral N
Drive D
Second 2
First 1
Park
P (hrk): This locks your front wheels.
It’s the best position to use when you
start your engine because your vehicle
can’t move easily.
I I
It can be dangerous to get out
b of your vehicle if the shift
hever is not fully in
P (Park) with
the parking brake firmly
set v-*7
vehicle can roll
Don’t leave your venue
WI I me
engine is running unless you llavr
to. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle
won’t move, when you’re on fair1
level ground, always set your
parking brake and move the shift
lever to
P (Park). See the Index
under Shifting into P (Park). If you
are parking
on a hill, or if you’re
pulling a trailer, also see the
Index
under Parking on Hills or %wing a
Trailer.
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Features & Controls
Park (CONT.)
Ensure the shift lever is fully in P (Park)
range before starting the engine. Your
Pontiac has a brake-transaxle shift
interlock. You have
to apply your
regular brake
before you can shift from
P (Park) when the ignition key is in the
Run position. If you cannot shift out of
P (Park), ease pressure on the shift
lever-push the shift lever all the way
into
P (Park)-as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever
into the gear you wish. (Press the shift
lever button before moving the shift
lever,) See
Shifting Out of P (Park) later
in this section.
Reverse
R (Reverse): Use this gear to back up.
Shifting to
R (Reverse) while your
vehicle
is moving forward could
damage your transaxle. Shift
to
R only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to
get out of
snow, ice or sand without
damaging your transaxle,
see the Index
under If You ’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow.
Neutral
N (Neutral): In this position, your
engine doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use
N (Neutral) only. Also, use N when
your vehicle is being towed.
A Shifting out of P (Park) or
1 N (Neutral) while your engine I
‘racing” (running at high speed)
is dangerous. Unless your foot is
firmly on the brake pedal, your
vehicle could move very rapidly. You
could lose control and hit people
or objects. Don’t shift out
of
P (Park) or N (Neutral) while your
engine is racing.
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Forward Gears (CONT.)
1 (First Gear): This position gives you
even more power (but lower fuel
economy) than
2. You can use it on very
steep hills,
or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in 1, the
transaxle won’t shift into
first gear until
the vehicle is going slowly enough. If your front wheels can’t rotate,
don’t
try to drive. This might
happen if you were stuck in very
deep sand or mud or were up
against a solid object. You could
damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going
uphill, don’t hold your vehicle
there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and
damage the transaxle. Use your
,.brakes
or shift into P (Park) to
:hold your vehicle
in position on a ’ hill.
PN2033.
..
Shiftins the Five-Speed
Manual Transaxle
There are seven different positions:
N Neutral
1 First Gear
2 Second Gear
3 Third Gear
4 Fourth Gear
5 Fifth Gear
R Reverse
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1.
Parking Brake
To Set the Parking Brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down with
your right foot. Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
If the
ignition is
on, the brake system warning
light will come on.
To Release the Parking Brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down. Pull
the
BRAKE RELEASE lever.
%riving with the parking
can cause your
rear
overheat. You may have to replace
them,
and you could also damage
other parts of your vehicle.
If You are on a Hill:
See the Index under Parking on Hills.
That section shows how to turn your
front wheels.
If You are Towing a Trailer and are
Parking on a Hill:
See the Index under Towing a Trailer.
That section shows what to do first to
keep the trailer from moving.
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Running Your Engine While You’re Parked (AuToMmc TRANSAXLE)
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you ever have to, here are
some things to know.
A Idling the engine with the air system control OFF could allow dangerous
1 exhaust into your vehicle (see the earlier CAUTION under Engine
Exhaust).
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly carbon monoxide (CO) into
your vehicle even if the
hn switch is at tne highest setting. One place this can
happen is a garage. Exhaust-with CO-can come
in easily. Never park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard. (See the Index under Blizzard.)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. Don’t leave
your vehicle when the engine is running unless you have
to. If you’ve left the
engine ruhing, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly level\

ground, always set your parking brake and move the shift lever to J’ (Park). .
If you are parking on a hill, or if you’re pulling a trailer, also see the Index
under Parking on Hills or Towing a Trailer.
I’
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbol on your steering wheel.
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...
Features & Controls
Ti/t Steering Wheel (opTIoN)
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 comfort-
able level, then release the lever to lock
the wheel in place.
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Windows
On a vehicle with manual windows, use
the window crank to open and close
each window.
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Power Windows (opTIoN)
With power windows, switches on the
center console control each of the
windows when the ignition is
on. In
addition, each passenger door has a
control switch for its own window.
The driver’s window switch has an Auto
Down feature. The driver’s window can
be opened to any position by pushing
the rear of the switch to the first detent.
When the switch is fully depressed, the
window will go down all the way.
To stop the window while it
is lowering,
press the switch, then release.
To raise the window, press and hold the
switch forward.
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Features & Controls
Turn Signal and Lane Change
Indicator
(CONT.)
To signal a lane change, just raise or
lower the lever until the green arrow
starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever
will return by itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if
the arrows don’t flash but just stay on, a
signal bulb may be burned out and other
drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace
it to help
avoid an accident. If the green arrows
don’t
go on at all when you signal a
turn, check the fuse (see the Index under
Fuses & Circuit Breakers) and for
burned-out bulbs.
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Cruise Control (OPTION)
With cruise control, you can maintain a.
speed
of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more without keeping your foot
on the
accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does
not work at
speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When
you apply your brake or the
clutch pedal, the cruise control
shuts
off. I
I CAUTION
IL
A 0 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 ofin heavy
traff1C.
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0 Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such
roads, fast changes
in tire
traction can cause needless wheel
1 spinnin&and you could lose
control.
Don’t use cruise control
on slippery roads.
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