1993 PONTIAC GRAND-AM flat tire

How to Use this Manual
Using Your 1993 Pontiac
Owner’s Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual
from beginning to end when they first
receive their new vehicle. This will help
you learn about the features and controls
for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll
find that pictures and words work
together to explain things quickly.
There are nine parts with color-tabbed
pages
in this manual. Each part begins
with a brief list of contents,
so you can
usually tell at a glance if that part
contains the information you want.
You can bend the manual slightly to
reveal the color tabs that help you find a
part.
Part 1: Seats & Safety Belts
This part tells you how to use your seats
and safety belts properly.
Part 2: Features & Controls
This part explains how to start and
operate your Pontiac.
Part 3: Comfort Controls & Audio
Systems
This part tells you how to adjust the
ventilation and comfort controls and
how to operate your audio system.
Part 4: Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and
tips about the road and how to drive
under different conditions.
Part 5: Problems on the Road
This part tells you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as
a
flat tire or engine overheating. ’
Part 6: Service & Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep
your Pontiac running properly and
looking good.
Part 7: Maintenance Schedule
This part tells you when to perform
vehicle maintenance and what fluids and
lubricants
to use.
Part 8: Customer Assistance
Information
This part tells you how to contact
Pontiac for assistance and how to get
service publications. It also gives you
information on
Reporting Safety Defects.
Part 9: Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost
every subject in this manual. You can
use
it to quickly find something you
want to read.
Service Station Information
This is a quick reference of service
information. You can find it
on the last
page
of this manual.
3
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Here are some things you can check
before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the
reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
shape?
Have you checked all levels?
lenses clean?
safe, trouble-free trip.
Is the tread
good enough for long-distance
driving? Are the tires all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
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?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Lights: Are they all working? Are the
Tires: They are vitally important to a
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
On the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is
good to share the driving task with
others. Limit
turns behind the wheel to
about
100 miles (160 km) or two hours
at a sitting. Then, either change drivers
or stop for some refreshment like coffee,
tea or
soft drinks and some. limbering
up. But do stop and move around. Eat
lightly along the way. Heavier meals
tend to make some people sleepy.
On two-lane highways or undivided
multilane highways that do not have
controlled access, you’ll want to watch
for some situations not usually found on
freeways. Examples are: stop signs and
signals, shopping centers with direct
access to the highway, no passing zones
and school zones, vehicles turning left
and right off the road, pedestrians,
cyclists, parked vehicles, and even
animals.
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as
“highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the same scenery, along
with the hum of the tires on the road,
the drone of the engine, and the rush
of
the wind against the vehicle that can
make you sleepy. Don’t let it happen
to
you! If it does, your vehicle can leave
the road
in less than a second, and you
could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool
interior.
151 ...
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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.
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Your Driving and the Road
If bu Do Decide to Pull a nailer
(COrvT)
You can ask your dealer for our
trailering information or advice, or
you can write us at:
Pontiac Customer Services
One Pontiac Plaza Pontiac, Michigan
48340-2952
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center 1908 Colonel
Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8P7
Department
In Canada, write to:
162
Weight of 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 the
Index under Loading Your Vehicle for
more information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity. The trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 10 %
of the total loaded trailer weight (B).
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 limit for cold tires. You will find
these numbers on the Certification
label at the rear edge of the driver’s
door
(or see the Index under Ere
Loading). Then be sure you don’t go
over the
GVW limit for your vehicle.
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Here you’ll find what to do about
some problems that can occur on
the road.
Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers .......................................... .170
Jumpstarting
.................................................... 17 1
TowingYourPontiac .............................................. 175
Engine Overheating
.............................................. .179
If a Tire Goes Flat ............................................... -185
Changing a Flat Tire
............................................. .186
CompactSpare
................................................... 192
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ........ ............ .193
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5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure cap is tight.
Ifa 3iii.e Goes Hat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out”
while you’re driving, especially
if you
maintain your tires properly.
If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to
leak out slowly. But if you should ever
have a “blowout:’ here are
a few tips
about what to expect and what
to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will
create a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip
the steering
wheel
firmly. Steer to maintain lane
position, then gently brake to a stop well
out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve,
acts much like a skid and may require
the same correction you’d use in a skid.
In any rear blowout, remove your foot
from the accelerator pedal. Get the
vehicle under control by steering the
way
you want the vehicle to go. It may
be very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently brake to a stop, well
off the road
if possible.
If your tire goes flat, the next section
shows how to use your jacking
equipment to change a flat tire safely.
185 I I..
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Problems on the Road
Changing a Flat lire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and
wheel damage by driving slowly to a
level place. Turn
on your hazard
warning flashers.
186
IUII
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle can slip off the jack and
roll over you or other people. You and they could be badly injured. Find I
a level place to change your tire. To help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic shift lever in P Wk). I
3. Shift a manual transaxle to 1 or R (Reverse).
4. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't move, you can put chocks at the
front and fear of the tire farthest away from the one being changed. That
would be the tire on the other side of the vehicle, at the opposite end.
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Problems on the Road
Changing a Flat Tire (CONT.)
4. Remove the band around the jack.
Turn the jack handle clockwise to
raise the jack head a few inches.
L.. i
5. Using the wheel wrench, remove the
plastic cap nuts (if your vehicle has
them) and loosen all the wheel nuts. Don’t remove them yet.
On some models, a cover plate must
be removed to find the wheel nuts.
Carefully use the wedge end of the
wheel wrench
to pry it off.
6. Near each wheel, there is a notch in
the vehicle’s frame. Position the jack
under the vehicle. Raise the jack
head until it fits firmly into the notch in the vehicle’s frame nearest the flat
tire. Put the compact spare tire near
you.
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