dead battery PONTIAC GRAND AM 2003 Owners Manual

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.
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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 ACDelco@
battery installed in your new vehicle. But if a
battery has filler 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. Fans or other moving engine parts can injure
you badly. Keep your hands away from moving
parts
once the engine is running.
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
(+) or to a remote positive (+) terminal if
the vehicle has one. Negative (-) will go to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or to a remote
negative
(-) terminal if the vehicle with the dead
battery has one.
Don’t connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or you’ll
qet a short that would damage the battery and
maybe other parts, too. And don’t connect
the negative
(-) cable to the negative (-) terminal
on the dead battery because this can cause sparks.
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6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the dead battery. Use a remote
positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
7.
8.
Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect it to
the positive
(+) terminal
of the good battery. Use a
remote positive
(+)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to the
negative
(-) terminal
of the good battery. Use
a remote negative
(-)
terminal if the vehicle
has one.
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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 engine part or to a remote
negative
(-) terminal on the vehicle with the dead
battery.
9.
10.
11.
Connect the other end of the negative (-) 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, and the chance
of sparks getting back to the battery
is much less.
Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
Try to start the vehicle that has the dead battery. If
it won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
Notice: Damage to your vehicle may result from
electrical shorting if jumper cables are removed
incorrectly.
To prevent electrical shorting, take care
that the cables don’t touch each other or any
other metal. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
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r
B
I1
Jumper Cable Removal
A. Heavy, Unpainted Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles, do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
2. Disconnect the black negative (-) cable from the
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other
vehicle that
had the dead battery.
vehicle with the good battery.
vehicle with the good battery.
vehicle.
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