1994 PONTIAC FIREBIRD steering

Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the
vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most
skids by taking reasonable care suited
to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Pontiac’s three control systems. In
the braking skid your wheels aren’t
rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid,
too much speed or steering in a curve
causes tires to slip and lose cornering
force. And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by
Easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
[f you have the traction control system,
remember:
It helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. If you do not have
traction control, or if the system is
off,
then an acceleration skid is also best
handled by easing your foot
off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
bot off the accelerator pedal and quickly
steer the way you want the vehicle to
go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be
ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on
the road. For safety, you’ll want to slow
down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down
on slippery surfaces because stopping
distance will be longer and vehicle
control more limited. While
driving
on a surface with reduced
traction,
try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braking
(including engine braking by shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not
realize the surface is ‘slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recqgnize
warning clues
- such as enough water,
ice or packed snow
on the road to make a
“mirrored surface”
- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
*:p? ’
‘.I ,
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Whatever the condition - smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
- drive
with caution. If you have traction control,
keep the system on. It will improve your
ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle
has a traction control system, you’ll want
to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. See “Traction
Control System’’ in the Index. If you
don’t have the traction control
system, accelerate gently. Try not to break
the fragile traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your
ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock
braking system, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would
on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0
0
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot that’s
covered with ice. On an otherwise
clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t
reach: around clumps of trees, behind
buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear. If
you
see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be
in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless
you know for sure that
you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some things to do
to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red
cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow. Put
on
extra clothing or wrap a blanket around
you. If
you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats
- anything you can wrap around yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
Making 7hms
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal.
Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Thrn 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.
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 km/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transmission overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you
have an automatic transmission with
Overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
“D”
instead of Overdrive (or, as you need to, a
lower gear). Or,
if you have a manual
transmission with fifth (or sixth) gear and
you are towing a trailer, it’s better not to
use fifth (or sixth) gear. Just drive in
fourth gear (fifth gear if you have a six-speed manual transmission) or, as you
need to, a lower gear.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle,
with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
-
something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured, and
both your vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a
hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t
shift into
“P” (Park) yet, or into gear
for a manual transmission.
2. Have someone place chxks under the
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load. trailer wheels.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
apply your parking brake, and then shift to
“P” (Park), or “R” (Reverse)
for a manual transmission.
5. Release the regular brakes.
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Problems on the Road
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 transmission should be in “Neutral”
and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the rear
wheels, unless you must. If the vehicle
must be towed on the rear wheels, don’t
go more than 35 mph (55 km/h) or farther
than
50 miles (80 km) or your
transmission will be damaged. If these
limits must be exceeded, then the rear
wheels have to be supported on a dolly. Front Towing Hook-Ups
Attach T-hook chains to slots in frame
rearward
of front wheels on both sides.
NOTICE:
Do not attach winch cables or “J”
hooks to suspension components
when using car carrier equipment.
Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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Problems on the Road
9. Shut the engine off and replace the
pressure cap. Be sure the arrows
on
the cap line up like this.
I
0. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to
;or a complete drain, flush and refill, see
‘our Pontiac dealer or a Pontiac Firebird
Iervice Manual. To purchase a service
nanual, see “Service Publications’’ in
he Index. the proper
level.
If a Tire Goes Flat
[t’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while
you’re driving, especially
if you maintain
your tires properly. If air goes out of a
;ire, it’s much more likely to leak out
jlowly. But if you should ever have a
‘blowout,” here are a few tips about what
:o expect and what to do:
[fa front tire fails, the
flat tire will create
3 drag that pulls the vehicle toward that
side. Take your foot off the accelerator
pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position,
then
gently brake to a stop well out of the
traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve,
acts much like a
slud and may require the
same correction you’d use in a skid. In
any rear blowout, remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle
under control by steering the way you
want the vehicle to go.
It may be very
bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer.
Gently brake to a stop, well
off the road
if possible.
[f a tire goes flat, the next section shows
how to use your jacking equipment to
change a flat tire safely.
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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 transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your trans-
mission.
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 (or with
a manual transmission, 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 transmission 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
Yow
Vehicle” in the Index. .’
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I I
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
.
Part b
Service 8t Appearance Care
Service .........................................................
Fuel ...........................................................
Checking Things under the Hood ....................................
HoodRelease ..................................................
184
185
188
188
Engineoil
.................................................... 191
Aircleaner
.................................................... 195
Automatic Transmission Fluid
..................................... 198
Manual Transmission Fluid
....................................... 200
Hydraulic Clutch
............................................... 201
RearAxle
..................................................... 201
Enginecoolant
................................................. 201
Power Steering fluid
............................................ 204
Windshield Washer Fluid
......................................... 205
Brake Master Cylinder
........................................... 206
Bulb Replacement
................................................ 209
Battery
....................................................... 208
LoadingYourVehicle
............................................. 213
Tires
........................................................... 215
Appearance Care
................................................. 221
Appearance Care and Maintenance Materials
.......................... 227
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
................................. 228
Service Parts Identification Label
.................................... 228
Add-on Electrical Equipment
....................................... 228
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
......................................... 228
ReplacementBulbs
............................................... 232
Capacities and Specifications
........................................ 233
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3.4L L32 (Code !
When you open the hood you'll see.
1. Battery
2. Engine Coolant Reservoir
3. Engine Oil Dipstick
4. Automatic Transmission Dipstick
5. Air Cleaner (if equipped)
6. Oil Fill
Cap
7. Brake Fluid Reservoir
8. Power Steering Reservoir
9. Windshield Washer Reservoir
10. Engine Fan
11. Clutch Fluid Reservoir (if equipped)
B
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