1995 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Don’t try to put the wheel cover on the compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. %ore the wheel cover in the trunk until
you have replaced the compact spare tire with a regular
tire.
I NOTICE:
Wheel covers won’t fit on your compact spare. Tf
you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare,
you could damage the cover or the spare.
When you reinstall the full size wheel and tire, you
install the wheel cover or nut caps at this point.
When reinstalling the full plastic wheel cover, align the
valve stem symbol (which is molded into the back side
of the cover) with the valve stem.
Start the nut cap by pushing it onto the lug nut with the
wheel wrench. Tighten the plastic caps snug using the
wheel wrench.
Then continue tightening 1/4 turn. Do
not overtighten.
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When re-installing the
decorative nut caps on
aluminum wheels,
tighten the caps snug
with the wheel wrench. Then continue
tightening
1/4 turn for
plastic caps, or
1/8 turn
for steel caps.
When re-installing the center cover,
do not use a
hammer or mallet,
as they could damage the cover.
16. Store the flat tire as far forward in the trunk as
possible. Store the jack and wheel wrench in their
compartment in the trunk. The
compact spare is for temporary use only. Replace
the compact spare tire with a full-size tire as soon
as you
can. See “Compact Spare Tire” later
in this section.
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Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new,
it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly.
It should be 60 psi
(420 Wa). After installing the compact spare on your
vehicle,
you should stop as soon as possible and make
sure your spare tire
is correctly inflated. The compact
spare is made
to perform well at posted speed limits for
distances up to
3,000 miles (5 000 km), so you can
finish your trip
and have your full-size tire repaired or
replaced where you want.
Of course, it’s best to replace
your spare with a full-size tire as soon as yon can. Your
spare will last longer and be in good shape in case you
need
it again.
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 wheeI, 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.
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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 too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
L
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.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains”
in the Index.
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
REVERSE (R) 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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NOTES
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v
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your
Pontiac. This section 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 part devoted
to its
appearance care.
Service
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:
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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
3800 Engine (Code K)
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.)
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or
higher. It should meet specifications ASTM
D48 14 in
the United States 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 United States 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.
What about gasoline with blending materials that
contain oxygen (oxygenates), 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.
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.
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