steering PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998 User Guide

NOTICE:
Accessory Power Outlet
You have an accessory power outlet, you can plug in an
electrical accessory. The outlet is located on the
instrument panel to the right
of the steering wheel. Be Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtrays.
If you do, cigarettes or other
accessory power outlet is protected by a fuse and has a causing damage.
included with any electrical equipment you install. The smoking materials could set them on fire,
sure to follow the proper installation instructions that are
maximum current level.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them to the side.
Your vehicle may also have a plastic extension which
pulls out of the main visor to increase protection
from glare.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Open the cover to expose the vanity mirror.
Litter Bag Hook
There is a litter bag hook located on the front passenger
side of the center console storage area.
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Your instrument panel is designed to let you know at a glance how \
your vehicle is running. You’ll know how fast
you’re going, how much
fuel you’re using, and many other things you’ll need to drive \
safely and economically.
The main components of your instrument panel are:
A. Fuse Panel
B. Vent
C. Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
D. Horn
E. Hazard Warning Flashers Switch F. Instrument Cluster
G. Windshield WipersNasher Stalk
H. Audio System
I. Side Window Defogger Vent
J. Glove Box
K. Climate Control System L. Gear Shift Lever
M. CupholdedAshtray (If Equipped)
N. Enhanced Traction System (ETS) Switch
0. Accessory Power
Outlenighter (If Equipped)
(If Equipped)
P. Ignition Switch
Q. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever (If Equipped)
R. Fog Lamp Switch
S. Hood
Release Handle
T. Instrument Panel Intensity ControlDnterior
Lamps Switch
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Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered w\
ith your vehicle. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your v\
ehicle.
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Comfort Controls
Climate Control System
with
Air Conditioning
Air Conditioning
Heating
Defrosting and Defogging
Rear Window Defogger
(If Equipped)
Ventilation System
Audio Systems
Setting the Clock for
AM-FM Stereo
Setting the Clock for
All Systems Except
AM-EM Stereo
AM-FM Stereo
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
(If Equipped)
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AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player and
Equalizer
(If Equipped)
AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player and
Equalizer (If Equipped)
Remote Cassette Tape Player
(If Equipped)
Theft-Deterrent Feature Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About
Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Care
of Your Compact Disc Player
Fixed Mast Antenna

To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After
a Power Loss” earlier in
this section.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
SEEK: Press the up arrow to tune to the next radio
station and
the down arrow to tune to the previous radio
station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the
player
will advance with the up arrow and rewind with
the down arrow.
AM-FM: Press this button to choose AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, it will stop
and the radio will play.
PRESET: Press this button to play a station you have
programmed
on the radio preset buttons.
PLAY: Press this button to play a cassette tape or
compact
disc when the radio is playing.
MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn on the sound.
I VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
If your vehicle has
this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
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Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds\
of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve also
included many other useful tips on driving.
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Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking Steering
Off-Road Recovery
Loss of Control
Driving at Night
Driving in Rain
and on Wet Roads
Passing
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City Driving
Freeway Driving
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis
Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
4-1

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you WaTlf it ro go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator.
All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First,
you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’sperception time. Then you have to bring
up your
foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be
less with one driver
and as long as
two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight
all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 314 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
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To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System
on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
To turn the system on or off,
press the button on the shift
lever knob.
When
you turn the system off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on
and stay on. If the
Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button to
turn the system off, the warning
light will come on
-- but the system won’t turn off right
away. It
will wait until there’s no longer a current need
to limit wheel spin. You
can turn the system
back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The Enhanced Traction System
warning light should go off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the
very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops
or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Variable Effort Steering (If Equipped)
This steering system provides lighter steering effort for
parking and at low vehicle speeds. Steering effort will
increase at higher speeds for improved road feel.
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Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving
on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn
the fkont wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep \
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this\
.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you’re steering through
a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road.
Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much of those places.
You can lose control. Refer to
“Enhanced Traction System”
in the Index.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds
are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out
of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped
in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out
from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked
cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by
braking -- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove
as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just
as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided
the object.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
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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 tum the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the
right fkont 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
trafEc 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 tr&k accidents -- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” 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.
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