1994 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Problems on the Road
[
Compact Spare Tire
(CONK)
NOTICE:
Don’t take your compact spare
through an automatic car wash
with
guide rails. The compact spare can
get caught on the rails. That can
damage the tire and wheel, and
maybe other parts of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on some
other vehicle.
And don’t mix your compact spare or
wheel with other wheels or tires. They
won’t fit. Keep your spare and its wheel
together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact
spare. Using them will damage your
vehicle and destroy the chains too.
Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
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.
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NOTICE:
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.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle has traction
control, you should turn the system
off.
See “Traction Control System” in the
Index.
Then shift back and forth between
“R”
(Reverse) and a forward gear, 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 “Towing Your
Pontiac”
in the Index.
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Service & Appearance Care
111 Sewice
Your Pontiac dealer knows 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.
1.. 194
Doing Your Own Service
Work
If you want to do some of your own
service work, you’ll want to get the
proper Pontiac Service Manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your
Pontiac than this manual can.
To order the
proper service manual, see “Service Publications”
in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system.
Before attempting
to do your own service
work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Pontiac”
in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts
receipts and list the mileage and the date
of any service work you perform. See
“Maintenance Record” in
the Index.
NOTICE:
~~
If you try to do your own service
work without knowing enough
about it, your vehicle could be
damaged.
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Fuel
The 8th digit of your Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN) shows the
code letter for your engine.
You will find
the
VIN at the top left of your instrument
panel. (See “Vehicle Identification
Number”
in the Index.)
3800 Engine (Code L):
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87
octane or higher. It should meet
specifications ASTM D48 14
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
mgine.
[f 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.
3800 Supercharged Engine (Code 1):
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at
91 octane or higher.
You may use middle
grade or regular unleaded gasolines, but
your vehicle may not accelerate as well.
The gasoline you use 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 for premium is
at least 91 (at least 89 for middle grade
and 87 for regular). 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 9
1 octane or
higher and you still hear heavy knacking,
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.
What about gasoline with blending
materials that contain oxygen
(oxygenates), such as MTBE or alcohol?
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Service & Appearance Care
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.
NOTICE:
Fuel that is more than 5% methanol
is bad for your vehicle. Don’t use it.
It can corrode metal parts
in your
fuel system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
wouldn’t be covered under your
warranty. And even at
5% or less,
there must be “cosolvents” and
corrosion preventers
in this fuel to
help avoid these problems.
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with deposit control
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
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.
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 deposit
control additives and oxygenates, and if
they have been reformulated to reduce
vehicle emissions.
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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.
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.
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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 Overseas
Distribution Corporation,
North American Export Sales (NAES)
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
1 Fuel Door Lock (omohf)
On SSE and SSEi models equipped with
the Theft-Deterrent System option, the fuel door is locked and unlocked together
with the power door locks. Therefore, to
unlock the fuel filler door, you may use
the outside door key lock, the inside
power door lock button,
or the Remote
Keyless Entry key chain transmitter.
To
unlock the fuel door, unlock all doors. If
the Remote Keyless Entry transmitter
is
used, the unlock button must be pressed
twice.
1 Filling Your Tank
The cap is behind a hinged door on the
left side
of your vehicle.
To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the
left (counterclockwise). While
refueling, hang the cap inside the
fuel door.
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Service & Appearance Care
Filling Your Tank
(CONT)
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean
gasoline from painted surfaces as soon as
possible. See “Cleaning the Outside of
Your Pontiac”
in the Index.
When you
put the cap back on, turn it to
the right until you hear at least three
clicks.
L
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NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get
the right type. Your dealer can get
one for you. If you get the wrong
type,
it may not fit or have proper
venting, and your fuel tank and
emissions system might be
damaged.
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Fuel Door Manual
Release
f your vehicle has a fuel door lock, the
uel door can be opened manually in case
If an electrical power failure. To do so,
irst open the trunk. The release
nechanism is on the driver’s side of the
,chicle, at the top of the trunk
ompartment. Pull the tab rearward to
elease the fuel door.
NOTICE:
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Prying on a locked fuel filler door
can damage it.
Use. the remote fuel
door manual release located
in the
trunk.
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rn Checking Things
Under the Hood
The following sections tell you how to
check fluids, lubricants and important
parts under the hood.
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull the hood
release handle inside the vehicle.
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Then go to the front of the vehic1e':and
pull
up on the underhood release. ' ,
Lift the hood. fib$ :. .
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