PONTIAC PONTIAC 1997 Owners Manual

Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ 11
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit
a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: 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’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re 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:
0 Turn on your hazard flashers.
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Tie a sed cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you've been stopped
by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket 'aro'und you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep
warm.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
GO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
GO could overcome you and kill
you. You can't see it or smell
it, so you might not
know
it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the
base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking
your exhaust pipe. And check
around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn't collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that's away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
i
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful,
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it
go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery
to restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as
you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Loading Your Vehicle
/@ OCCUPANTS
VEHICLE CAP. WT.
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
FRT. CTR.
RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
~-
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY
WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE
SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI/KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1/28KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly
carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
is on the inside of the trunk lid. The label tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle.
It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight you can
carry. This weight is called the vehicle capacity weight
and includes the
weight of all occupants, cargo and all
nonfactory-installed options.
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MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity
of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle or the
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for either the front
or rear axle.
If you do have a heavy load, spread it out. Don’t carry
more than 167 pounds (75 kg) in your trunk.
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the way your vehi’cle
handles. These could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading
can shorten the life of
your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that
fail because of overloading.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-= they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you hav’e to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
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I
Towing a Trailer
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people
in a sudden stop or turn, or
in
a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
1 trunk, put them as far forward as you can.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
Try to spread the weight evenly.
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops
of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
’ vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passenger passengers could be seriously
injured. Pull
a trailer only if you have followed
all the steps in this section. Ask your Pontiac
dealer
for advice and information about towing a
trailer
with your vehicle.
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?‘hat’s me reason for this part. In it are many
Many of these are important
for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
NOTICE: time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered
by
your warranty. To pull a trailer correctly, follow Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
the advice in this part, and see your Pontiac wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
dealer for important information about towing a against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
trailer with your vehicle. required to sperate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is equipped with the pulling requirements.
3800 (L67) supercharged engine.
Your vehicle can tow
a trailer if it is equipped with
proper towing equipment.
To identify what the vehicle
trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should read
There are many different laws, including speed limit
the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that appears restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
later
in this section. But trailering is different than just your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
driving your vehicle by itself, Trailering means changes also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
in handling, durability and fuel economy. Successful, information
can be state or provincial police.
safe trailering takes correct equipment, and it has to be
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
used Droperly. dealer about
sway controls.
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0
0
0
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 kdh)) to
save wear
on your vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have to
do with weight:
0 the weight of the trailer,
the weight of the trailer tongue
and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 pounds (450 kg).
But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask
your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at:
Customer Assistance Center
Pontiac Division, One Pontiac Plaza
Pontiac, MI 48340-2952
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
Weight sf the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because it affects the total capacity
weight
of your vehicle. The capacity weight includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo you may carry in
it, and the people who will
be riding in the vehicle. And
if you will tow a trailer, you must subtract the tongue
load from your vehicle’s capacity weight because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading
Your Vehicle” in the Index for more information
about
your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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B
If you’re using a weight-carrying hitch, the trailer
tongue
(A) should weigh 10 percent of the total loaded
trailer weight
(€3). If you have a weight-distributing
hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should weigh
12 percent of
the total loaded trailer weight (E).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be able
to get them right
simply by moving some items around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper
limit for cold tires. You’ll find these numbers
on the
Tire-Loading Information label, found on the inside of
the
trunk lid, or see “Loading Your Vehicle”
in the Index. Then be sure you don’t go over the
‘GVW limit for your vehicle, including the weight of
the trailer tongue,
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
‘Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here are
some rules
to follow:
Your vehicle may have nonmetallic, composite
bumpers. The bumpers on your vehicle are not
intended
for bitches. DO not attach rental hitches
or other bumper-type hitches to them. Use only
a frame-mounted hitch that does not attach to
the bumper.
.,, .
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Will you have to make any holes in the body of your
vehicle when you install a trailer hitch? If you do,
then be sure to seal the holes later when you remove
the hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get into your
vehicle (see “Carbon Monoxide” in the Index). Dirt
and water can,
too.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by the hitch manufacturer
or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Because you have anti-lock brakes, do not try to tap into
your vehicle’s brake system.
If you do, both brake
systems won’t work well, or at all.
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Driving with a Trailer Following Bistance
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel
of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you
are
driving is now a good deal longer an’d not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle
is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load
is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working, Stay
at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy bralung
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re
a good deal
longer, you’ll need to
go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just
move that hand
to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and,
if
possible, have someone guide you.
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