PONTIAC PONTIAC 1996 Owners Manual

Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can
blow out and burn you badly. Th'ey
are under pressure, and if
you turn the radiator
pressure cap
-- even a little I- they can come out
at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap,
is hot. Wait for the cooling system and '
radiator pressure cap to cool if you ever have to
turn the pressure cap.
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How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
I NOTICE:
~~
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
1. You can remove the
radiator pressure cap when the cooling system, including the
radiator pressure cap
and upper radiator
hose, is no longer hot.
If you hear a hiss, .wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure left.
Turn the pressure cap slowly counterclockwise until
it first stops. (Don't press down while turning the
pressure cap.)
I
Then keep turning
the pressure cap, but
now push down as
you
turn it. Remove the
pressure cap.
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don't spill coolant
on a hot engine.
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3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed valve.
I 3.4L V6 (VIN Code X):
There are two bleed valves.
They
are located on the
thermostat
housing and
heater inlet pipe. The
.thermostat location is
shown here.
3.1L V6 (VIN Code M): There are two bleed valves.
One is located on the thermostat housing. The other is
located on the thermostat bypass tube.
i
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4. Fill the radiator with the
proper
mix, up to the
base of the filler neck.
If you see a stream
of ,
coolant co.ming from an
air bleed valve, close the
valve. Otherwise, close
the valves after the
radiator
is filled.
5. Rinse or wipe any spilled coolant from the engine
and compartmept.
6. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the
7. Put the cap back on the coolant recovery tank, but
COLD mark.
leave the radiator pressure cap off.
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8. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch
out for the
engine fans.
9. By this time the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more
of the proper mix through the filler neck until
the level reaches the base of the filler neck.
10. Then replace the
pressure cap. At any
time during this
procedure
if coolant
begins to flow out of
the filler neck, reinstall
the pressure cap. Be
sure the arrows on the
pressure cap line
up
like this.
11. Check the coolant in the recovery tank. The level in
the coolant recovery tank
should be at the HOT
mark when the engine is hot or at the COLD mark
when the engine is cold.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create
a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
I
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d; use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get
the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop -- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn
on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire.
To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. nrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire
on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need
is in the trunk. Pull the
carpeting
from the flpor of
the trunk. Turn the center
nut on the compact
spare
cover counterclockwise to
remove it. Then lift and
remove the cover.
Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove
it. Then lift off the
spacer and remove the spare
tire. See “Compact Spare
Tire” later in this section for
more information about the
compact spare.
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Turn the nut holding the jack and wrench The tools you'll be using include the jack (A),
counterclockwise and remove it. Then remove the jack socket (B) and wheel wrench (C).
and wrench.
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If your vehicle ha
the wheel wrench S‘
If there is a wheel cover, Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
loosen the plastic nut caps Spare Tire
with the wheel wrench.
They won’t come
off. Then,
using the flat end
of the
wheel wrench, pry along the
edge of the cover until it
comes
off. Be careful; the
edges may
be sharp. Don’t
try to remove the cover with
your bare hands.
wheel nut
caps, remove them using
I
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
2. Turn the jack bandle clockwise to raise the jack lift
Don’t remove them yet.
head a few inches.
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3. Position the jack under
the vehicle and raise the
jack lift head until it
fits
firmly into the notch in
the vehicle's frame
nearest the flat tire.
Put the compact spare tire near you.
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured
or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
NOTICE:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned will damage the vehicle or may allow
the vehicle to fall off the jack. Be sure to
fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising your vehicle.
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