2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM BATTERY

If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light
off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check
the vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment
and diagnostic
tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration. Here are some things you need to know
in order to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system, The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down, The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of
OBD
system readiness, see your dealer or qualified service
center to prepare the vehicle for inspection.
3-33

You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside.
CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see
it or
smell
it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help keep
CO out. 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.
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Dinghy Towing
To low your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground,
follow these steps:
ti
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1. Position the vehicle to tow and then secure it.
2. Turn the ignition switch to OFF.
3. Set the parking brake. 4.
To prevent your battery from draining while the
vehicle is being towed, remove the following
fuses from the left side instrument panel fuse block:
WIPER, PCM ACC and IPC/BFC ACC. See
“Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Driver’s Side)” under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-81 for the
location of these fuses.
5. Turn the ignition switch to ACCESSORY.
6. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Remember to reinstall the fuses once you reach your
destination. To reinstall
a fuse do the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Put the fuse back in.
Notice: Make sure that the towing speed does not
exceed
65 mph (1 10 km/h), or your vehicle could
be b2d!y dm2ge.r.
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Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Service ............................................................ 5.3
Doing Your Own Service Work
......................... 5.3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle
...................................................... 5.4
Fuel ................................................................ 5.5
Gasoline Octane
............................................ 5.5
Gasoline Specifications
.................................... 5.5
California Fuel
............................................... 5-6
Additives
....................................................... 5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries
............................... 5-7
Filling
a Portable Fuel Container ..................... -5-9
Filling Your Tank
............................................ 5-7
Checking Things Under the Hood
.................................................... 5-10
Hood Release
.............................................. 5-10
Engine Compartment Overview
....................... 5-12
Engine Oil
................................................... 5.15
Engine Air CleanedFilter
................................ 5-21
Manual Transaxle Fluid
.................................. 5-22
Hydraulic Clutch
........................................... 5-23
Engine Coolant
............................................. 5-23
Engine Overheating
....................................... 5-26
Cooling System
............................................ 5-29
Power Steering Fiuia
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- -- ....................................
Windshield Washer Fluid ................................ 5-37
Brakes
........................................................ 5.39
Battery
........................................................ 5.42
Jump Starting
............................................... 5-43
Bulb Replacement .......................................... 5.49
Halogen Bulbs
.............................................. 5.49
Headlamps
.................................................. 5.49
Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps
.............. 5-50
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
......... 5.50
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps
............ 5.51
Replacement Bulbs
....................................... 5.51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.............. 5.52
Tires
.............................................................. 5.53
Inflation
.. Tire Pressure ................................ 5-54
Tire Inspection and Rotation
........................... 5-55
When It
Is Time for New Tires ....................... 5-56
Buying New Tires
......................................... 5-56
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
......................... 5-57
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
.................. 5-59
Wheel Replacement
...................................... 5-59
Tire Chains
.................................................. 5-60
If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................ 5-61
Changing
a Flat Tire ..................................... 5-62
Compact Spare Tire
...................................... 5-71
5-
1

A. Engine Coolant Surge Tank
B. Engine Oil Dipstick
C. Engine
Oil Fill Cap
D. Brake Fluid Reservoir
E. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir F. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block
G. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
H. Battery
I. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
5-1 3

When you open the hood on the 3400 V6 engine, you’ll see the following:
A. Engine Coolant Surge Tank
E. Brake Fluid Reservoir
B. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir F. Engine Air CleanedFilter
C. Engine Oil Fill Cap G. Battery
D. Engine Oil Dipstick H. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
5-1 4

Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign
of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake stop, your
disc brakes adjust for wear.
If you rarely make a
moderate or heavier stop, then your brakes might not
adjust correctly. If you drive in that way, then
- very
carefully
- make a few moderate brake stops about
every
1,000 miles (1 600 km), so your brakes will adjust
properly.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex. Its many
parts have
to be of top quality and work well together if
the vehicle is to have really good braking. Your
vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM
brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
- for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you need new ones put in
- be sure you
get new approved replacement parts. If you don’t,
your brakes may no longer work properly. For example,
if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong for
your vehicle, the balance between your front and rear
brakes can change
- for the worse. The braking
performance you’ve come
to expect can change in many
other ways
if someone puts in the wrong replacement
brake parts.
Battery
Your new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelco@ battery. When it’s time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number shown
on the
original battery’s label. We recommend an ACDelco@
battery. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page
5- 12 for battery location.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known
to the State of California to cause
cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after
handling.
5-42

Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, remove the black, negative
(-) cable from
the battery.
This will help keep your battery from
running down.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle
and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. Be sure to follow the steps below to
do it safely.
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt
if you
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting”
in the Index
for tips on working around a battery without getting hurt.
Contact your dealer
to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see Theft-Deterrent
Feature (Non-RDS Radios) on page
3-68 or
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I
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
0 They contain acid that can burn you.
0 They contain gas that can explode or
They contain enough electricity to ignite.
burn you.
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some
or all of these things can hurt 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.
5-43