1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Engine

Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
6
In very cold weather, 0 OF (- 18 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater
can help. You'll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The
cord is located below the
air cleaner near the coolant
reservoir bottle.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt AC outlet.
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A CAUTION:
-
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won't reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts. If you don't, it could be damaged.
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How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
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6
10
Your automatic transaxle may have a shift lever on the
steering column or on the console between the seats.
Maximum engine speed is limited when you’re in
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N), to protect driveline
components from improper operation. There are several different positions
for your shift lever.
PARK
(P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK
(P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
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Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has a Brake-Transaxle
Shift Interlock. You must fully apply your regular brakes
before
you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is
in RUN. If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease
pressure on the shift lever by pushing it all the way into
PARK
(P) while keeping the brake pedal pushed down.
Release the shift lever button
if you have a console shift.
Then move the shift lever out
of PARK (P), being sure
to press the shift lever button
if you have a console shift.
See “Shifting Out of PARK
(P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index. NEUTRAL
(N): In
this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
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A CAUTION: I
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your
foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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SECOND (2): This position gives you more power, but
lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want
to use
your brakes off and
on.
NOTICE:
.
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km) at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or
THIRD (3) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can
damage your engine. FIRST
(1): This position gives you even more power,
but lower fuel economy than
SECOND (2). You can use
it
on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the shift
lever is put in FIRST (1)’ the transaxle won’t shift into
first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.
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Performance Shifting (If Equipped)
1 Press the performance shift
button, located
on the side
of the console shift knob,
to allow the transaxle to
shift
at higher engine
speeds, increasing
acceleration performance.
If you have a vehicle with the
3800 Supercharged
engine option, the
“PERF SHIFT” light in the
instrument panel cluster will come on.
Downshifts will occur at a lower percentage of
accelerator use while you’re
in the performance
shift mode.
Press the button again to return to normal shifting. The
transaxle
will then shift at lower engine speeds,
increasing fuel economy.
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with
your
left foot.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your left
foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
released position.
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I NOTICE:
~ ~ ~
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and parking on any hill, see
“Towing a Trailer”
in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake
firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. If
you have left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.

Console Shift
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position
set
the parking brake.
like this:

0 Hold in the button, located on the front of the
0 Push the shift knob all the way toward the front
shift
knob.
of your vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take
it with you. If you can
leave
your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand,
your vehicle is in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
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A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully
in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
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If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine running,
be sure your vehicle is in
PARK (P) and your parking
brake is
firmy set before you leave it. After you’ve moved
the
shift lever into PARK (P) position, hold the regular
brake
pedal down. Then, see if you can move the shift
lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling it toward
you (or,
if you have a console shift lever, without first
pushing the button).
If you can, it means that the shift
lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into
PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of
PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into
PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out
of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out
of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock. You
must fully apply your regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in RUN. See
“Automatic Transaxle Operation” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever by pushing it all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Release the
shift lever button if you have a console shift. Then move
the shift lever out of
PARK (P), being sure to press the
shift lever button if you have a console shift.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out of
PARK (P) with column shift, try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the engine and shift to the drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
With the console shift lever, see “Shift Lock Release”
earlier
in this section.
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