1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX service

Problems on the Road
Towing Your P onfiac (c0N;T.j
When your vehicle is being towed!, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel
should be clamped
in a straight-ahead
position, with a clamping device
designed for
towing service. Do not use
the vehicle's steering
column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in
N [Neutral) and the parking brake
re1,eased.
Don't have your vehicle towed
on the
front wheels, unless
you must. If the
vehicle must be towed
on the front
wheels, don't go more than 35 mph
(56 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 km) or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded, then the front wheels have to
be supported on a dolly.
II
CAUTION
* A vehicle can fall from a car
scb,red. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle
damage. The vehicle should be
tightly secured with chains or steel
cables before it is transported.
Don't use substitutes (ropes,
leather straps, canvas webbing,
etc.) that can be cut
by sharp e('- :s
underneath the tou hicle .
I b carrier if it isn't properly
Towing from the Front-
Vehicle
Hook-up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information on
Towing Your Pontiac earlier in this
section.
1. Attach T-hook chains into the side
slots in the cradle in front of the
wheels, on both sides.
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The coolant level should be at or above
the
COLD mark. If it isn’t, you may
have a leak in the radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system.
~ CAUTION
A
Heater and radiator hoses,
and other
engine parts, can
be very hot. Don’t touch them. If
you do, you can be burned.
Don’$ run the engine if there is a
leak. If you run the engine, it could
lose all coolant. That could cause
an engine fire, and you could be
burned. Get any leak fixed before
I vou drive the vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, check to
see if the electric engine fan is running.
If the engine is overheating, the fan
should be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank:
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but
the coolant level isn’t at or above
COLD, add a 50/50 mixture of clean
water (preferably distilled) and a proper
antifreeze at the coolant recovery tank.
(See the
Index under Engine Coolant
for more information about the proper
coolant mix.)
A
Adding only plain water to
your cooling system
can be
dangerous. Plain water,
or some I
other liquid like alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant
mix will.
Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant
mix. With plain water or the wrong
mix, your engine could get too hot
but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch
fire and
you or others could be
burned. Use a
50/50 mix of clean
water and a proper antifreeze.
cold weather, water can free-
d crack the engine, radiatnr
ater core and other parts.
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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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Service & Appearance Care
,
Filling Your Tank (CONI-.)
If you need a new cap, be
=== 216
Checking Things Under the
The following sections tell you how to
check fluids, lubricants and important
parts underhood.
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull the handle
inside the vehicle.
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Service & Appearance Care
21%
W6118
3.IL V6 Engine (CODE T)
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
1. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
2. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
3. Brake Fluid Reservoir
4. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
5. Battery
6. Air Cleaner
7. Engine Oil Fill Cap
8. Engine Oil Dipstick
9. Radiator Pressure Cap
10. Engine Coolant Reservoir
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