1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD lock

Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper
limit for cold tires. You’ll find these numbers on the
Certification label at the rear edge of the driver’s door or
see “Loading Your Vehicle’’ in the Index. Then be sure
you don’t go over the GVW limit for your vehicle;
including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here
are
some rules to follow:
0 The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for
hitches. Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach to
the bumper.
0 Will you have to make any holes in the body of your
vehicle when you install a trailer hitch? If you do,
then be sure to seal the holes later when you remove
the hitch. If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monofid.e (CO) from your exhaust can get into your
vehicle (see “Carbon Monoxide’’ in the Index). Dirt
and water can, too.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided
by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg)
loaded, then it needs its own brakes -- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for
the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Because you have anti-lock
brakes, do not
try to tap into your vehicle’s brake
system. If you do, both brake systems won’t work well,
or at all.
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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,
Don’t use the junction block on your Pontiac.
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.
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To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
0 Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
0 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.
0 Never use J-hooks, Use T-hooks instead.
being towed.
A vehicle
can fall from a car car
adequately secured. 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 sharp
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 transmission
should
be in NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.

How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
(V6 Engine Only)
I NOTICE:
Your engine has a specific radiator fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure could cause your
engine to overheat and be severely damaged.
1. You can remove the pressure cap when the cooling
system, including the pressure cap and upper radiator
hose,
is no longer hot. Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise until
it first stops. (Don’t press
down while turning the pressure cap.)
If you hear a hiss, wait
for that to stop. A hiss means
there is still some pressure left.
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1. You can remove the radiator pressure cap when the
cooling system, including the radiator pressure cap
and upper radiator hose, is no longer hot. Turn the
pressure cap slowly counterclockwise until it first
stops. (Don’t press down while turning the
pressure cap
.)
If you hear a hiss, wait for that to stop. A hiss means
there
is still some pressure left.
2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down
as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene
glycol,
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don’t
spill coolant on a hot engine.
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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 st,ot, 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 any 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 t,o a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Cham- ng 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 transmission shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission tu
FIRST (1) or REWRSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle wan? 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,
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On convertible models, you must also remove the
convertible top protection panel. It’s
at the upper back of
the trunk. Turn the two screw knobs under the trunk
edge
a quarter turn left (counterclockwise) to remove
the panel.
The following steps will tell you
how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need is in the right (passenger)
rear area behind the trim panel.
First you must remove the close-out panel. See
“Close-Out Panel” in the Index. Find the plastic screw
heads in the trim panel over
the
spare tire. (See “Compact Spare Tire” later in this
section for more information about the compact spare.)
Use a coin or a key to turn the screw heads until the
slots point front and back. Gently
Iift the trim panel and
move
it out of the way.
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If your wheel has a bolt-on center cap, loosen the plastic
caps using the wheel wrench. Each wheel has one locknut in place
of the standard
wheel nut.
A special wheel lock key (removal tool) and
instructions are
located in the center console. Attach the
wheel lock
key to the socket of the wheel wrench.
Remove the locking whe'el nut by turning
counterclockwise.
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