1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Owners Manual

How to Add Coolant to the Radiator
(VS Engine Only)
NOTICE:
The LS1 Engine (Code G) 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 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
to the left (counterclockwise)
until it fist 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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2. Then keep turning the pressure cap, but now push
down as you turn it. Remove the pressure cap.
I A CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol,
aud it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
3. Fill with the proper DEX-COOL@ coolant mixture.
4. Continue to fill the radiator up to the base of the
filler neck.
5. Rinse or wipe the spilled coolant from the engine
and compartment.
6. Start the engine and allow it to run in idle for
approximately four minutes. By this time, the
coolant level inside the radiator will be lower.
Add
more of the proper mixture through the filler neck
until the level reaches the base of the filler neck.
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7. Shut the engine off and replace the pressure cap. Be
sure the arrows on the cap line up like this.
8. Then fill the coolant recovery tank to the
For a complete drain, flush
and refill, see your Pontiac
dealer
or a Pontiac Firebird Service Manual. To
purchase a service manual, see “Service and Owner
Publications’’ in the Index. proper level.
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If a Tire Goes Flat Changing a Flat Tire
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
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. If
a tire goes flat, avoid further
tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
I
A CAUTION:
Changing 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 to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. I’urn 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.
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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.
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.
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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 lift the trim panel and
move it out
of the way.
If you have speakers in the trim panel, you may have to
disconnect the wire from the speaker. The speaker wire
may be long enough to remove the trim panel without
disconnecting
the wire.
To remove the jack and wheel wrench, loosen and
remove the bolt and remove the plastic cover.
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I
Remove the wing nut and adapter and pull out the spare. The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and
wheel wrench (B).
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The jack has a bolt at the end. Attach the wheel wrench
to the jack bolt.
Turn the wheel wrench to the right to raise the lift head
a little.
If your wheel has a bolt-on center cap, loosen the plastic
caps using the wheel wrench.
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