1993 PONTIAC GRAND-AM light

Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and rear
turn signal lights will flash
on and off.
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Move the switch to the right to make
your front and rear turn signal lights 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.
To turn off the flashers, move the switch
to the left.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals 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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Jump Starting (CONTJ
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the
jumper cables can reach, but be sure
the vehicles aren’t touching each
other.
If they are, it could cause a
ground connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your
Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
I; vehicles roll. Set the parking
brake
firmly on each vehicle. Put
an automatic transaxle in
P (Park)
or a manual transaxle in
N (Neutral). I I
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn
off all lights that aren’t
needed, and radios.
This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
. 8. r ~
I If you leave your radio on, it could
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
An electric fan can start up
e engine is not
running and can injure you. Keep
hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
Find the positive (+) and negative
(-) terminals on each battery,
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A
1 I water. 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
You don’t need to add water to the
Delco Freedom@ battery installed
in every new GM vehicle. But if a
battery has fdler 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.
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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 things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+) and negative
(-) will go to negative (-) or a metal
engine part.
Don’t connect
(+) to (-) 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 once the engines are
running.
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage
or the warning light about
a hot engine
on your Pontiac’s instrument panel. See
the
Index under Coolant Temperature
Gage
and Coolant Temperature Warning
Light.
You will also find a low coolant warning
light on your Pontiac’s instrument panel.
If Steam is Coming from Your Engine:
/1 Steam from an overheated
L L 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 there is no sign of steam
or coolant before opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your
engine
is overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fire. You or others could
be badly burned. Stop your engine
if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
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Changing a Flat Tire (corvr)
14. Store the flat tire in the compact
spare
tire compartment, and secure
with the
wing bolt and extension.
Store the jack and wheel wrench in
their compartment, also.
I A Storing a jack, a tire, or other
- equipment in the passenger
ompartment
of the vehicle could I
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
i
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully
inflated when your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check the
inflation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi (420 Wa). The compact spare is
made to go up to
3,000 miles (5 O00 km),
so you can finish your trip and have
your full-size tire repaired or replaced
where you want.
Of course, it’s best to
replace your spare with a full-size tire as
soon
as you can. Your spare will last
longer and be in good shape
in case you
need it again.
Your anti-lock brake system warning
light may come on when you are driving
with a compact spare. See the
Idex
under Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light.
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Don’t take your compact spare
through
an automatic vehicle wash I
with guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on the rails.
That can damage the tire and
wheel, and maybe other parts
of
your vehicle.
)on? use your compact spare on some
)ther vehicle.
ind don’t
mix your compact spare or
vheel with other wheels or tires. They
von’t
fit. Keep your spare and its wheel
ogether.
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Problems on the Road
If Mu’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow (CONXI
Spinning your wheels can dest
parts
of your vehicle as well as
tires.
If you spin the wheels too
fast while shifting your transaxle
back and forth,
your transaxle.
__
OY
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Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clear the area around
your front wheels. Then shift back and
forth between
R (Reverse) and a
forward gear, or with a manual
transaxle, between
1 or 2 and R (Reverse),
spinning the wheels as little as possible.
Release the accelerator pedal while you
shift, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the transaxle is
in gear. If that doesn’t get you out after a
few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see the
Index under Towing Your Pontiac.
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I
Engine Oil Additives
Don't add anything to your oil. Your
Pontiac dealer is ready to advise
if you
think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil
See if any one of these is true for you:
Most trips are less than 4 miles (6 km).
It's below freezing outside and most
trips are less than
10 miles (16 km).
The engine is at low speed most of the
time
(as in door-to-door delivery, or in
stop-and-go traffic).
You tow a trailer often.
Most trips are through dusty places.
If any one of these is true for your
vehicle, then you need to change your
oil and fdter every 3,000 miles
(5 0oO km) or 3 months-whichever
comes first. (See the
Index under Check
Oil Light.)
If none of them is true, change the oil
every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12
months-whichever comes first. Change
the filter at the first oil change and at
every other
oil change after that.
Engine Block Heater
An engine block heater can be a big
help if you have to park outside
in very
cold weather,
0" F (-18°C) or colder. If
your vehicle has this option, see the
Index under Engine Block Heater.
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Engine Coolant
The following explains your cooling system and how to add coolant when it
is low. If you have a problem with
engine overheating, see the
Index under
Engine Overheating.
The proper coolant for your Pontiac
will:
Give freezing protection down to
Give boiling protection up to 262°F
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine
-34°F (-37°C).
(128°C).
temperature.
Let the warning
should. lights work as they
What to Use:
Use
a mixture of one-half clean water
(preferably distilled) and one-half
antifreeze that meets
“GM Specification
1825-M,” which won’t damage
aluminum parts. You can
also use a
recycled coolant conforming to GM
Specification 1825-M with a complete
coolant flush and refill. If you use this
mixture, you don’t need to add anything
else.
CAUTION I
A Adding only plain water ta
L pur cooling system can be
dangerous. Plain water, or some
other liquid like alcohol, can boil
bebe the proper coolant mix will.
system is set for the proper coolant
mix. With plain water or the
wrong mix, your engine could get
too hot but you wouldn’t get the
overheat warning, Your engine
could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix
of clean water and a proper
antifreeze.
Your v&hicle’s coolant warning
221 .
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