1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX headlights

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.
You might not be aware of
hydroplaning. You could drive along for
some time without realizing your tires
aren’t in constant contact with the road.
You could find out the hard way: when
you have to slow, turn, move out to
pass-or
if you get hit by a gust of wind.
You could suddenly find yourself out of
control. Hydroplaning doesn’t
happen often.
But it can if your tires haven’t 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, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights-not just
your parking lights-to help make you
more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming
from behind.
You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime if it’s
raining hard.
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. If the road spray is
so heavy
you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass until conditions improve.
Going more slowly is better than
having an accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See the
Index under Tires.)
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Your Driving and the Road
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be
so mild that you
can see through it for several hundred
feet (meters). Or it might be
so thick
that you can see only
a few feet
(meters) ahead. It may come suddenly
to
an otherwise clear road. And it can
be
a major hazard.
When you drive into a fog patch, your
visibility will be reduced quickly. The biggest dangers are striking the vehicle
ahead or being struck by the one
behind.
Try to “read” the fog density
down the road. If the vehicle ahead
starts
to become less clear or, at night, if
the taillights are harder to see, the fog is
162
probably thickening. Slow down to give
traffic behind you a chance to slow
down.
Everybody then has a better chance to
avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only
for a few feet (meters)
or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while
you’re in it. You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition-
sometimes called mist or ground fog-
can happen in weather that seems
perfect, especially at night or in the
early morning in valley and low, marshy areas. You can be suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze that may even coat
your windshield. You can often spot
these fog patches or mist layers with
your headlights. But sometimes they can be waiting for you as you come over
a hill or dip into a shallow valley. Start
your windshield wipers and washer to
help clear accumulated road dirt. Slow
down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even in
daytime. You’ll see-and be seen-
better. Use your fog lights.
Don’t use your high beams. The light
will bounce off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity,
even a light buildup of moisture on the
inside of the glass will cut down on your
already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wipers and washer occasionally. Moisture can build up on
the outside glass, and what seems to be
fog may actually be moisture on the
outside of your windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to
find a place to pull off the road. Of
course you want to respect another’s
property, but you might need to put
something between you and moving
vehicles-space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that
removes you from other traffic.
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Your Driving and the Road
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
(COW.)
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 headlights. 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.
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If You’re Stuck h Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the
vehicle out
of deep snow without
damaging it. See the index under
Rocking Your Vehicle.
Towing a Trailer
CAUTlON
f
A
If you don’t use the correct
equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control whf
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 passengers could be
seriously injured. Pull a trailer only
if you have followed all the steps in
this section.
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result
in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty.
To pull a trailer
correctly, follow the advice
in this
section.
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Service & Appearance Care
Baftery
Every new Pontiac has a Delco
Freedom@ battery. You never have to
add water to one of these. When it’s
time for a
new battery, we recommend a
Delco Freedom@ battery. Get one that
has the catalog number shown on the
original battery’s label.
Jump Starting
For jump starting instructions, see the
Index under Jump Starting.
Vehicle Sforage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle
for
25 days or more, take off the black,
negative
(-) cable from the battery. This
will help keep your battery from
running down.
I
A Batteries have acid that can
- 1 burn you and gas that can
explode. You can be badly hurt if
you aren’t careful. See the
Index
under Jump Starting for tips on
working around a battery without
getting hurt.
‘I
Contact your dealer to learn how to
prepare your vehicle for longer storage
periods.
Bulb Rephcement
In this section you’ll find directions for
changing the light bulbs
in some of the
lights
on your Pontiac. You’ll also find
directions for adjusting the alignment of
the mini-quad headlights’
if you have
this type.
Be sure to read the directions before
you begin to replace or adjust any
lights.
See the
Index under Replacement
Bulbs to find the type of bulb you need
to use.
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Halogen Bulbs
Halogen bulbs have
L b pressurized gas inside and
can burst if you drop or scratch the
bulb. You or others could be injured. Take special care when
handling and disposing of halogen
bulbs.
Checking Aim of the Headlights
@-DOOR MODELS)
Your vehicle has the 55 x 135 mini-
quad headlight system. These
headlights have horizontal and vertical
aim indicators. The aim has been preset
at the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
To check the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle must have all four tires on
a perfectly level surface.
The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice or mud attached to it.
There should not be any cargo or
loading of vehicle, except it should
have a full tank of gas and one person
or
160 pounds (75 kg) on the driver’s
seat.
Tires should be properly inflated.
The horizontal indicator (A) should
read
0 (zero).
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Service lS Appearance C
Checking Aim of the Headlights
(CONT.)
To make sure your headlights are
aimed properly, read all the
instructions before beginning.
Failure to follow these instructlons
could cause damage to headlight
parts.
State inspection stations will allow a
vertical reading of up plus .76 degrees
or down minus
.76 degrees €or the
center of the bubble.
It is recommended that the upper limit
not exceed up plus
.4 degrees for the
center of the bubble. There may be
an
increased chance of being flashed if
adjustment is much above
up plus
.4 degrees.
Aiming HeadJishts
(2-DOOR MODELS)
To check the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle must have all four tires on
a perfectly level surface.
The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice or mud attached to it.
There should not be any cargo or
loading
of vehicle, except it should
have a full tank
of gas and one person
or
160 pounds (75 kg) on the driver’s
seat.
Tires should be properly inflated.
The horizontal indicator should read
0 (zero).
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1. Start with the horizontal (left and
right) headlight aim. Don’t try
to
adjust the vertical (up and down) aim
first.
2. Check the horizontal aim for each
headlight and adjust it as necessary.
3. Turn the horizontal aiming screw (A)
until the pointer is lined up with the
0 (zero).
4. Now adjust the vertical aim. Check
the vertical
aim for each headlight
and adjust it as necessary.
5. Turn the Vertical aiming screw until
the bubble in the level is centered at
0 (zero).
To Replace a Headlight
(2-DOOR MODELS)
Before replacing a headlight that does
not light, check to make sure that the
wiring connector is securely fastened to
it.
See the
Index under Replacement
Bulbs to check the size and type of
headlight you need to use before you
begin to replace the headlight. You
must replace a headlight with one that
is exactly the same.
1. Open the protective panel above the
headlights.
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13. Plug the wiring connector into the
headlight socket. Snap the locking
tabs onto the socket.
14. Lower the headlight assembly into
position. Make sure the two guide
tabs
drop into their holes in the
headlight support panel.
15. Insert the two bottom screws. Make
sure the guide tabs are still in place
before tightening the screws. Use a
magnetic screwdriver or hold the
screw onto the screwdriver with a
small piece
of masking tape.
16. Insert the top screw and tighten
securely. To check
the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle must have all four tires on
a perfectly level surface.
The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice or mud attached to it.
There should not be any cargo or
loading of vehicle, except it should
have a full tank of gas and one person
or
160 pounds (75 kg) on the driver’s
seat.
Tires should be properly inflated.
The horizontal indicator (A) should
read
0 (zero). If
your vehicle
is damaged in an
accident and the headlight aim seems to
be affected, see your Pontiac dealer.
Headlights on damaged vehicles may
require recalibration of the horizontal
aim by your Pontiac dealer.
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