lock PONTIAC GRAND AM 2003 Workshop Manual

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.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts
- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster
if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a
lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer
to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin
to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
4-7

Let’s say the road is wet and you’re driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with
ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels. The anti-lock system can change the brake
pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
4-8

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get
too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time to apply
your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead
to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However,
if you don’t have anti-lock,
your first reaction
- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold
it down
- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond
to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be
off the road, into the very thing you
LAtara tnrinn tn 9 rni VGI G 11 yll ILJ 1W ,\,Id, Gr intG traffic. If
you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want
to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease
off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
do have
anti-lock,
it’s different. See “Anti-Lock Brakes.’’
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only
if
it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning
to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may
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4-9

LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced Traction System
Active Light on page 3-29.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. This light will also come on when the anti-lock
brake system is working.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-6.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high
as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on
page
2-24.
TRAC
OFF
When the system is on and the parking brake is
fully released, this warning
light will come on to let
you know
if there’s a
problem.
See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-28.
When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-1 0

Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems
- steering and braking - have to do their work
where the tires meet the road. Unless you have
four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand
too much of those places. You can lose
control.
The same thing can happen
if you’re steering through a
sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two
control systems
- steering and acceleration - can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road
and make you lose control. See
Enhanced Traction
System
(ETS) on page 4-9.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or 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.
4-1 2
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
- but, unless you
have anti-lock, not enough
to lock your wheels.
See
Braking on page 4-6. 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
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.
!f the !eve! nf the sholrlder 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 turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
tne pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel
io yo
straight down the roadway.
4-1 3

A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, remember:
It helps to avoid only the acceleration skid.
If you do
not have the Enhanced Traction System, or
if the system
is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled
by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts
to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction
is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited. While driving on a surface
with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
- such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a “mirrored surface”
- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure
on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-1 6

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.
Keep your Enhanced Traction System on.
It will improve
your ability
to accelerate when driving on a slippery
road. Even though your vehicle has this system, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. See
Enhanced Traction System (€E)
on page 4-9.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to brake very gently, too.
(If you do have anti-lock,
see
Braking on page 4-6. This system improves your
vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop on a
slippery road.) Whether you have the anti-lock braking
system or not, you’ll want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry pavement. Without anti-lock brakes,
if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up on the
brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down steadily
to
get the most traction you can.
Remember, unless you have anti-lock,
if you brake so
hard that your wheels stop rolling, you’ll just slide. Brake
so your wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
Whatever your braking system, 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.

You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside.
CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see
it or
smell
it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help keep
CO out. 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 headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
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.
4-30

Dinghy Towing
To low your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground,
follow these steps:
ti
11701
1. Position the vehicle to tow and then secure it.
2. Turn the ignition switch to OFF.
3. Set the parking brake. 4.
To prevent your battery from draining while the
vehicle is being towed, remove the following
fuses from the left side instrument panel fuse block:
WIPER, PCM ACC and IPC/BFC ACC. See
“Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Driver’s Side)” under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-81 for the
location of these fuses.
5. Turn the ignition switch to ACCESSORY.
6. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Remember to reinstall the fuses once you reach your
destination. To reinstall
a fuse do the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Put the fuse back in.
Notice: Make sure that the towing speed does not
exceed
65 mph (1 10 km/h), or your vehicle could
be b2d!y dm2ge.r.
4-33