1998 PONTIAC GRAND AM engine

CHECK
OIL
Check Oil Light (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped
with the
3 100 engine, this
light should come
on briefly
while you
are starting your
engine.
If the light does not
come on, have it repaired.
A
If the light comes on and stays on after starting your
vehicle, the oil level should be checked.
Prior to checking
the oil level, be sure your vehicle has
been shut
off for several minutes and is on a level
surface. Check the oil level on the dipstick and bring
it
to the proper level. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
NOTE: A false CHECK OIL light may be generated
when parking on steep grades.
The oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key
on and engine start.
It does not monitor engine oil level when the engine
is
running. Additionally, an oil level check is only
performed if the engine
has been turned off for a
considerable period
of time allowing the oil normally in
circulation to drain back into the oil
pan.
Passlock Warning Light
THEFT
SYS
This light will come on
briefly when you
turn the
key toward
START. The
light will stay on until the
engine starts.
If the light flashes, the Passlock system has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, see “Passlock”
in the Index.
If the light comes on continuously while driving and
stays
on, there may be a problem with the Passlock
system. Your vehicle will not be protected by Passlock,
and you should
see your dealer.
Up Shift Light (Manual Transaxle)
This light comes on when
you need to shift to the
next
higher gear. See “Manual
Transaxle” in the Index.
I SHIFT I
2-66

Am
/J VENT: Use when outside temperatures are mild,
and little heating or cooling
is needed. Airflow is
through the instrument panel outlets. Set the center
control knob to the temperature desired.
‘fl HEATER: This setting brings heated air through
the heater ducts, and some through the windshield
defroster vents.
If you have the optional engine coolant heater (engine
block heater) and use it during cold weather, 0°F
(- 18 O C) or lower, your heating system will more quickly
provide heat because the engine coolant is already
warmed. See “Engine Coolant Heater” in the Index.
v# BLEND: This setting divides airflow equally
between the heater ducts and the windshield defroster vents.
w.
DEFROST This setting directs air through the
windshield defroster vents located on top of the
instrument panel.
Air Conditioning
On very hot days, open the windows long enough
to let hot, inside air escape. This reduces the time it
takes for your vehicle to cool down, which should help
fuel economy.
For quick cool-down on very hot days, use
MAX with
the temperature knob all the way in the blue area.
If the
setting is used for long periods of time, the air in your
vehicle may become too dry.
For normal cooling on hot days, use
A/C with the
temperature knob in the blue area. The system will bring
in outside air and cool it.
On cool but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body,
but your lower body may not be warm enough.
You can use BI-LEVEL with the temperature knob in
the middle. The system will bring in outside air and
direct it to your upper body, while sending slightly warmed air to your lower body. You may notice this
temperature difference more at some times than
at others.
3-3

Heating Defrosting and Defogging
Turning the right control knob to HEATER and the
center CUR^^ knob to the right sends some heated air
through the heater ducts toward your feet, and some
through the defroster
vents.
VENT and HEATER are economical positions because
the air conditioner compressor doesn’t run in these
two
settings. This reduces engine load, resulting in improved
fuel economy. If either setting fails to keep you
comfortable, or causes your windows to fog up, turn the
right control
knob to one of the air conditioning
positions,
or to DEFROST.
If you have the optional engine coolant heater (engine
block heater) and
use it during cold weather, 0°F
(- 1 8 O C) or lower, your heating system will more quickly
provide
heat because the engine coolant is already
warmed. See “Engine Coolant Heater” in the Index.
To defrost the windshield, turn all three control knobs to
the far right.
The
DEFROST setting directs air through the defroster
vents located on top
of the instrument panel.
To warm passengers while keeping the windows clean,
use
BLEND.
To defog the side windows, turn the right control knob
to
BI-LEVEL and the fan control knob to HIGH. Aim
the side vents toward the side windows. For increased
airflow
to the side vents, close the center vents.
3-4

Audio Systems AM-FM Stereo
Your Delco Electronics audio system has been designed
to operate easily and give years of listening pleasure.
You will get the most enjoyment out of it
if you acquaint
yourself with it first. Find out what your Delco
Electronics system can do and how to operate
all its
controls, to be sure you’re getting the most out of the
advanced engineering that went into it.
Setting the Clock for AM-FM Stereo
Press SET. Within five seconds, press and hold the
SEEK down arrow until the correct hour appears on the
display. Press and hold the
SEEK up arrow until the
correct minute appears
on the display.
Setting the Clock for All Systems Except
AM-FM Stereo
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold
MIN until the correct minute appears. There
will be a two-second delay before the clock goes into
time-set mode, and the colon on the display will blink
while in
this mode.
Playing the Radio
PWR-VOLUME: This knob turns the system on and
off and controls the volume. To turn the radio on and to
increase volume,
turn the knob to the right. Turn it to the
left to decrease volume and to
turn the radio off.
RCL: Press this knob to recall the station being played
or to display the clock.
3-7

Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other.
AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it. \
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or
hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and go.
Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late.
Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
0 Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can
add what you want, If you can, it’s very
important
to do it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of
your vehicle’s engine, Delco Electronics radio or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems may interfere
with the
operation
of sound equipment that has been
added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal
rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
3-23

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake
life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down.
If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you
will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking
skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little.
This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system,
this
warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance.
If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation
or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Enhanced Traction System
If your vehicle has the optional four-speed automatic
transaxle,
it also has an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one
or both of the front wheels are spinning
or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power and may also upshift the
transaxle
to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System
is limiting
wheel spin. See “Enhanced
Traction System Active
Light” in the Index.
You may
feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
The Enhanced Traction System operates
in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high
as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only when
necessary. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
ETS
OFF
When the system is on and
the parking brake is fully
released,
this warning light
will come on to let you
know
if there’s a problem
with the system.
See “Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light” in the
Index. When
this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-9

To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System
on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
To turn the system on or off,
press the button on the shift
lever knob.
When
you turn the system off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on
and stay on. If the
Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button to
turn the system off, the warning
light will come on
-- but the system won’t turn off right
away. It
will wait until there’s no longer a current need
to limit wheel spin. You
can turn the system
back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The Enhanced Traction System
warning light should go off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the
very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops
or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Variable Effort Steering (If Equipped)
This steering system provides lighter steering effort for
parking and at low vehicle speeds. Steering effort will
increase at higher speeds for improved road feel.
4-10