1997 PONTIAC PONTIAC Owners Manual

If a Tire Goes Flat
10. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure if coolant begins to flow out
of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
mows
on the pressure cap line up like this.
11. Check the coolant in the recovery tank. The level
in the coolant recovery tank should be at the HOT
mark when the engine is
hot or at the COLD mark
when the engine is cold. 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 stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
slud 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.
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Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers,
Changing a tire can cause an Ijury. 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 the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t 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,
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
I
The equipment you’ll
need
is in the trunk. Turn
the center nut on the
compact spare cover
counterclockwise to
remove
it. Lift and
remove the cover.
Pull the carpeted mat up from the floor of the trunk.
Then lift and remove the cover. Remove the
spare tire.
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Turn the nut holding the jack counterclockwise and remove
it. Then remove
the jack and wrench. The tools you'll
be using include the
jack (A), extension
and protectodguide
(B) and wheel wrench (C).
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If there is a wheel cover,
loosen the plastic nut caps
with the wheel wrench.
They won’t come off. Then, using the flat end
of the
wheel wrench, pry along the
edge of the cover until it
comes off. Be careful; the
edges may be sharp. Don’t
try to remove the cover with
your bare hands.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
If your vehicle has wheel nut caps, remove them using
the wheel wrench.
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
2. Turn the jack handle clockwise to raise the jack lift
head
a few inches.
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FRONT
VEHICLE
REAR EDGE OF FRONT
WHEEL OPENING
For jacking at the vehicle's front location, put jack
lift head about 6 inches (15 cm> from the rear edge
of the front wheel opening or in between the two bolts
as
shown.
L?ONT VEHICLE /-
FRONT EDGE OF
REAR WHEEL
OPEN1
NG
For jacking at the vehicle's rear location, put jack lift
head about 5.5 inches (14 cm) from the front edge of
rear wheel opening or just behind off-set as shown.
Put the
compact spare tire near you.
I
Getting under a vehicle when it is j ked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed, Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
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& CAUTION:
- -
Raising your vehicle with the jack i
positioned can damage the vehicle and even make
the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal injury and
vehicle damage, be sure
to fit the jack lift head into
the proper location before raising the vehicle.
3. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground for the spare tire to fit under the vehicle.
Remove all wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
4. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and
spare wheel.
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
emergency, you can use a cloth
or a paper towel
to
do this; but be sure to use a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
I
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall
off, causing a serious accident.
5. Replace the wheel nuts
with the rounded end
of the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten each nut
by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
6. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
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