1998 PONTIAC GRAND AM light

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride
on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it
has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more
is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.
If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles,
and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice
is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
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City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals. Here are
ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan
your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for
a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
light is there because the corner is busy enough
to
need it. When a light turns green, and just before you
start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared
the intersection or may be running the
red light.
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
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At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway.
If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp,
you should begin to
check
traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow.
Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder
is often as
necessary.
Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once
you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or
to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless YOU want to Dass. Y * L
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways, slight\
ly slower
at night.
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules. When you wa\
nt to leave the freeway, move to the proper
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic
flow. Treat the The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. lane well in advance.
If you miss your
exit, do not,
the next exit.
The most important advice On freeway driving is: Keep under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk. Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure
you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel.
When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with
your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way
to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel
as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
There may be times when you want to tow your vehicle
behind another vehicle for use at your destination. Be
sure to use the proper towing equipment designed for
recreational towing. Follow the instructions for the
towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the From
I
Follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
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i . Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the
possibility
of the vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly
on both vehicles involved in the jump
start procedure.
Put an automatic transaxle in
PARK (P) or a manual transaxle in NEUTRAL (N)
before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter.
Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries.
In addition, it could save your radio!
I NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
A CAUTION:
An electric fan 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.
1
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4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
A CAUTION:
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to a metal
engine part.
Using a match near
a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and
some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You don’t
need to add
water to the AC Delco Freedom@
battery
installed in every new GM vehicle. But
if a battery has ffler caps, be sure the right
amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to
take care of that
first. If you don’t, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it
on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately. Don’t connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or
you’ll
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts,
too.
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Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
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Front Towing
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be sure to read
all the information in “Towing Your Vehicle” earlier in
this section.
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascidfog light damage
will occur. Use wheel-lift
or carcarrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for carcarrier equipment.
NOTICE:
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage,
install a
towing dolly and raise the 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 carcarrier
equipment. Always
use T-hooks inserted in
the T-hook slots.
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