1996 PONTIAC PONTIAC Owners Manual

Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle codd
cause ihjury. In a sudden stop or .collisiojn, loose
equipment could strike
someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
,.:$ *., i :: ..-. .I --I .- The compact spare is for temporary use only. Replace
,: :;$he compact spare tire with a full-size tire as soon as you
., ..<-I ,; . .. :.can. See “Compact Spare Tire” in the Index. See the
’.- ’ . $;. ., $storage instructions label to replace your compact spare.
-: ,
.. ..
. ‘-(, gnto your trunk properly. ., I_ ->.
I
5
1. Nut
2. Cover
3. Wing Nut
4. Spacer
5. Tire
6. Wrench
7. Nut
8. Retainer . ;i$;
9. Jack
10. Bolt
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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 (420 kPa). ’
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 perform well at posted speed limits for
distances up to
3,000 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.
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.
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 M) 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. 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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7 Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information 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 bestTnd wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your
deaIer 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.
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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 mifeage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the
Index.
Yon 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 6’Metrics’
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts Can later break
m &dl ~ff, 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 35-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
ofier 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. slf 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
he1 to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have
a problem.
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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 performapce
may be affected. 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. 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
comply 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.
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
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Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or
any other fuel not
recommended in
the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use
of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact
a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You
can also write us at the following address for
advice. Just
tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation,
North American Export Sates ,(NAES)
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
Filling Your Tank
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently,
and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke
if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames,
and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
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The cap is behind a hinged door on the left side of
your vehicle.
While refueling, hang
the
cap inside the fuel door.
To take
off the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
~~
,!b, CAUTION:
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out
on you-if you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank
is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
Outside of Your Pontiac” in the Index.
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