PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998 Owners Manual

Storing the Snare Tire and Tools
I
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause
iqjury. 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.
m G
4. Wrench
B. Jack
C. Spare Tire
D. Adapter
E. Wing Nut
E Cover
G. Nut
5-32

Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be 60 psi
(420 Pa).
After installing the compact spare
on your vehicle,
you should stop
as soon as possible and make sure
your spare tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare
is made to perform well at speeds up to
65 mph
(105 km/h) for distances up to 3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can finish your trip and have your full-size tire
repaired or replaced where you want. Of course, it’s best
to replace your spare with a full-size
tire as soon as you
can. Your spare will last longer and be
in good shape in
case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through an automatic car
wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t
mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle
and can damage
the chains
too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
r
5-33

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts
of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels
as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (5$ k@h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too
fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth,
you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see
“Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels.
If your vehicle
has
the Enhanced Traction System, you should turn
the system off. (See “Enhanced Traction System”
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear (or with a manual
transaxle, between
mRST (1) or SECOND (2) and
REVERSE
(R)), spinning the wheels as little as
possible. Release the accelerator pedal while you
shift,
and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when the
transaxle is in gear.
If that doesn’t get you out after a
few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you do
need to be towed out, see “Towing
Your Vehicle” in
the Index.
5-34

7 Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There \
is also technical information about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6-2
6-3
6-5
6-5
6-8
6-8
6-13
6-19
6-20
6-23 6-24
6-25
6-29
6-29 6-30
6-31
Service
Fuel
Fuels
in Foreign Countries
Filling
Your Tank
Filling a Portable Fuel Container Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Manual Transaxle Fluid
Hydraulic Clutch
Engine Coolant
Thermostat Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
6-36
6-36
6-42 6-50
6-5
1
6-53
6-54
6-56
6-57
6-58
6-59
6-64
6-65
6-65
6-66 6-66
Battery
Bulb Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside
of Your Vehicle
Care
of Safety Belts
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Finish Damage
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications Air Conditioning Refrigerants
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
Vehicle Dimensions
6-1

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer for
all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM parts and
GM-trained
and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine
GM parts have one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper Pontiac Service Manual.
It tells
you much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can. To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
Your vehicle has an
air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your
Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the Index.
You should keep a record with
all parts receipts and list
the mileage
and the date of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Index.
6-2

A CAUTION: nl
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged
if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about
it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance
task.
0 Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English”
and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the
wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around
it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with your dealer before adding equipment to
the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM
D4814 in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications have been
developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association (AAMA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to
other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane is at least
87. If the octane is
less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough,
it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at
87 octane or higher and you
hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service. But
don’t worry if you hear a
little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up a
hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy
a higher octane fuel to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have a problem.
6-3

If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications.
If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle
may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs, return
to your authorized Pontiac dealer for diagnosis to
determine the cause of failure.
In the event it is
determined that the cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs may not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use of such gasolines.
If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be aEected. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized
Pontiac dealer
for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming
in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have
to add
anything to the fuel.
In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such
as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available
in your area to
help clean the
air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines
if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
I NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don't
use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn't
be covered
under your warranty.
6-4

Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper
fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text on
fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use
of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact
a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be
driving.
You can also write us at the following address for
advice. Just tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8W
Filling Your Tank
A I
9
’ A CAUTION:
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames and smoking
materials
away from gasoline.
6-5

II
II
To open the fuel door, pull the fuel access handle on the
floor by the driver’s seat.
The cap is behind a hinged door on the passenger’s side
of your vehicle.
The remote fuel filler door release can help keep your
fuel
tank from being siphoned. Always be sure the fuel
door
is closed and latched after refueling. While refueling, hang the tethered cap
over the hook
inside the fuel door.
To remove the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise). The cap has
a spring in it; if you let
go
of the cap too soon, it will spring back to the right.
6-6

’ A CAUTION:
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline
can spray out on you if you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly.
This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap
all the way.
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
Outside of Your Vehicle” in the Index. When you put the
cap back
on, turn it to the right
(clockwise)
until you hear a clicking sound. Make sure
you
fully install the cap. The diagnostic system can
determine
if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly
installed.
This would allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. See “Malfunction Indicator
Lamp” in
the Index.
NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type,
it may not €it properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to
light
and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged.
See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
6-7