1996 PONTIAC GRAND-AM change wheel

Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a Pontiac dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Grand
Am. They can provide the right
equipment and know how to tow
your vehicle without
damage. See “Roadside Assistance”
in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory new by adding aftermaxket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be’correct.
Before
you do anything, turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment, as described later in
this section.
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want to see them.
L
,I A CAUTION:
I To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
0 Never tow with damaged parts not fully
secured.
0 Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted
by the tow truck.
0 Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate
safety chains when towing it.
0 Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being towed.
5-7
ProCarManuals.com

If a Tire Goes Flat
It’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 tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to
do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a 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, and then gently ‘brake to
a stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In my 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.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly
to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people.
You and they could be badly,injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an’automatic transaxle shift lever in
PARK
(P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. lbrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire
on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
5-21
ProCarManuals.com

6. Remove the wheel cover from the wheel, if your flat
tire has one. Then take off the flat tire.
7. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting
surfaces and
spare wheel.
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after
a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to
do this; but be sure to use a scrapes or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
5-26
..
ProCarManuals.com

Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be inspected every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 000 to 13 000 km) for any signs of unusual wear.
If unusual wear is present, rotate your tires as soon as
possible and check wheel alignment. Also check for damaged tires or wheels. See “When It’s Time for New
Tires” and “Wheel Replacement” later in this section for
more information. When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include
the compact.spa.re tire in your tire
rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in the
Index.
I
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniforrn wear for all tires on the vehicle. The first
rotation is the most important. See “Scheduled Maintenance Services”
in the Index for scheduled
rotation intervals.
--
Rust or dirt on a wheel, lr on the part D which
it is fastened, can make wheel nuts become loose
after
a time. The wheel could come off and cause
an accident. When
you change a wheel, remove
any rust or- dirt from places where the wheel
attaches to the vehicle. In an emergency,
you can
use
a cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be
sure to use
a scraper or wire brush later, if you
need to, to get all the rust or dirt off. (See
“Changing
a Flat Tire” in the ‘Index.)
6-39
ProCarManuals.com

Halogen Bulbs ................... .... 6-33
Hazard Warning Flashers
................... ... 5-1
Head Restraints ................................. 1-5
Headlamps ..................................... 2-39
Bulb Replacement
............................ 6-33
HighLow Beam Changer
...................... 2-32
Hearing Impaired, Customer Assistance .............. 8-4
High-Beam Headlamps
.......................... 2-32
Highway Hypnosis
.............................. 4-23
Hill
and Mountain Roads ......................... 4-23
Hitches, Trailer
................................. 4-37
Checking Things Under
......................... 6-6
Hydraulic Clutch
............................... 6-21
Hydraulic Clutch Fluid
........................... 6-22
Hydraulic Clutch System Check
................... 7-38
OnReminder
................................ 2-40
Wiring
...................................... 6-54
.Heating
.................. ; ..................... 3-5
Hood Prop
........................................ 6-7
Release
........................................ 6-6
Horn ......................................... 2-30
Hydroplaning .............................. : .... 4-19
Ignition Switch
................................ 2- 11
Illuminated Entry
............................... 2-42
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
................. 2-44
Exhaust Systems
............................. 7-41
Front-Wheel-Drive Axle Boot
.................. 7-41,
Inflation. Tire
.................................. 6-38
Inspections
BmkeSystem ................................ 7-41
Front-Wheel-Drive Axle
Seal .................... 7-41 Radiator and Heater Hose
...................... 7-41
Suspension
................................... 7-41
Steering .................................... 7-41
Throttle Linkage
............................... 7-41
Instrument Panel
............................... 2-50
Brightness Control ............................ 2-41
Fuse Block
.................................. 6-55
Interior Lamps ................................. 2-41
Cleaning
.................................... 6-48
Cluster
2-52 .....................................
Jack. Tire .................................... 5-23
Jump Starting
................................... 5-2
Key Lock Cylinders Service ..................... 7-38
Key Release Button
............................. 2-13
Keyless Entry System
............................ 2-6
Keys .......................................... 2-1
Labels Certification/”ire ............................. 4-32
Service
Parts Identification ..................... 6-53
Tire-Loading Information
...................... 4-32
Vehicle Identification Number
: .................. 6-53
Lamps ........................................ 2-39
Fog
........................................ 2-41
Interior
..................................... 2-41
On Reminder ................................ 2-40
Latches, Seatback
................................ 1-5
Leaving Your Vehicle ............................. 2-5
Leaving Your Vehicle with the Engine Running ....... 2-26
Lighter
....................................... 2-47
9-5
ProCarManuals.com

Tire Loading .................................... 4-32
Tire-Loading Information Label
................... 4-32
Tires
......................................... 6-37
Alignment
and Balance ........................ 6-42
Buying New ................................. 6-40
Chains
..................................... 6-44
Changing a Flat
.............................. 5-21
Cleaning
.................................... 6-50
Compact Spare ............................... 5-3 1
Inflation
.................................... 6-38
Inflation Check
............................... 7-37
Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-39
Loading
.................................. :.4-32
Pressure
.................................... 6-38
Temperature
.................................. 6-42
Traction
.................................... 6-42
Treadwe as ................................... 6-41
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-41
Used Replacement Wheel ...................... 6-44
Wear Indicators .............................. 6-40
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-43
When It’s Time for New
....................... 6-40
TopStrap ..................................... 1-37
T~rqueLock
................................... 2-26
I’orque, Wheel
Nut ......................... 5-28. 6-60
From the Front
............................... 4-29
From the Rear ............................... 4-31
Recreational Vehicle
.......................... 4-29
Trailer
...................................... 4-34
Vehicle
...................................... 5-7
rowing
Trailer
Brakes
..................................... 4-37
Driving on Grades ............................ 4-39
Driving with ................................. 4-38
Hitches ..................................... 4-37
Maintenance
When Towing ..................... 4-40
Parking on Hills
.............................. 4-39
Safety Chains
................................ 4-37
Tongueweight ............................... 4-36
Total Weight on Tires
.......................... 4-36
Towing
..................................... 4-34
Turnsignals
................................. 4-39
Weight
..................................... 4-35
Automatic
................................... 6-17
Manual ..................................... 6-20
Transmitters, Keyless Entry
........................ 2-6
Transportation, Courtesy .......................... 8-7
Trip Odometer ................................. 2-53
TrUnk
Lock ........................................ 2-8
Security Override .............................. 2-9
TTY Users ..................................... 8-4
Turn Signal
and Lane Change Signals ............... 2-32
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever ................... 2-31
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
................ 4-39
Transaxle
Underbody Flushing Service
...................... 7-40
Underbody Maintenance ......................... 6-51
Up Shift Light ............................ 2-23. 2.64
9-10
ProCarManuals.com