ABS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2005 User Guide

Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you will
want to brake very gently, too. If you do have anti-lock
brakes, seeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) 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 will 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 brakes, if you
brake so hard that your wheels stop rolling, you will 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 ne until
you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such as
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 are actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with
your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near
help and you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and keep yourself
and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you do not have blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags,
rags, oor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
4-30

Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before starting
down a long or steep downgrade. If the vehicle is
not shifted down, the brakes may have to be used so
much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce the
vehicle’s speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce
the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
If the vehicle has overdrive, it may be driven in
THIRD (3) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if the rig ever has to be parked on a hill, here is
how to do it:
1. Apply the regular brakes, but do not shift into
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply the parking
brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-46

How to Inspect the Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/lter, remove the lter from the
vehicle and lightly shake the lter to release loose dust
and dirt. If the lter remains caked with dirt, a new lter is
required.
To inspect or replace the engine air cleaner/lter do the
following:
1. Lift the lter cover tabs on top of the engine air
cleaner/lter housing.
2. Push the lter cover housing toward the engine.
3. Pull out the lter.4. Inspect or replace the engine air cleaner/lter.
SeeNormal Maintenance Replacement Parts
on page 6-13.
5. To reinstall the cover, position the tabs through the
slots on the housing. A notch on the sides of the
lter cover will indicate the correct engagement.
6. Push the cover tabs on top of the housing to lock
the cover in place.
{CAUTION:
Operating the engine with the air cleaner/lter
off can cause you or others to be burned.
The air cleaner not only cleans the air; it helps
to stop ame if the engine backres. If it is
not there and the engine backres, you could
be burned. Do not drive with it off, and be
careful working on the engine with the air
cleaner/lter off.
Notice:If the air cleaner/lter is off, a backre can
cause a damaging engine re. And, dirt can easily get
into your engine, which will damage it. Always have
the air cleaner/lter in place when you are driving.
5-21

A
Accessory Power Outlets.................................3-24
Additives, Fuel................................................. 5-6
Add-On Electrical Equipment...........................5-103
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.................................5-20
Air Conditioning......................................3-26, 3-29
Airbag
Readiness Light..........................................3-38
Airbag Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM)....7-10
Airbag System................................................1-48
How Does an Airbag Restrain?......................1-54
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........1-56
What Makes an Airbag Inate?......................1-54
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?....1-55
When Should an Airbag Inate?....................1-53
Where Are the Airbags?...............................1-50
Antenna, Backglass.......................................3-134
Antenna, XMâ„¢ Satellite Radio Antenna
System.....................................................3-135
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)........................... 4-6
Anti-Lock Brake, System Warning Light..............3-41
Appearance Care............................................5-94
Aluminum Wheels........................................5-99
Care of Safety Belts....................................5-97
Chemical Paint Spotting..............................5-100
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses....................5-97
Fabric/Carpet..............................................5-94Appearance Care (cont.)
Finish Care.................................................5-98
Finish Damage..........................................5-100
Glass Surfaces............................................5-96
Instrument Panel.........................................5-96
Interior Plastic Components...........................5-96
Leather......................................................5-96
Sheet Metal Damage..................................5-100
Tires..........................................................5-99
Underbody Maintenance.............................5-100
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials...............5-101
Vinyl..........................................................5-96
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-97
Weatherstrips..............................................5-97
Windshield and Wiper Blades........................5-98
Ashtrays........................................................3-25
Assist Handles...............................................2-40
Audio System(s).............................................3-92
Audio Steering Wheel Controls....................3-133
Backglass Antenna.....................................3-134
Care of Your CD Player..............................3-134
Care of Your CDs......................................3-134
Chime Level Adjustment.............................3-135
Navigation/Radio System.............................3-132
Radio with CD...................................3-93, 3-104
Radio with Six-Disc CD..............................3-118
Setting the Time..........................................3-93
Theft-Deterrent Feature...............................3-132
1

Audio System(s) (cont.)
Understanding Radio Reception...................3-134
XMâ„¢ Satellite Radio Antenna System...........3-135
Automatic Transaxle
Fluid..........................................................5-22
Operation...................................................2-25
B
Backglass Antenna........................................3-134
Battery..........................................................5-42
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver......................3-17
Run-Down Protection...................................3-20
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.........................4-24
Brake
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)........................ 4-6
Emergencies................................................ 4-8
Parking......................................................2-30
System Warning Light..................................3-40
Brakes..........................................................5-40
Braking........................................................... 4-6
Braking in Emergencies..................................... 4-8
Break-In, New Vehicle.....................................2-21
Bulb Replacement...........................................5-50
Back-Up Lamps...........................................5-55
Front Turn Signal, Parking and Fog Lamps.....5-53
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-50
Headlamp Aiming........................................5-48Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Replacement Bulbs......................................5-56
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps............5-54
Buying New Tires...........................................5-68
C
California Fuel.................................................. 5-6
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Capacities and Specications..........................5-108
Carbon Monoxide...................2-13, 2-33, 4-28, 4-40
Care of
Safety Belts................................................5-97
Your CD Player.........................................3-134
Your CDs .................................................3-134
Center Console Storage Area...........................2-40
Chains, Tire...................................................5-72
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-44
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-10
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-100
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-35
Infants and Young Children...........................1-32
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)..........................1-40
Older Children.............................................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System...................................1-42
2