1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

2. Get the vehicles close 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
NOTICE:
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start
yo8ur Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic transaxle 4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
in
PARK (P) before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter. Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios, This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. In addition,
it could save your radio!
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An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clo’thing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan,
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,I
l!b, CAUTION:
-
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You don’t
need to add water to the Delco Freedom’ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a battery
has filer caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is
there.
If it is low, add water to take care of that
first. If you don’t, explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
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 positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts, too.
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
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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. 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
duesn’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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A CAUTION:
I--
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 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.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing it.
Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being towed.
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A vlehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secure’d. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal
injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should
be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that
can be cut by s’harp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks.
They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components. When
your vehicle
is being towed, have the ignition key
turned to the
OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped in
a straight-ahead position, with a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The transaxle
should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on thle drive wheels,
unless you must.
If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, b’e sure to follow
the speed and distance
restrictions later in this section or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limits must be exceeded, then the
drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
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Front Towing (SSE and SSEi Only)
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascia/fog lamp damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required
for car-carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground
or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment. To
help avoid damage, install
a towing dolly and
raise vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted
in the
T-hook slots.
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