1995 PONTIAC GRAND-AM engine

Four Speed Automatic
I I ,*. . . . .,
PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Pontiac has
a brake-transaxle
shift interlock. You have to fully
apply your regular
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brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition key is in the
RUN position. If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P) ease pressure on the shift lever
-- push
the shift lever all the way into PARK
(P) -- as you
maintain brake application. Then move the shift lever
into the gear you wish. (Press the
shift lever button
before moving the shift lever.) See “Shifting Out of
PARK (P)” later in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine
doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL
(N) when your vehicle is being towed.
I NOTICE: I
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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Forward Gears (Three Speed)
DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving with the
three speed automatic transaxle.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower
fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It
can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use
your brakes off and on.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 5 miles
(8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h), or
you can damage your transaxle. Use DRIVE
@)
as much as possible.
Don’t shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 M), or you can
damage your engine.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the
shift lever
is put in FIRST (l), the transaxle won’t shift
into first gear until the vehicle
is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck in
very deep sand
or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes to hold your vehicle in
position on
a hill.
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Forward Gears (Four Speed)
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is for
normal driving with the four speed automatic transaxle.
If you need more power for passing, and you’re:
0 Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
The transaxle will automatically shift down to the next
gear and provide more power.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than OVERDRIVE (D). Here are some
times
you might choose THIRD (3) instead of
OVERDRIVE (D):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND and FIRST (2 and 1): This position
provides second and first gear performance. When
downshifting from OVERDRIVE
(D) or THIRD (3) into
SECOND
(2), the transaxle will operate in second gear
at vehicle speeds greater than
20 mph (32 km/h) and in
first gear at vehicle speeds less than
20 mph
(32 Wh).
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 5 miles
(8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h), or
you can damage your transaxle.
Use DRIVE (D)
as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 kmh), or you can
damage your engine.
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THIRD, FOURTH and FIFTH (3,4 and 5): Shift into
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and l?lFTH (5) the same way
you do for
SECOND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch
pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
To Stop: Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift into
NEUTRAL
(N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE
(R) Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator pedal.
I NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle is moving could damage your transaxle.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake,
for parking your vehicle.
Shift Light
0
SHIFT
If you have a manual
transaxle, you have a
SHIFT light. This light will
show
you when to shift to
the next higher gear for best
fuel economy.
k' . :I
When this light comes on, you can shift to the next
higher gear if weather, road and traffic conditions let
you. For the best fuel economy, accelerate slowly
and
shift when the light comes on.
While you accelerate, it is normal for the light to go on
and
off if you quickly change the position of the
accelerator. Ignore the
SHIFT light when you downshift.
Shift Speeds (Manual Transaxle)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy.
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Acceleration Shift Speeds for 2.3L Quad 4 Engine
(Code
D)
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd
3rd to 4th
4th to 5th 15 mph (24 km/h)
25 mph (40 kmlh)
40 mph (64 km/h)
45 mph (72 km/h)
If your speed drops below 20 mph (32 krn/h), or if the
engine
is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two
or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for NOTICE:
good performance. If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, or if you race the engine when you
downshift, you can damage the clutch or
transaxle.
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running (Automatic Wansaxle Models Only)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t fully
locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) 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 PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
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 PARK (P).
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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
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