PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1996 Owners Manual

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 stop 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 my 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
to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing 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 transaxle shift lever in
PARK
(P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. lbrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t 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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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire, The
eaubhent
vou’ll AI
need is in the t&. Pull
the carpeting from the
floor of the tnxnk. Turn the
center retainer nut on the
compact spare cover
c’ounterclockwise to
remove it.
Lift
and remove the cover. See “Compact Spare Tire”
later in this section for more information about the
compact
spare.
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Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift
off
the spacer and remove
the spare tire.
Remove the
jack and wheel wrench from the trunk. Your
vehicle’s jack
and wheel wrench are stored in a foam
tray.
Remove the band around the jack.
’ I *,
’. .
The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench
(B).
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
’ 1. Remove the wheel nut caps (you may need to use the
wheel wrench to loosen
and remove them, if your
fingers
do not fit into this. small. area) e
2. Then use the wheel wrench to loosen- all the wheel
nuts.. Don’t remove them yet.
3. Position the jack and raise the jack head until it fits
firmly into the notch in the vehicle’s frame nearest
the flat tire. Put the compact spare tire near you.
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
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NOTICE:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow
the vehicle to fall off the jack. Be sure to fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising your vehicle.
I NOTICE:
I
Do not jack or lift vehicle using the oil pan. Pans
could crack and begin to leak fluid. 4. Raise the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the spare tire
to fit.
5. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
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6. Remove the wheel cover from the wheel, if your flat
tire has one. Then take off the flat tire.
7. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting
surfaces and
spare wheel.
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 scrapes or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
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I A CAUTION:
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.,
% '
j !. ', . , , ,.
8. Replace the wheel nuts
with the rounded end
o'f
the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten each nut
by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
i L
9. Lower the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
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10. Tighten the wheel. nuts
firmly in a criss-cross
sequence, as shown.
-
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become loose
and even come
off. This could lead to an accident.
Be sure
to use the correct wheel nuts. If you have
to replace them, be sure
to get new GM original
equipment wheel
nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can.and have the
nuts tightened with
a torque wrench to I00 Ib-ft
(140 N-m).
I NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to
brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specifications.
Don’t itry to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover and plastic
cap nuts in the trunk until you have the flat tire
repaired
or replaced.
... .
NOTICE:
~
Wheel covers won’t, fit on your compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare,
you could damwe the cover or the spare.
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Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
- H
B
I
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop
or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
A. Wrench E. Extension
B. Jack F. Wing Bolt
C. Flat Road Tire G. Cover
D. Adapter H. Nut
Store the flat tire
in the compact spare tire compartment.
Place the tire in the compartment, then secure the
adapter, extension
and wing bolt. Place the cover and
nut on top of the flat tire. Store the jack and wheel
wrench
in the foam tray.
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Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
~~
A CAUTION:
I
i
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
p,assenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone., Store all these
in the proper place.
The compact spare is for temporary use only. Replace
the compact spare
tire with a full-size tire as soon as you
can. See “Compact Spare Tire” in the Index. See the
storage instructions label
to replace your compact spare
into your trunk properly. A. Wrench
B. Jack
C. Spare Tire
D. Adapter
E. Wing B.olt
F. Cov’er
G, Nut
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