2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM brakes

Towing a Trailer
Y
If you don’t use the correct equipment and
drive properly, you can lose control when you
pull a trailer. For example, if the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well
-- or even
I at all. You and your passengers could be
~ seriously injured. You may also damage your
vehicle; the resulting repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Pull a trailer only
if
you have followed all the steps in this section.
Ask your dealer for advice and information
about towing a trailer with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer
if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what
the vehicle trailerinq capacity is for Vour vehicle, vou
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that
appears later in this section. But trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering means
changes in handling, durability and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering takes correct equipment, and
It has to he L!sed proper!)/.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many time-tested,
important trailering tips and safety rules. Many of
these are important for your safety and that of your
passengers.
So please read this section carefully before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag
of the added weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively higher speeds and
under greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more,
the trailer adds considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live
but also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for
this information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
4-37

Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to
the road if it becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be provided by the
hitch manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching
safety chains and do not attach them to the bumper.
Always leave just enough slack
so you can turn
with your rig. And, never allow safety chains
to drag on
the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Does your trailer have its own brakes?
Be sure to read and follow the instructions for the trailer
brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and maintain
them properly. And because you have anti-lock brakes,
do not
try to tap into your vehicle’s brake system. If
you do, both systems won’t work well, or at all.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand
to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer
brakes are still working.
4-40

Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed
to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill.
If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged. But
if you ever have
to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) for an automatic transaxle or into gear for
a manual transaxle, yet. When parking uphill, turn
your wheels away from the curb. When parking
downhill, turn your wheels into the curb.
wheels. brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer
3. When the chocks are in place, release the regular
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and shift into PARK
(P) for an
automatic transaxle or REVERSE (R) for a manual
transaxle.
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-42

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 belt, cooling system and brake system.
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 on
page 5-26.
4-43

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
~1-36
I~~ULWIII~LIW I 1ulIaUAlG I lulu J-LL An ntnmntie Trnnr.r-.vln Cln #;PI r on ..............................
- -- ....................................
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

Brakes
Brake Fluid
A
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is on the driver’s
side
of the engine compartment. It is filled with
DOT-3 brake fluid. See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 5- 12.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
the reservoir might go down. The first
is that the
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during normal brake lining wear, When new linings are put in,
the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is
that fluid is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system fixed, since a leak
means that sooner or later your brakes won’t work well,
or won’t work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’ your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won’t correct a leak.
If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll have too
much fluid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill on
the engine. The fluid
will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fl~~id ~n!y when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
5-39

BRAKE
United States Canada
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page
3-26.
What to Add
When you do need brake fluid, use only DOT-3 brake
fluid. Use new brake fluid from a sealed container
only. See
Part D: Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on page
6- 15.
Always clean the brake fluid reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before removing it. This will help
keep dirt from entering the reservoir.
With the wrong kind of fluid in your brake
system, your brakes may not work well, or
they may not even work at all. This could
cause
a crash. Always use the proper brake
fluid.
Notice:
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.
5-40

Brake Wear
The GT Series has four-wheel disc brakes and the SE
Series has front disc brakes and rear drum 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).
A CAUTION:
-
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.
Notice: Continuing to drive with worn-out brake
pads could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to
GM torque specifications.
If you have rear drum brakes, they don’t have wear
indicators, but
if you ever hear a rear brake rubbing
noise, have the rear brake linings inspected immediately.
Also, the rear brake drums should be removed and
inspected each time the tires are removed for rotation or
changing. When you have the front brake pads
replaced, have the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See
Brake System Inspection on page 6-14.
5-4 1