1995 PONTIAC PONTIAC Owners Manual

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.
Making Th-ns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
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.
mrn 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 lamps 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 thmk 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.
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Driving OR 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 transaxle overheating.
If you have Overdrive,
you may want to drive in
THIRD (3), instead of DRIVE (D).
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
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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.
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When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belt, cooling system, and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before
you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts are
tight.
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Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you'll find what to do about some problems that
can occur on the road.
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have
a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash
on and off.
Press the switch to
make
your front and rear turn
signal lamps flash on and
off. Your hazard warning
flashers work
no matter
what position your key is
in,
To turn off the flashers, press the switch again. When
the hazard warning flashers are on, your
turn signals
won't work.
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Other Warning Devices
If you cmy reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle,
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
Pontiac. But please follow the steps below to do it
safely.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Trying to start your Pontiac by
pushing or pulling won’t work, and it could
damage your vehicle.
To Jump Start Your Pontiac
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
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2.
3.
Get the vehicles cbse enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured
if the vehicles roll. Set the
parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put an
automatic transaxle
in PARK (P) or a manual
transaxle in NEUTRAL
(N).
Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lamps that aren’t needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. And it could
save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged.
The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4.. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. Your Pontiac has a remote positive
(+)
jump starting terminal. The terminal is on the same
side
of the engine compartment as your battery. You
should always use the remote positive (+) terminal
instead
of the positive (+) terminal on your battery.
To uncover the remote positive (+) terminal, lift the
red plastic cap.
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6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, YOU could get a shock,
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some
basic
things you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect (+) to (-), or
you’ll get a short that would damage the battery and
maybe other
parts, too.
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7. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
8.
9.
Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote positive
(+) terminal if
the vehicle
has one.
Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to the
good battery’s negative
(-)
terminal. Don’t let the other end touch
anything
until the next step. The
other end of the negative
cable
doesn’t go to the
dead battery. It goes to a
heavy, unpainted, metal
part on the engine of the vehicle with the dead
battery.
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