octane PONTIAC PONTIAC 1996 Owners Manual

Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service
work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Pontiac” in the Index.
You should keep a ,record with .all parts receipts and list
the mifeage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the
Index.
Yon can be injured and your vehicle could Be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before
you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task,
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners, “English”
and 6’Metrics’
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts Can later break
m &dl ~ff, You could be hurt.
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher.
At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM
D4814 in the. United States and CGSB 35-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications have been
developed
by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association
(AAMA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared
to
ofier gasolines.
Be sure
the posted octane is at least 87. If the octane is
less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. slf it’s bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at 87 octane or higher and you
still hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
But don’t worry if you hear a little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy a higher octane
he1 to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have
a problem.
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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications. If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performapce
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may
turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Pontiac dealer for diagnosis to determine the
cause of failure. In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition
is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane enhancing
additive called MMT. If you use such fuels, your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on. If this happens, return to your
authorized Pontiac dealer for service. and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines
may
be
available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that you use these gasolines if they
comply with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine
and fuel system, allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add anything to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers
6-3
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