light PONTIAC PONTIAC 1997 Manual PDF

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.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But
it can if your
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, telephone
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
I 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.
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Some Other Rainy Weather .-r~s
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” in
the Index.)
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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 b’est 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 th’e
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 Bight 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.
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Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
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 t’end 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
Pontiac 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:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir 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 Furecasts: 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?
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac 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.
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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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Making Turns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher andlor extra wiring. Check
with your Pontiac dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop. When towing
a trailer, the green
arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be
sure the trailer
bulbs
are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug
a
trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s lighting
system, its bulb warning lights may not
let you know if
one of your lamps goes out. So, when you have a trailer
lighting system plugged in, be sure to check your
vehicle and trailer lamps
from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once you disconnect the trailer
lamps, the bulb warning lights again can tell you if one
of your vehicle lamps is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On
a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 kd) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you have Overdrive, you may want to drive in
THIRD (3), instead of DRIVE (D),
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Hazard Warning Flashers Press the switch OB top of
the steering column to make
your front and
rear turn
signal lamps
flash on and
off. Your hazard warning
flashers
work no matter
what position your key
is in,
and even if the key isn’t in.
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and
rear
turn signal lamps will flash on and off.
To turn off the flashers, press the switch again. When
the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals or
brake lights won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up
at the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
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Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas
to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to add water to the Delco Freedom@ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take
care of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get
it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock,
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative
(-), or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts, too.
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep
your hands away from moving parts
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Attach a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end
of both lateral arms.
Please take care not to
damage speed sensor
wires or brake
hoses
when attaching chains
l.1 and T-hooks. -
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a warning
light about
a hot engine on your instrument panel. See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Engine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the Index.
You
also have a low coolant light on your instrument panel.
Sed‘Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
CAUTION: (Continued)
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Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
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Storing a jack, a tire or ‘other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipmen.t could strike someone. Store all these in the proper place.
The compact spare is for temporary use only. Replace
the compact spare tire with a full-size tire as soon as you
can. See “Compact Spare Tire” in the Index. See the
storage instructions label to replace your compact spare
into your trunk properly.
Be sure to calibrate your check tire pressure system after
you replace your compact
spare tire with a full-sized
one. See “Check Tire Pressure Light” in the Index.
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1. Retainer
2. Cover
3. Retainer
(Full Size
Spare)
4. Tire
5. Nut
6. Jack
7. Wrench
8. Lock Nut Tool
9. Foam
10. Bolt Screw
11. Extension and
Protector/Guide
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