1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX weight

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a national
tragedy. It’s the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every
year.
Alcohol takes away three things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all
motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol-a driver, a passenger or
someone else, such as a pedestrian, had
been drinking. In most cases, these
deaths are the result
of someone who
was drinking and driving. Over
25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each
year because of alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured. Just
how much alcohol is too much
if a
~ person plans to drive? Ideally, no one
~ should drink alcohol and then drive.
But if one does, then what’s “too
much”? It can be
a lot less than many
might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is
some
general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that is consumed
before and during drinlung.
The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol.
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According to the American Medi’cal
Association,
a 180-pound [82 kg)
person who
drinks three 12-ounce
(355 mi) bottles of beer in an hour will
end up with a
BAC of about 0.06,
percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed
drinks
if each had ll/z ounces (45 ml)
of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts.
For example, if the same person drank
three double martinis (3 ounces or
90 rnl of liquor each) within an hour,
the person’s BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who consumes
food just before or during drinking will
have a slightly lower BAC level.
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transaxle into P (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transaxle.
You may find it
difficult to pull the shift lever out of
P (Park). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, always be sure
to shift into
P (Park) properly before
you leave the driver’s seat. To find out
how, see the
lndex under Shifting Into
P (Park).
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out
of P (Park) before you
release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another vehicle push yours
a
little uphill to take some of the pressure
from the transaxle,
so you can pull the
shift lever out
of P (Park).
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for
winter. Be sure your engine coolant
mix is correct.
Snow tires can help in loose snow,
but they may give
you less traction on
ice than regular tires. If you do not
expect to be driving in deep snow, but
may have to travel over ice,
you may
not want to switch to snow tires at all.
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You may want to put winter
emergency supplies
in your trunk.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush
or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag,
some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel,
a flashlight, a
red cloth, and a couple of reflective
warning triangles.
And, if you will be
driving under severe conditions,
include
a small bag of sand, a piece of
old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your
vehicle.
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Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is
equipped with a 3.4L (VIN Code X)
engine and a manual transaxle.
Your Pontiac can tow a trailer if it is
equipped with a
3.1L (VIN Code T)
engine or a 3.4L (VIN Code X) engine
and an automatic transaxle, and proper
trailer towing equipment.
To identify
what the vehicle trailering capacity is
for your vehicle, you should read the
information in
Weight of the Trailer
that appears later in this section. But
trailering is different than just driving
your vehicle by itself. Trailering means
changes in handling, durability, and fuel
economy. Successful, safe trailering
takes correct equipment, and it has to
be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it
are many time-tested, important
trailering tips and safety rules. Many of these
are important
for your safety and
that of your passengers.
So please read
this section carefully before you pull a
trailer. Load-pulling components such
as the engine, transaxle, wheel
assemblies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the drag of the added
weight. The engine is required to
operate at relatively higher speeds and
under greater loads, generating extra
heat. What’s more, the trailer adds
considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
All of that means changes in:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make
sure your
rig will be legal, not
only where you
live but also where you’ll be driving. A
good source for this information can
be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first
500 miles (800 km) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or
other parts could be damaged.
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Your Driving and the Road
H You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
(CONT.)
Then, during the first 500 miles
(800 krn) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle.
This
helps your engine and other parts of
your vehicle wear in at the heavier
loads.
Three important considerations have
to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than
1,000
pounds (450 kg). But even that can be
too heavy. It depends
on how you
plan to use your rig. For example,
speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your
vehicle is used to pull a trailer are all
important. And, it can also depend
on
any special equipment that you have
on your vehicle.
You can ask your
dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write
us at:
Consumer Assistance Center
Pontiac Division
One Pontiac Plaza
Pontiac, MI 48340-2952
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario,
L1H 8P7
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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 Tire
Loading.
Then be sure you don’t go
over the GVW limit for your vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch
equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few
reasons
why you’ll need the right hitch.
Here are some rules to
follow:
Will you have to make any holes in the
body of your vehicle
when you install
a trailer hitch? If you
do, then be sure
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Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000
psi (20 650 1tPa) of pressure? If not,
the trailer brake system must not be
used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then
make the brake fluid tap at the upper
rear master cylinder port. But don’t
use copper tubing for this. If you do,
it will bend and finally break
off. Use
steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking
with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
deal longer and not nearly
so responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets
you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that
the lights and any trailer brakes are still
working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without
a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden
turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a
good deal longer,
you’ll need to
go much farther beyond
the passed vehicle before you can return
to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move
the
trailer to the left, just move that hand to
the left.
To move the trailer to the right,
move your hand to the right. Always
back up slowly and, if possible, have
someone guide you.
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Service & Appearance Care
Windshield Wiper Blade
Replacement
Replacement blades come in different
types and are removed in different
ways. Here’s how to remove the type
with
a release clip:
1. Pull the windshield wiper arm away
2. Lift the release clip with a
from the
windshield.
screwdriver and pull the blade
assembly off the wiper arm.
the wiper arm.
3. Push the new wiper blade securely on
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Loading Your Vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how
much weight it may properly carry. The
Tire-Loading Information label found
on the inside of the trunk lid tells you
the proper size, speed rating and
recommended inflation pressures for
the tires on your vehicle. It also gives
you important information about the
number of people that can be in your
vehicle and the total weight that you
can carry. This weight is called the
Vehicle Capacity Weight and includes
the weight of all occupants, cargo, and
all nonfactory-installed options.
The other label is the Certification label,
found on the rear edge of the driver’s
door. It tells you the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
The GVWR includes the weight of the
vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your
vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
And,
if you do have a heavy load, you
should spread it out. Don’t carry more
than
167 lbs. (75 kg) in your trunk.
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the way your vehicle handles. These
could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the
life
of vour vehicle.
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Do not load your vehicle any
l heavier than the GVWR or
the maximum front and rear
GAWRs.
If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, or it can change
our warranty does not cover parts
or components that fail because of
If YQU put things inside your vehicle-
like suitcases,
tools, packages, or
anything else-they will go as fast as the
vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn
quickly, or if there is a crash, they’ll
keep going. Things
you put inside your
vehicle can strike and injure
PI- ,,le in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your
vehicle. In a trunk, put them as
far forward as you can. Try to
spread the weight evenly.
Never
stack heavier things, like
suitcases, inside the vehicle so
that some of them are above the
tops of the seats.
When you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can.
* Don’t leave a seat folded down
unless you need to.
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