1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX service

Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
regularly reaches
90” F (32 O C) or higher.
0 When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use
your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter
do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have
this done at your Pontiac dealership
Service Department.
If you do
it yourself, be sure to follow all the
instructions here, or you could get a false reading on
the dipstick.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle.
Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on
hot engine parts
or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you check your
transaxle fluid.
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NOTICE:
0
0
Using the wrong fluid can badly damage
brake system parts. For example, just a few
drops
of mineral-based oil, such as engine
oil, in your brake system can damage brake
system parts
so badly that they’ll have to be
replaced. Don’t let someone put in the
wrong kind
of fluid.
If you spill brake fluid on your vehicle’s
painted surfaces, the paint finish can be
damaged. Be careful not to spill brake fluid
on your vehicle.
If you do, wash it off
immediately. See “Appearance Care’’ in
the Index.
Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that
make
a high-pitched warning sound when the brake
pads are worn and new pads are needed. The
sound may
come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle is
moving (except when you are pushing on the brake
pedal firmly).
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
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Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
1. Pull the windshield wiper arm away from
the windshield.
2. Lift the release clip with a screwdriver and pull the
3. Push the new wiper blade securely onto the
For wiper blade replacement length and type, see
“Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts” in the Index.
blade
off the wiper arm.
wiper arm.
Tires
Your new vehicle comes with high-quality
tires made by
a leading tire manufacturer. If you ever have questions
about
your tire warranty and where to obtain service, see
your Pontiac
Warranty booklet for details.
1
‘
A CAUTION:
3
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires
are dangerous.
0 Overloading your tires can cause
overheating as a result of too much friction.
You could have an air-out and a serious
accident. See “Loading Your Vehicle” in
the Index.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your compact spare
tire. It should be at
60 psi (420 Pa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell
if your tires are properly inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires
may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems. They help prevent leaks
by keeping out dirt
and moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 000 to 13 000 km). Any time you notice unusual
wear, rotate your tires as soon as possible and check
wheel alignment.
Also check for damaged tires or
wheels. See “When It’s Time for New Tires” and
“Wheel Replacement” later
in this section for
more information. The purpose
of regular rotation
is to achieve more
uniform wear for
all tires on the vehicle. The first
rotation is the most important. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services”
in the Index for scheduled
rotation intervals.
I I
I When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire
in your
tire rotation.
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Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed
on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification
(TPC Spec)
number
on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating, traction, ride and other things during normal service
on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size, load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted
or radial) as your original tires.
A CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle
may not
handle properly, and you could have
a crash.
Using tires
of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on
all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for use on your vehicle.
I A CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel
rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles
of driving. A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires
with the wheels on your vehicle.
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Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance.
(This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system
does not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters
of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger cars and light trucks may vary with respect
to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For example,
a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half
(1 1/2) times as well on the government course
as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
'haction -- A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B,
and C, and they represent the tire's ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based
on braking (straight ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
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Cleaning Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with a tire cleaner.
NOTICE:
When applying a tire dressing always take care
to wipe off any overspray or splash from all
painted surfaces on the body or wheels of the
vehicle. Petroleum-based products
may damage
the paint finish.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to the parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches in the finish
should be repaired right away. Bare metal will corrode
quickly
and may develop into a major repair expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch-up
materials available from
your dealer or other service
outlets. Larger areas
of finish damage can be corrected
in your dealer’s body and paint shop.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Engine Identification
The 8th character in your VIN is the engine code. This
code will help
you identify your engine, specifications
and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identification Label
ENGINE/!& f ASSEMBLY You’ll find this label on the underside of your trunk lid. \
CODE MODEL YEAR PLANT It’s very helpful if you ever need to order parts. On this
label is:
This is the legal identifier for your vehicle. It appears on
a plate in the front corner of the instrument panel, on the
driver’s side. You can see it if you look through the
windshield from outside your vehicle. The VIN also
appears
on the Vehicle Certification and Service Parts
labels and the certificates of title and registration.
your VIN,
the model designation,
0 paint information and
a list of all production options and special
equipment.
Be sure that this label is not removed from the vehicle.
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