PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1994 Owners Manual

Your Driving ,and the Road ’
Night Vision (CONT.)
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. 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 headlights), slow
down a little. Avoid staring directly into
the approaching lights.
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 headlights 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 headlights
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.
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Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving
trouble. On a wet road
you can’t stop,
accelerate or turn as well because your
tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on
dry roads. And, if your tires don’t have
much tread left, you’ll get even less
traction.
It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are
driving, The surface may get wet
suddenly when your reflexes are tuned
fo
driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to
see. Even if your windshield wiper blades
xre
in good shape, a heavy rain can make
it harder to see road signs and traffic
signals, pavement markings, the edge of
the road, and even people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment
in good shape and keep your windshield
washer tank filled. Replace your
windshield wiper inserts when they show
signs of streaking or
missing areas on the
windshield, or when strips of rubber start
to separate from the inserts.
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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.
I 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.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it
can if your tires haven’t 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 “dimple” 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.
Some Other Rainy
Weather
Tips
0
e
0
Turn on your low-beam headlights --
not just your parking lights -- to help
make you more visible to others.
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 “Tires” in the Index.)
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Your Driving and the Road
City Driving
One 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:
0 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.
0
Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross most large cities. You’ll
save time and energy. (See
the next
section, “Freeway Driving.”)
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.
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.
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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 “blind”
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.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your
speedometer, not to your sense of motion.
After driving for any distance at higher
speeds, you may tend to think you are
going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well
rested. If
you must start when you’re not
fresh
-- such as after a day’s work --
don’t plan to make too many miles that
first part of the journey. Wear comfortable
clothing and shoes you can easily drive
in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If
you keep it serviced and maintained, it’s
ready to go. If it needs service, have it
done before starting out. .Of course, you’ll
find experienced and able service experts
in Pontiac dealerships all across North
America. They’ll be ready and willing to
help if you need it.
Here are some things you can check
before a trip:
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0
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the
reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good
shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil. Other Fluids: Have
you checked all levels?
Lights:’
Are they all working? Are the
lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a
safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long-distance
driving?
Are the tires all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
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Your Driving and the Road
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as
“highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.’
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the same scenery, along with
the hum of the tires on the road, the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you
sleepy. Don’t let it happen to you! If it
does, your vehicle can leave the road in
less than a second, and you could crash
and
be injured.
What can you do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Second, here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool
interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road
ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors and your instruments
frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into
a rest, service, or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain
Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or
if you’re planning
to visit there, here are
some tips that can make your trips safer
and more enjoyable.
0 Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
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0 Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to know is this: let
your engine do some
of the slowing
down. Shift to a lower gear when you
go down a steep or long
hill.
0 Know how to go uphill. Drive in the
highest gear possible.
0 Stay in your own lane when driving
on two-lane roads
in hills or
mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across
the center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay
in your own
lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be
alert. There could be something
in
your lane, like a stalled car or an
accident.
You may see highway signs on
mountains that warn
of special
problems. Examples are long grades,
passing or no-passing zones, a falling
rocks area, or winding roads. Be alert
.to these and take appropriate action.
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Your Driving and the Road
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for
winter. Be sure your engine coolant
mix is correct.
0 You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your trunk.
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.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your
tires meet the road probably have good
traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between
your tires and the road, you can have a
very slippery situation. You’ll have a lot
less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.
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What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.”
Very cold snow or ice can be slick-and
hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even
more trouble because it may offer the
least traction of all. You can get “wet ice”
when it’s about freezing
(32°F; OOC) and
freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid
driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there.
Whatever the condition -- smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
-- drive
with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not to
break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will
spin and polish the surface under the tires
even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your
ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock
braking system, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-lock” in the Index.
0
0
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot that’s
covered with ice. On an otherwise
clear road, ice patches may appear
in
shaded areas where the sun can’t
reach: around clumps of trees, behind
buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface
of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear. If you see
a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a
Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be
in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless
you know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some things to do to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers. 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
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Your Driving and the Road
If You’re Caught in a
Blizzard (CONT.)
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. 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 headlights.
Let the
heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve the
heat. Start the engine again and repeat this
only when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as
little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you
can.
To help keep warm, you can get out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous
exercises every half hour or
so until help
comes.
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Recreational Vehicle
Towing
There may be times when you want to
tow your Pontiac behind another vehicle
for use at your destination. Be sure to use
the proper towing equipment designed for
recreational towing. Follow the instructions for the towing equipment.
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Towing Your Pontiac from the Front
Follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
NOTICE:
Do not tow your Pontiac with the
front wheels in contact with the
ground, or
the automatic transaxle
could
be damaged.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Turn the ignition key to OFF to unlock
the steering wheel.
See “Ignition” in
the Index.
4. Clamp the steering wheel in a
straight-ahead position, with a
clamping device designed for towing.
5. Release the parking brake.
C
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