engine PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998 Workshop Manual

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
0 Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule
for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belt, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you
start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When mailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions.
See “Engine Overheating’’
in the Index.
Towing A Trailer
(Except
3100 V6 Engine)
Your vehicle is neither designed nor intended to tow
a trailer.
4-42

Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5-2
5-2
5-3
5-8
5-14 Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5-23 If a Tire Goes Flat
5-23 Changing a Flat Tire
5-33 Compact Spare Tire
5-34 If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
5-1

i . Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the
possibility
of the vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly
on both vehicles involved in the jump
start procedure.
Put an automatic transaxle in
PARK (P) or a manual transaxle in NEUTRAL (N)
before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter.
Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries.
In addition, it could save your radio!
I NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
A CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
1
5-4

4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
A CAUTION:
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to a metal
engine part.
Using a match near
a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and
some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You don’t
need to add
water to the AC Delco Freedom@
battery
installed in every new GM vehicle. But
if a battery has ffler caps, be sure the right
amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to
take care of that
first. If you don’t, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it
on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately. Don’t connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or
you’ll
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts,
too.
- 1’
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
5-5

Don’t let the other end touch anything until the next
step. The other end of the negative cable
doesn ’t go
to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy unpainted
metal part on the engine of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine parts that
move. The electrical connection is just as good
there, but the chance
of sparks getting back to the
battery
is much less.
the engine for a while.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a
few tries, it probably
needs service.
12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or
any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
5-7

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a low
cooIant warning light
on your vehicle’s instrument
panel. See “Engine Coolant Temperature Gage”
and
“Low Coolant Warning Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
A CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even
if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it
off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it
cools down. Wait until
there
is no sign of steam or coolant before you
open the
hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine
if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine
is cool.
I NOTICE: I
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving
with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered
by your warranty.
5-14

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign
of steam,
try
this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
?. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a) or
THIRD (3) for automatic transaxles.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop,
and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still
no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn o@the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-15

Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you
’11 see:
2.4L Engine
3100 Engine
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Cooling Fan
5-16

A CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling fan under the hood can
start up even when the engine is not running and
can injure you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools
away from any underhood electric
fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
I
The coolant level should be at or above FULL COLD.
If it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else in
the cooling system.
5-17

LA CAUTION: I
-1 -
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine
if there is a leak. If you run
the
engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine
fire, and you could be burned.
Get
any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine cooling fan is running. If the
engine is overheating, the fan should be running. If it
isn’t, your vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at or above FULL COLD, add a 50/50 mixture of
clean water (preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@
coolant at the coolant surge tank, but be sure the cooling
system, including the coolant surge
tank pressure cap, is
cool before you do it. (See “Engine Coolant” in the
Index for more information.)
’ /$ CAUTION:
-
Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system
can blow out and burn you badly. They
are under pressure, and if you turn the coolant
surge
tank pressure cap -- even a little -- they
can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap
when the cooling system, including the coolant
surge
tank pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the
cooling system and coolant surge
tank pressure
cap to cool if you ever have to turn the
pressure cap.
5-18