1993 PONTIAC GRAND-AM Brake fluid

your urwlng and the Road
Highway Hypnosis (CONI)
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road
ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors frequently and your
instruments from time to time. This
can help you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light.
Glare can cause drowsiness. But don’t
wear sunglasses at night. They will
drastically reduce your overall vision
at the very time you need all the
seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into
a rest, service, or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace
with traffic and allow adequate
following distances.
I CAUTION
d
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain. If
you drive regularly in steep
country, or
if you’re planning to visit
there, here are
some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to know
is this: let
your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes
do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when
you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
use of your brakes.
A
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well.
You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Shift down to let your
engine assist your brakes on
a
steep downhill slope.
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
Driving with a mailer (CONT.)
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
apply your parking brake, and then shift to
P (Park), or R (Reverse) for a
manual transaxle.
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a
Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold
the pedal down while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
of the chocks.
store the chocks.
Maintenance When Tmiler Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you’re pulling a trailer. See
the Maintenance Schedule for more on
this. Things that are especially important in trailer operation are
automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfiil),
engine oil, belts, cooling system, and
brake adjustment. Each
of these is
covered
in this manual, and the Ida
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch
nuts and bolts are tight.
m.. 166
ProCarManuals.com

Part 6
... N604
Here you will find information
about the care of your Pontiac
. This
part begins with service and fuel
information. and then it shows how
to check important fluid and
lubricant levels
. There is also
technical information about your
vehicle. and a section devoted to its
appearance care
.
Service & Appearance Care
Service ................ .................................. 198
Fuel
........................................................... 199
HoodRelease .................................................... 205
Engineoil
...................................................... 209
Aircleaner
...................................................... 214
Transaxle Fluid
.................................................. 216
Engine Coolant
.................................................. 221
Power Steering Fluid
.............................................. 224
Windshield Washer Fluid
........................................... 224
Brakes
......................................................... 225
Battery
......................................................... 227
BulbReplacement
................................................ 228
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
................................. 230
Loading Your Vehicle
............................................. 230
Tires
.......................................................... 232
Appearancecare
................................................. 239
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
................................. 247
Add-on Electrical Equipment
....................................... 248
Fuses
& Circuit Breakers ........................................... 248
Capacities
& Specifications ......................................... 251
Fluids
& Lubricants ............................................... 253
Replacement Bulbs
............................................... 254
Normal Maintenance Replacement
Parts ............................. 257
197
ProCarManuals.com

Service & Appearance Care
Hood Release (CONT.)
~1 CAUTION
An electric fan under the hood 1
IhlUlll 0
A
Things that burn can get
hot engine parts and start a
can start up and injure you fire. These include liquids like
even when the engine is not gasoline, oil, coolant, brake fluid,
running. Keep hands, clothing and windshield washer and other
tools away from any underhood fluids, and plastic or rubber. You
or others could be burned. Be
careful not to drop or spill things
that will burn onto a Rot engine,
I’
Before closing the hood, be sure all the
filler caps are on properly. Then lift the
hood to relieve pressure on the hood
prop. Remove the hood prop from the slot in the hood and return the prop to
its retainer. Then just let the hood down
and close
it firmly.
... 206
ProCarManuals.com

2.3L Quad OHC and Quad 4
Engines (CODES 3, D AND A)
When you open the hood, you'll see:
1 . Automatic Transaxle Dipstick
2. Brake Fluid Reservoir
3. Air Cleaner
4. Hydraulic Clutch Fluid Reservoir
5. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
6. Battery
7. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
8. Engine Oil Fill Cap, Engine Oil
9. Engine Coolant Surge Tank
(if equipped)
(if equipped)
Dipstick
ProCarManuals.com

Service & Appearance Care
208
3300 V6 Engine (CODE N)
When you open your hood, you’ll see:
1. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
2. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
3. Brake Fluid Reservoir
4. Air Cleaner
5. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
6. Battery
7. Engine Oil Fill Cap
8. Engine Oil Dipstick
9. Engine Coolant Surge Tank
(if equipped)
ProCarManuals.com

the transaxle fluid level if you have been
driving:
When outside temperatures are abve
At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic-especially in hot
While pulling a trailer.
Ta get the right reading, the fluid should
be at normal operating temperature,
which
is 180°F to 200°F (82°C to
93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving
about 15 miles (24 km) when outside
temperatures are above 50°F (10°C). If
it’s colder
than 50°F (lO°C), you may
have to drive longer.
90°F (32°C).
weather.
0 Park your vehicle an a level place.
Place the shift lever in F (Park) with
With your foot on the brake pedal,
the parking brake applied.
move the shift lever through each gear
range,
pausing for about three seconds
in each range. Then, position the shift
lever
in P (Park).
five minutes.
Let the engine run at idle for three to
Then, Without Shutting OMF the
Engine, Follow These Steps:
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
a clean rag or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three
seconds and then pull
it back out
again.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and
read the luwer level. The fluid level
must be
in the crass-hatched area.
4. If the fluid level is where it should
be, push the dipstick back in all the
way.
ProCarManuals.com

Brake Master Cylinder
Your brake master cylinder is here. It is
filled with DOT-3 brake fluid.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in your master cylinder
might go down. The first is that the
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable
level during normal brake lining wear.
When new linings are put in, the fluid
level goes back up. The other reason
is that fluid is leaking
out
of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system fixed,
since a leak means that sooner or later
your brakes won’t work well, or won’t
work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’ your
brake fluid. Adding brake fluid won’t
correct a leak.
If you add fluid when
your linings are worn, then you’ll have
too much fluid when you get new brake
linings. You should add (or remove)
brake fluid, as necessary,
only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic
system.
225 ...
ProCarManuals.com