PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2003 Owners Manual

How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Maximum engine speed is limited when your vehicle is
in PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
There are several different positions for the shift lever.
PARK (P): This position locks the front wheels. It’s
the best position to
use when you start the engine
because the vehicle can’t move easily.
The automatic transaxle has a shift lever on the console
between the seats. There is also a display of the gear
positions on the instrument panel cluster near the
speedometer and tachometer.
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly.
You
or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the
shift lever to PARK (P). See “Shifting
Into Park (P)”
in the Index. If you’re pulling a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
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Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. The vehicle has an automatic
transaxle shift lock control system. You must fully apply
the regular brakes and press the shift control button
located on the front of the shift lever, before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in RUN.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Release
the shift lever button. Then move the shift lever out
of PARK (P), being sure to press the shift lever button.
See Shifting
Out of Park (P) on page 2-30.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
Notice: Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging the transaxle, see If
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, ice or Snow on
page
4-32.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, the engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL
(N) when the vehicle is being towed.
ini a d ‘e gea your enc_ e is
“racing” (running at high speed) is dangerous.
Unless your foot
is firmly on the brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very rapidly. You
could lose control and
hit people or objects.
Don’t shift into a drive gear while your engine
is racing.
Notice: Damage to your transaxle caused by
shifting into a drive gear with the engine racing
isn’t
covered by your warranty.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a): This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power
for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator pedal about halfway
down.
accelerator pedal all the way down.
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You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
Notice: If your vehicle seems to start up rather
slowly, or if
it seems not to shift gears as you go
faster, something may be wrong with a transaxle system sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged. So, if
this happens,
have your vehicle serviced right away. Until then,
you can use SECOND
(2) when you are driving
less than
35 mph (55 km/h) and AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) for higher speeds.
THIRD
(3): This position is also used for normal driving,
but
it offers more power and lower fuel economy than
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@ ).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
When driving in non-highway scenarios
(i.e. city streets, etc.). SECOND
(2): This
position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than THIRD
(3). You can use
SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes
off and on.
Notice: Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(90 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use THIRD
(3) or AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) as
much as possible. Don’t shift into SECOND
(2)
unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h)
or you can damage your engine.
FIRST
(1): This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2). You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is in
FIRST (I), the transaxle won’t shift into
first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice: If your front wheels won’t turn, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle. Also,
if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the transaxle. Use your
brakes to hold your vehicle in position on
a hill.
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Parking Brake
The parking brake is
located to the left of
the
brake pedai near
the driver’s door.
To set the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down with
the right foot. Push
down on the parking
brake pedal, with the
left foot.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with the right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with the left foot. When
you lift the
left foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to
the released position. A
warning chime will sound
if the parking brake is set,
the ignition is on and the shift lever is not
in PARK (P)
or NEUTRAL (N).
Notice: Driving with the parking brake on can
cause your rear brakes
to overheat. You may have
to replace them, and you could also damage
other parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and parking on a hill, see
Towing a Trailer
on page 4-37. That section shows what
to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
2-27

Shifting Into Park (P)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly level ground,
use the steps that follow.
If you’re pulling a
trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Press in and hold the shift lever button, located
on the front of the shift lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
2-28

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Runqing
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake firmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch fire.
You or others could be injured. Don’t leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure the vehicle
is in PARK (P) and the
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can
move the shift lever away from PARK (P) (without first
pushing the shift lever button).
If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of
the vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock”.
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see Shifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-28.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK
(P).
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Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system. You
must fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) while the ignition
is in RUN. See Automatic Transaxle Operation on
page
2-24.
Parking Over Things That Burn
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever by pushing it
all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal down. Release the shift
lever button. Then move the shift lever out of
PARK (P), being sure to press the shift lever button.
1 ngL -.iat can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves,
dry grass or other things
that can burn.
2-30

Engine Exhaust
Engine exhaust can A. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can’t see or
smell.
It can cause unconsciousness and
death.
You might have exhaust coming
in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange or
different.
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
e Your vehicle was damaged when driving
over high points on the road or over road
debris.
CAUTION: (Continued)
Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modified improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
* Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
blow out any
CO; and
2-31

Running Your Engine While You
Are Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever ha.-- to, here are som- ‘hings to know.
Idling the engine with the climate control
system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
“Engine Exhaust.”
Also, idling
in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even
if the fan
is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust - with
CO - can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. See “Winter Driving” in the Index.
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to.
If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To
be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, always set your parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK
(P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See Shifting
Into Park (P) on page 2-28.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a trailer,
also see Towing a Trailer
on page 4-37.
2-32

Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lamps behind you, pull the lever
located in the center of the bottom of the mirror
toward you to the night position. To return the mirror
back
to the day position, push the lever away from you. The mirror also has an eight-point compass and
temperature display in the
upper right corner on the
mirror face and a three-button Onstar@ system.
When the automatic dimming feature is turned on,
the mirror automatically changes
to reduce glare from
headlamps behind you. A photocell
on the mirror senses
when it is becoming dark outside. Another photocell
built into the mirror face senses when headlamps
are behind you.
Automatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror with Onstar@, Compass and
a few seconds. The mirror will return to its clear,
Temperature Display
At night, when the glare is too bright, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare. This change may take
daytime state when the glare is reduced.
Mirror Operation
(On/Off): The button with this symbol is the on/off
button for the mirror functions such as automatic
dimming and temperature display. It is the far left button
located on the lower part of the mirror face.
A light on the mirror will be lit while the feature is
turned on.
Your vehicle may have an automatic-dimming rearview
mirror with a compass and temperature display and
the Onstar@ system.
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