light PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2003 Repair Manual

1 press the button located
To
turn the system
off,
on the instrument
panel DIC (Driver’s
Information Center) or
Trip Computer,
if equipped.
The traction control system warning light will come on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button, the warning light will come
on and the system will turn
off instantly.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The traction control system
warning light should go
off.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
If your vehicle has the 3100 V6 or 3800 V6 engine and
anti-lock brakes, 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 also upshift the transaxle to limit
wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
on
page 3-29.
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 3-5.
4-1 1

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
This TRAC OFF
warning light will come
on to let you know
if
there’s a problem.
See Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page
3-30. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system
off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and
rocking the vehicle is required. See “Rocking Your
Vehicle To Get It Out” under If
You Are Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-32.
To turn the system on or
off, press the TCS button
on the far right end of
the Driver Information
Center (DIG) or the
trip computer
(if equipped).
When you turn the system
off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on and stay on.
If the Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system
off,
the warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The Enhanced Traction
System warning light should go
off.
4-1 2

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.
If the level of the shoulder 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
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway
is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.’’ Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect
your passing patterns. If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass,
wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it’s all
right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear).
Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
4-1 5

Driving at Night
. ..
.. .. . . . ..
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to be
impaired
- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue. Here are some
tips on night drivinq
Drive defensively.
0 Don’t drink and drive.
0 Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
glare from
headlamps behind you.
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
and
rest.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example,
if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But
if
you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may
cut down on glare from headlamps,
but they also
make a lot of things invisible.
4-1 8

You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps.
It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver
who doesn’t lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less
of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly lighted
objects. Just as your headlamps should be checked
regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes be
examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness -the inability to see
in dim light - and
aren’t even aware
of it.
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on dry roads.
And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are driving.
The sulface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes
are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
4-1 9

The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy
rain can make it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road
and even people walking.
It’s wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank filled
with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs
of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts. Driving too fast through large
water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But
if you can’t, try to slow down before you
hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control
of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen
if the road is wet enough and
you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
4-20

Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your Driving Through Flowing Water
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen
if a lot of water is standing
on the road.
If you can see reflections from trees,
ieiephone poles or other vehicles, and raindrops
“dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come
in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody
of your vehicle.
If you can’t avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly. Flowing or rushi
-. water
cr tes lg forces.
If you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away.
As little as six inches of
flowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If
this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Don’t ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive through flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
See
Tires on page 5-68.
4-2 1

City Driving One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into
an unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You’ll save time and energy.
See the next part, “Freeway Driving.”
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light
is there because the corner is busy enough
to need it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles
that have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
4-22

Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance.
Expect to move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the
proper lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit, do
not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed
according to your speedometer, not to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance at higher
speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower
than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
- such as after a day’s
work
- don’t plan to make too many miles that first
part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes
you can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to
go. If it
needs service, have it done before starting out.
Of course, you’ll find experienced and able service
experts in dealerships all across North America. They’ll
be ready and willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid:
Is the reservior full?
Are all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps:
Do you have up-to-date maps?
4-24

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red
cloth and a couple of reflective warning triangles. And,
if you will be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of
burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
4-27