2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM torque

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transaxle Only)
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.
If you have to leave your automatic transaxle vehicle
with the engine running, be sure your vehicle
is in
PARK (P) and your parking brake is firmly set before
~QL! Ip31.1p it. .After y~iI’\.~p m~\/prj the shift Iwgr intn
PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t fully
!nrked into P.4p.K (PI.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
automatic 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)” previously in the section.
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).
2-31

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

Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles (12 500 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 Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-56
and Wheel Replacement
on page 5-59
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 “Part A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services” in Section
6, for scheduled
rotation intervals.
n 4 J
1
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label.
Make certain that all wheel nuts are properly tightened.
See “Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and
Specifications on page 5-86.
.
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could
come
off and cause an accident. When you
change
a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an emergency, you can use a ciorh or a
paper towel to
do this; but be sure to use a
scraper or wire brush later,
if you need to, to
get all the rust or dirt
off. See “Changing a Flat
Tire”
in the Index.
5-55

c
10. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
11. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
E
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to come loose
and even come
off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use
the correct wheel
nuts. If you have to replace them, be sure to
get new
GM original equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the proper torque specification. See ”Capacities
and Specifications” in the Index for wheel nut
torque specification.
Notice: Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead
to brake pulsation and rotor damage.
To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specification. See “Capacities and
Specifications”
in the index for the wheel nut torque
specification.
Notice: Wheel covers won’t fit on your compact
spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on your
compact spare, you could damage the cover or
the spare.
5-68

Tires (cont.) Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
................. 5-59
Wheel Replacement
..................................... 5-59
When It
Is Time for New Tires ...................... 5-56
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
.................... 2-23
Top
of the Instrument Panel ............................. 5-74
Top Strap
...................................................... 1-42
Top Strap Anchor Location
............................... 1-43
Torque Lock
................................................... 2-31
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
.................. 4-39
Towing Recreational Vehicle
..................................... 4-32
Towing a Trailer
.......................................... 4-37
Your Vehicle
............................................... 4-32
Traction Enhanced Traction System Active Light
........... 3-29
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
........ 3-28
Enhanced Traction
System (ETS)
.................... 4-9
Trailer Brakes
................................................. 4-40
Transaxle Fluid, Automatic
........................................... 5-22
Fluid, Manual
.............................................. 5-22
Transaxle Operation, Manual
............................ 2-27
Transmission
Up-Shift Light
.............................................. 3-26
Transmission, Transaxle, Transfer Case Unit
Repair Manual
.............................................. 7-9
Transportation Options
...................................... 7-7
Trap-Resistant Trunk Kit
.. I .. .. jj jj I .. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I ~ I 2-1 4
Tr2.ns2x!E! Gperstls!?, ,*.ntc!X!tic ......................... L 9-24
Trip Odometer ................................................ 3-24
Trunk
............................................................ 2-12
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
.......................... 3-6
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
........................... 3-6
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
.................. 4-41
Trunk
Lamp
................................................... 3-17
U
Underbody Flushing Service ............................. 6-12
Understanding Radio Reception
........................ 3-70
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
............................ 5-57
United States
................................................... 7-4
Up-Shift Light
................................................. 3-26
Used Replacement Wheels
.............................. 5-60
Using Cleaner on Fabric
.................................. 5-73
v
Vehicle Control
.................................................
Damage Warnings ..................................
Loaang .................................................
Parking Your ..........................................
Service Soon Light .................................
Symbols ................................................
Number (VIN) ........................................
Service Parts Identification Label ..............
Vehicle Storage .........................................
Vehicle Identification
....... 4-6
......... iv
..... 4-33
..... 2-32
..... 3-36
......... iv
..... 5-80
..... 5-80
.=i = 5-43
13