1996 PONTIAC GRAND-AM Owners Manual

I A CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could fall off, causing a serious accident.,
% '
j !. ', . , , ,.
8. Replace the wheel nuts
with the rounded end
o'f
the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten each nut
by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
i L
9. Lower the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
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10. Tighten the wheel. nuts
firmly in a criss-cross
sequence, as shown.
-
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become loose
and even come
off. This could lead to an accident.
Be sure
to use the correct wheel nuts. If you have
to replace them, be sure
to get new GM original
equipment wheel
nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can.and have the
nuts tightened with
a torque wrench to I00 Ib-ft
(140 N-m).
I NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to
brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specifications.
Don’t itry to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover and plastic
cap nuts in the trunk until you have the flat tire
repaired
or replaced.
... .
NOTICE:
~
Wheel covers won’t, fit on your compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare,
you could damwe the cover or the spare.
~~
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Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
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B
I
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.
A. Wrench E. Extension
B. Jack F. Wing Bolt
C. Flat Road Tire G. Cover
D. Adapter H. Nut
Store the flat tire
in the compact spare tire compartment.
Place the tire in the compartment, then secure the
adapter, extension
and wing bolt. Place the cover and
nut on top of the flat tire. Store the jack and wheel
wrench
in the foam tray.
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Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
~~
A CAUTION:
I
i
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
p,assenger 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” in the Index. See the
storage instructions label
to replace your compact spare
into your trunk properly. A. Wrench
B. Jack
C. Spare Tire
D. Adapter
E. Wing B.olt
F. Cov’er
G, Nut
5-30
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Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire 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
(42Q 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 perfonnwell at posted speed limits for
distances up to.3,OOO 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 you can. Your
spare
will last longer and be in good shape in case you
need it again.
NOTICE:
When 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.
i
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 a,s
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
/d CAUTION:
If you your .es spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the tran,saxle 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
above35 mph
(55 kdh) as shown on the
speedqmeter. 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
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking y---r vehick ID get it out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the pea around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has the Enhanced Traction System, you should turn
the system
off. (See “Enhanced Traction System’’
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear
(or with a manual
transaxle, between FIRST
(1) or SECOND (2) and
REVERSE
(R)), 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 towe’d out, see “Towing Your Vehicle” in the
Index.
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‘ Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will fiid information about the care of your
Pontiac.
This section begins with service and fuel
infomation, 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:
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.
6-1
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A CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle 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 sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused. If
you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
,, ~
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher.
At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM D4814 in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications have been
developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association
(AAMA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the AAMA specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to other
gasolines.
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.
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 affected. The malfunction indicator lamp
on
you 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
sf the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered
by your warranty.
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