1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Owners Manual

Rear Towing
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
rear bumper valance will be damaged,
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 contact.
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-book slots.
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r
Attach T-hook chains in front of rear wheels in bottom
of frame rail on both sides.
Attach a separate safety chain around each outboard end
of the rear axle.
I NOTICE:
Take care not to damage the brake pipes
and cables.
5-13

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Pontiac's instrument panel. You may also find a LOW
COOLANT warning light on your Pontiac instrument
panel
(V8 Engine only).
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can L,m 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
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign
of steam or 'coolant before you
open the hood.
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 yon keep
driving
with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs
would not be
covered by your warranty.
5-14

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. If you have an air conditioner, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@) or
DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if
you still have the
warning,
turn ofSthe engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:

..
A. Cool - ~ : Zecovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fan
I /A CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing
and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside th'e coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don't
do anything else until it cools down.
When it is cool, remove the coolant recovery tank cap
and look at the dipstick.
The coolant l'evel should be at
FULL COLD.
If it isn't, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else in
the cooling system.
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Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a leak.
If you run
the engine,
it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fans are running. If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at
FULL COLD add a 50/50 mixture of clean water
(preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free)
antifreeze at the coolant recovery tank. (See “Engine,
Coolant’’
in the Index for more information.)
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water,
or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain
water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you
or
others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix of clean
water and DEX-COOL@coolant.
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NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core
and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant
mix.
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. 1
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at
FULL COLD start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to
the radiator but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you do it.
~
1 A CAUTION:
Steam and sc’alding liquids from a hot cooling
system can
blow out and burn you badly. They
are under pressure, and
if you turn the pressure
cap
-- even a little I- they can come out at high
speed. Never turn the cap when the cooling
system, including the pressure cap, is hot. Wait
for the cooling system and pressure cap to
cool if
you ever have to turn the pressure cap.
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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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