1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In
a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
After you’ve put the compact spare tire on your vehicle,
you’ll need
to store the flat tire in your trunk. Use the
following procedure to secure the flat tire in the trunk.
Store the flat tire as far forward in the trunk as possible.
Store the jack and wheel wrench
in their box in the trunk
on the passenger’s side.
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Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In
a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
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. See
the storing instructions label to replace your compact
spare
into your trunk properly.
5 3
4
2‘ 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Jack
Wheel Wrench
Wing Bolt Tire
Cover
Bolt
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Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was frilly inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be.60 psi
After installing the compact spare can your vehicle, you
should stop as soon as possible and make sure
your
spare tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare is
made to perfom well at posted speed
limits for
distances up
to 3,000 miles (5 000 km), so YOU can
f~sh 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 you can. Your
spare
will last longer and be in good shape in case you
need it again.
(420 Wa).
NOTICE:
Whpn the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle 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 other vehicles.
And don’t
mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
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.
I
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and
you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle
or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. ,That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels
as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 kmlh) as shown
on the speedometer.
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 Vehicle”
in the Index.
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NOTES .-.

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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find mformation 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 G.M-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:
r-
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 and Owner 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.
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You can be injured and your vepicle could be
damaged
if‘ you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient .knowledge,
experience,
and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
Be sare to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. %nglishs’ and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confhsed.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break ‘
or fall off. You could be hurt. ,.
Fuel .. b ’ .’. ‘ _. . .. ,. --
-The 8th digit of your vehicle identification number .. I
(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”
m the Index.)
’Y i,
If you don’t have the 3.8L supercharged Code 1 engine,
use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher.
If you have the 3.8L supercharged, Code 1 ehgine, use
premium unleaded gasoline rated at 9 1 octane or higher.
At a
minimum, the gasoline you use should meet
specifications
ASTM I34814 in the United States
and CGSB 3.5-M93 in Can& Improved gasoline
specifications have been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association
(AAMA) for
better vehicle performance and ehgine protection.
Gasolims meeting the AAMA specification could
provide
improved driveability and emission control
system protkction compared to other gasolines.
Be sure
the posted octane for premium is at least 91
(at least 89 for middle grade and 87 for regular), I€ 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 have the 3.8L supercharged Code 1 engine, in an
emergency, you may be able to use a lower octane -- as
low as 87 -- if heavy knocking does not occur. If you
are using 91 or higher octane unleaded gasoline and you
still hear heavy knocking, YQW engine needs service.
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If you’re using fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you stiil 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.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up ’label),
it is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications.
If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be eected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on and/or-your vehicle may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Pontiac dealer for diagnosis to determine the
cause of failure.
In the event it is determined that the
cause
of the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane-enhancing
additive called MMT.
If you use such fuels, your
, emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on.
If this happens, return to your
authorized Pontiac dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine and fuel system, allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add anything
to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as
ethers and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may
be available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that you use these gasolines
if
they mcomply with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. 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.
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