
Your Driving and the Road
Driving with a Trailer (CONT.)
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
sh’oulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal
a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked
up, the trailer
lights will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change
lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your
signal when they are not.
It’s important
to check occasionally
to be sure the
trailer bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights.
When you plug trailer lights into your
vehicle’s lighting system, its bulb
warning lights may not let you know if
one of your lights goes out.
So, when
you have trailer lights plugged in, be
sure
to check your vehicle and trailer
lights
from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once
you
disconnect the trailer lights, the bulb
warning lights again can tell you if one
of your vehicle lights is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade.
If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and
no longer
work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 kwh) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have
an automatic transaxle with Overdrive,
it’s best to drive in
D instead of (or
as you need to, a lower gear). This will
minimize heat build-up and extend the
life of your transaxle.
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Problems on the Road
Changing a Hat Tire (CONT.)
11. Position the jack under the vehicle
and 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.
LAU f IVN
Getting under a vehicle when
L it is jacked up is dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed.
Never get under
a vehicle when it is
supported.
only by a jack.
12. Raise the vehicle by rotating the
wheel wrench cloclwise.
Raise the
vehicle far enough
off the ground so
there is emugh morn for the spare
tire to fit.
13. R’ernove all the u7heel nuts and take
off the flat tire.
~~ ~
I Kaising your vehicle with the jack
improperly positioned will damage
the vehicle
or may allow the vehicl,
to fall
off the jack. Be sure to fit the
jack lift head into the proper
location before raising your vehick Rust
or dirt on the wheel, or
4 b on the parts to which it is
fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The
wheel could come off and cause an
accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust
or dirt from
the places where the wheel attaches
to the vehicle. In an emergency,
you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use a
scraper or wire brush later, if you
need
t ;et all 1 rust or dirt
L
(
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When to Change Engine Oil
See if any one of these is true for you:
Most trips are less than 4 miles
(6 la).
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 filter every 3,000 miles (5 000 km)
or 3 months-whichever comes first.
See the
Index under Oil Change
Indicator.
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.
If you have the STE, you have an oil
change indicator in the Driver
Information Center. See the
Index
under Driver Information Center.
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.
What to Do with Used Oil
CAUTION
* Used engine oil contains
L things that have caused skin
callcer in laboratory animals. Don’t
let used oil stay on your skin for
very long. Clean your skin and nails
with soap and water,
or a good
hand cleaner. Wash or properly
throw away clothing or rags
containing used engine oil.
Used oil can be a real threat to the
environment.
If you change your own
oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing oil
from the filter before disposal. Don’t
ever dispose of oil by pouring it on the
ground, into sewers, or into streams or
bodies of water. Instead, recycle it by
taking it to a place that collects used oil.
If you have a problem properly
disposing of your used oil, ask your
dealer, a service station
or a local
recycling center for help.
223
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2. Remove the air cleaner filter.
3. Be sure to install the air cleaner filter
and replace the cover tightly.
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change:
A good time to check your automatic
transaxle fluid level
is when the engine
oil is changed. Refer to the Maintenance
Schedule to determine when to change
your fluid. See the
Index under
Scheduled Maintenance Services.
How to Check:
Because this operation can be a little
difficult, you may choose to have this
done at a Pontiac dealership Service
Department.
If you do
it yourself, be sure to follow
all the instructions here, or you could
get a false reading on the dipstick.
NOTICE I
00 much or too little fluid
mage your transaxle.
Too
n mean that some of the flu
Id come out and fall on
ho
ine parts, starting a fi
I
225 . .
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Service & Appearance Care
Manual Pransaxle Fluid
When to Check:
A good time to have it checked is when
the engine oil is changed. However, the
fluid in your manual transaxle does not
require changing.
How to Check:
Because this operation can be a little
difficult,
you may choose to have this
done at a Pontiac dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be
sure
to follow all the instructions here,
or YQU could get a false reading on the
dipstick.
’. 22%
00 little fluid can
amage your transaxle.
Too much
an mean that some of the fluid
ould come out and fall on hot
ngine parts, starting a fire. Be
ure to get
an accurate reading if
ou check your transaxle fluid. The manual
transaxle dipstick is located
on the driver’s
side near the rear of the
transaxle case.
