1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE light

Winter Driving
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
Here are some tips for winter driving: clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
Have your Bontiac in good shape for winter. couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
your trunk. to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
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these items in your vehicle.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your heacllamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold, But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel
as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half
hour or so until help comes.
Loading Your Vehicle
OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAP. WT.
TIRE-LOADING
INFORMATION
FRT, CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
’ MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI/KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1/28KPa
SEE OWNER’S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
, INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found
on the rear edge of the driver’s door tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It
also gives you
important information about the number
of people that
can be
in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the vehicle capacity weight
and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo and all
nonfactory-installed options,
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Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re
a good deal
longer, you’ll need
to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and,
if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle.
Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid
jerky
or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Cheek
with your Pontiac dealer. The green arrows on
your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash
for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when
they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug a
trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s lighting
system, its bulb warning lights may not
let you know if
one of your lamps goes out. So, when you have a trailer
lighting system plugged in, be sure to check your
vehicle and trailer lamps
from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once you
disconnect the trailer
lamps, the bulb warning lights again can tell you if one
of
your vehicle lamps is out.
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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!
I 1
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.
I I
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage or the warning
light about a hot engine on your Pontiac’s instrument
panel. See “Coolant Temperature
G’age” and “Coolant
Temperature Warning Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if
you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
fro’m the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there
is no sign of steam or coolant before you
open
the ho’od.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You
or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine
is cool.
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be ~
covered by your warranty.
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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.
c --
/L CAUTION:
1
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 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
1 NOTICE: I
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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When you pur the cap back on, turn it to the right
(clockwise) until
you hear a clicking sound. Make sure
Fuel Door Manual Release (Option)
you fully &stall the cap. The diagnostic system can
determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly
installed. This would allow fuel to evaporate into
the
atmosphere. See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
type.
Your dealer can get one for you. If you get
the wrong
type, it may not fit properly. This may
If your vehicle has a fuel
door lock, the
fuel door
can be opened manually
in case of an electrical
power failure.
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light
and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged. See ‘(Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index. Open
the trunk. The release mechanism is on the
driver’s side
of the vehicle, at the top of the trunk
compartment. Pull the tab rearward to release the
fuel door.
Prying on
a locked fuel filler door can damage it.
Use the remote fuel door manual release located
in the trunk.
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