1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Owners Manual

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
0 Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on
this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil,
drive belts, cooling system and brake
adjustment. Each
of these is covered in this manual, and
the Index will help you find them quickly. If you’re
trailering, it’s a good idea to review
this information
before you
start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
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V
f Section 5 Problems on the Road
- ~~ ~~ - , I . . . . , .. - .~ . 1,F. - 1'7. -A,,. ,- , .. 5' _I ,_. . .- , ~ . .= . .-+ .. -. .. ,. .
Here you'll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-2
5-3
5-8
5-15
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
5 -26
5-27
5-37
5-38
If A Tire Goes Flat
Changing a Flat Tire
Compact Spare Tire
If You're Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice
or Snow
5-1

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash on and off.
Press the switch on top of
the steering column to make
your fiont and rear turn
signal lamps flash on and
off. Your hazard warning
flashers
work no matter
what position your
key is in,
and even if the key isn't in.
To turn off the flashers, press the switch again. When
the hazard warning flashers
are on, your turn signals and
brake lamps won't work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
5-2

Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. But please follow the steps listed to do
it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
burn
you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or
pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
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.
Put
an automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual
transaxle in
NEUTRAL (N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lamps that aren’t needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. And it could
save your radio!
I NOTICE:
r
~
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
’ /1 CAU-ION:
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.
4. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. Your vehicle has a remote positive (+)
jump starting terminal. The terminal is on the same
side of the engine compartment as your battery. You
should always use the remote positive
(+) terminal
instead of the positive (+) terminal on your battery.
5-4

To uncover the remote positive (+) terminal, lift the
plastic cap.
A CAUTION:
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 ACDelco Freedom@
battery installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if
a battery has filler 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.
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