1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX Owners Manual

Problems on the Road
if You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
~ or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your
vehicle is stuck
is to spin your wheels.
The method known as “rocking” can
help
you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
CAUTION
~ Spinning your wheels can destroy
parts
of your vehicle as well as the
tires.
If you spin the wheels too
fast while shifting your transaxle
back and forth, you can destroy
your transaxle.
If
you let your tires spin at
b high speed, they can explode
llyu you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That
could cause an engine compartment
fire
or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little
as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels
above
35 mph (56 h/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
I
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 First or Second gear
and 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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Notes
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Notes
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Part 6
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
.
81 1
Service & Appearance Care
Service ........................................................................\
...................................... 212
Fuel ........................................................................\
............................................ 213
Hood Release ........................................................................\
............................ 216
Engine Oil
........................................................................\
................................ 220
Air Cleaner ........................................................................\
............................... 224
Transaxle
Fluid ........................................................................\
........................ 225
Engine Coolant ........................................................................\
........................ 230
Power Steering Fluid ........................................................................\
............... 233
Windshield Washer
Fluid ........................................................................\
........ 233
Brakes
.......... .......................... ........................................................................\
... 234
Battery
........................................................................\
........................ .... .......... 236
Bulb Replacement ........................................................................\
.................... 236
Loading
Your Vehicle ........................................................................\
.............. 252
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) ............................................................. 268
Capacities
& Specifications ........................................................................\
..... 276
Replacement
Bulbs ................................................................... .......- ............... 280
Windshield Wiper
Blade Replacement ............................................................ 252
Tires ........................................................................\
.......................................... 254
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
...................... 261
Add-on Electrical Equipment ........................................................................\
. 269
Fuses & Circuit Breakers ........................................................................\
........ 270
Fluids
& Lubricants ........................................................................\
................. 278
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ....................................................... 284
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Service & Appearance Care
Senrice
Your Pontiac dealer Imows your vehicle
best and wants you to be happy with it.
We hope you’ll go to your dealer for all
your service needs. You’ll get genuine
GM parts and GM-trained and
supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your
GM
vehicle all GM. Genuine GM parts have
one
of these marks.
Doing Your Own Sewke Work
If you want to do mrne of yo,ur awn
service
work, you’ll want to get the
proper Pontiac Service Manual.
It tens
you
much more about ~QW to servke
your Pentiac than this manual caul. To
order the proper service manual, see the
Index under Seruice Publications.
You should keep a record with all parts
receipts and list the mileage
and th,e date
of my service work you perform. See the
In&x under Maintenance RGCQT~.
You can be injured if you try
,= to do senrice work on a
bl,icle without knowing enough
about it,
* Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge,
experience, and the
proper replacement parts and
tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts,
bolts, and other fasteners.
“hglish” and “metric” fasteners
can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can
later break or fall off. You could
be hurt. I
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Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher. It should meet
specifications ASTM D4814 in the U.S.
and CGSB
3.5-92 in Canada. These
fuels should have the proper additives,
so you should not have to add anything
to the fuel.
In the
U.S. and Canada, it’s easy to be
sure you get the right kind of gasoline
(unleaded). You’ll see “UNLEADED”
right on the pump. And only unleaded
nozzles will fit into your vehicle’s filler
neck.
Be sure the posted octane is at least 87.
If the octane is less than 87, you may
get a heavy knocking noise when you
drive. If
it’s bad enough, it can damage your
engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at 87 octane or
higher and you still hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.
But don’t worry
if you hear a little
pinging noise when you’re accelerating
or driving up a hill. That’s normal, and
you don’t have to buy a higher octane
fuel
to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy,
constant knock that means you have a
problem.
Fuel Capacity:
16.5 U.S. Gallons (62 L) . Use unleaded
fuel only.
What about gasoline with blending
materials that contain oxygen, such as
MTBE
or alcohol?
MTBE is “methyl tertiary-butyl
ether.” Fuel that is no more than
15%
MTBE is fine for your vehicle.
Ethanol is ethyl or grain alcohol.
Properly-blended fuel that
is no more
than
10% ethanol is fine for your
vehicle.
Methanol is methyl or wood alcohol.
Fuel that is more than
5%
methanol is bad for your vehicl
Don’t use
it. It can corrode me
parts in your fuel system and a
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage wouldn’t be covered
under your warranty. And ev
5% or less, there must be
“cosolvents” and corrosion
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...
Service 4S Appearance Care
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with detergent
additives will help prevent deposits
from forming in your engine and fuel
system. That helps keep your engine in
tune and your emission control system
working properly. It’s good for your
vehicle, and you’ll be doing your part
for cleaner air.
Many gasolines are now blended with
materials called oxygenates. General
Motors recommends that you use
gasolines with these blending materials,
such
as MTBE and ethanol. By doing
so, you can help clean the air, especially
in those parts of the country that have
high carbon monoxide levels.
214
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines.
These gasolines are specially designed
to reduce vehicle emissions. General
Motors recommends that
you use
reformulated gasoline. By doing
so, you
can help clean the air, especially in
those parts
of the country that have
high ozone levels.
You should ask your service station
operators
if their gasolines contain
detergents and oxygenates, and
if they
have been reformulated to reduce
vehicle emissions.
Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the
U.S. or Canada,
unleaded fuel may be hard to find.
Do
not use leaded gasoline. If you use even
one tankful, your emission controls
won’t work well or at all. With
continuous use, spark plugs can get
fouled, the exhaust system can corrode,
and your engine oil can deteriorate
quickly. Your vehicle’s oxygen sensor
will be damaged. All of that means
costly repairs that wouldn’t be covered
by your warranty.
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To check on fuel availability, ask an
auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write us at the following
address for advice. Just tell
us where
you’re going and give your Vehicle
Identification Number
(VIN) .
General Motors of Canada Ltd.
International Export Sales
P.O. Box 828
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7N1, Canada
Filling Your Tank
The cap is behind a hinged door on the While refueling, hang
the cap inside the
left side of your vehicle. fuel
door.
Gasoline vapor is highly
flammable. It burns violel--;
and that can cause very bad
injuries. Don’t smoke if you’re nea
gasoline or refueling your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames, and
srn ng
materials away from gasolint gou get gasoline
on you
and then something ignites it,
you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out
on you if
I open the fuel filler cap too
quicltly. This spray can happen
if
your tank is nearly full, and is more
iiltely in hot weather. Open the
fuel
filler cap slowly and wait for any
“hiss>,
noise to stop. Tllen
“-: cap all the way.
- I To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the
left (countercloclnvise)
.
When you put the cap back on, turn it to
the right until you hear a clicking noise.
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