Check the fluid level
only when your
engine is
off, the vehicle is parked on a
level place and the transaxle is cool
enough for
you to rest your fingers on
the transaxle case.
Then, Follow These Steps:
1. Flip the handle up and then pull out
the dipstick and clean it with
a rag or
paper towel.
remove it.
2. Push it back in all the way and
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§ervice & Appearance Care
.a.
.............. ............. .... ............
Tire Inspection and Rotation
To make your tires last longer, have
them inspected and rotated at the
mileages recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule. See the
Index
under Scheduled Maintenance
Services.
Use this rotation pattern.
If you don't have P245/50ZR16 size
tires, use the rotation pattern shown
above for your size tires.
256
If you have P245/510ZR16 size tires,
they must roll
in a certain 'direction for
the best overall performance. The
direction is shown
by an arrow on both
sidewalls. Because these tirles are
directional, they should be rotated
as
shown in the example above. These
tires should only be moved
from front
to rear and rear to front
on the same
side
of the vehicle.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust
the front and rear inflation pressure as
shown
on the Tire-Loading Information
label. Make certain that
all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See the Index
under Wheel Nut Torque.
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on
ri the parts to which it is
fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The
wheel could come off and cause an
accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to
the vehicle. In an emergency,
you
can use a cloth or a paper towel to
do this; but be sure to use a scraper
or wire brush later,
if you need to,
to get all the rust or dirt off. (See
the
Index under Changing a Flat
Tire.)
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Index
Jack. Tire ........................................ 200
Jump Starting
................................... 185
Key Finder ......................................... 49
Key Release Button
........................... 53
Keyless Entry System
......................... 46
Keys
..................................................... 44
Lane Change Indicator
.................... 71
Lap-Shoulder Safety Belt
................... 20
Front. Automatic
...................... 20. 24
Rear
................................................. 25
Use by Children .......................... 28. 37
Latches. Seatback
............................... 14
Leather. Cleaning
............................. 264
Lighter
................................................. 87
Lights Check Gauges
................................ 104
Courtesy
........................................... 82
Fog Lights
......................................... 80
Front Light Bar
.............................. 244
Headlights
................ 78, 237, 239, 244
Illuminated Entry
............................. 83
Daytime Running ............................. 79 Mini-Quad
.............................. 237. 280
“On” Reminder ................................ 78
Reading
....................................... 81. 82
Rear Light Bar
................................ 251
Removing
& Replacing
Bulbs
........................................... 239
Replacement Bulbs
....................... 280
Shift
.................................................. 63
Taillights
......................... 78, 250, 281
Turn Signal
...................... 71, 246, 247
Warning Lights
................................ 95
Loading Your Vehicle
................ 91, 252
Lock Finder
......................................... 49
Locks, Door
........................................ 45
Locks, Remote Control
...................... 46
Long Distance Driving
.................... 166
Low Battery ..................................... 10 1
Low Coolant Warning Light .............. 99
Low Fuel Warning Light
................... 98
Lubricants & Fluids ......................... 278
Luggage Carrier
................................. 91
Maintenance
Materials
......................................... 278
Record
............................................ 306 Replacement
Parts
......................... 284
Schedule
......................................... 287
Services. Scheduled
....................... 290
When Trailer Towing ..................... 181
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ............ 104
Maintenance Record
........................ 306
Manual Front Seat
.............................. 10
Manual Transaxle
Adding Fluid
................. 229. 276. 278
Checking Fluid
.............................. 228
Parking
............................................. 67
Shifting
............................................ 62
Starting Your Engine
....................... 54
Master Cylinder. Brake
........... 234. 278
Methanol in Gasoline
...................... 213
Mileage Indicator
Mirrors
(see Odometer G Speedometer)
Convex Outside ............................... 83
Inside Manual Day/Night ................ 83
Inside Manual Day/Night
with Reading Lights
..................... 81
Manual Remote Control .................. 84
Power Remote Control
................... 84
Visor Vanity
..................................... 85
Mountain Driving
............................ 168
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