This section covers the more
common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you inf ormation about how to
safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has
stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again.
If not, you will also f ind instructions
on getting your vehicle towed................
Driving with a Flat Tire .362
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Compact Spare Tire .365
....................
Changing a Flat Tire .366
.............
If the Engine Won’t Start .372
Nothing Happens or theStarter Motor Operates ........................
Very Slowly .372
The Starter Operates ................................
Normally .372
................................
Jump Starting .373
..............
If the Engine Overheats .375
.........
Low Oil Pressure Indicator .377
..........
Charging System Indicator .377
.......
Malf unction Indicator Lamp .378
...........................
Readiness Codes .378
...............
Brake System Indicator .379
..................
Closing the Moonroof .380
..............................................
Fuses .381
..............................
Fuse Locations .384
......................
Emergency Towing .387
Taking Care of the Unexpected
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
361
Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position:Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
or neutral or the starter will not
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. Turn on the
headlights, and check their
brightness. If the headlights are
very dim or do not come on at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page . If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is
discharged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of the
battery and terminal connections
(see page ). You can then try
jump starting the vehicle from a
booster battery (see page ).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position, but the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
Turn the ignition switch to the
START (III) position. If the
headlights do not dim, check the
condition of the f uses. If the f uses
areOK,thereisprobably
something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem (see
on page ).
Check these things: When you turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, you do not
hear the normal noise of the engine
trying to start. You may hear a
clicking sound or series of clicks, or
nothing at all. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run. You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
373
387 373
299
359
Jump Starting T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine
Emergency T owing
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
If theEngineWon’tStart
372
µ
´ ´
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
Start the vehicle. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
that the jumper cables have good
metal-to-metal contact.
Once the vehicle is running,
disconnect the negative cable f rom
your vehicle, then f rom the
booster battery. Disconnect the
positive cable f rom your vehicle,
and then from the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until everything is
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
The numbers in the illustration
show you the order to connect the
jumper cables.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
vehicle’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery. 4. 6.
7. 5.
3.
Jump Starting
374
BOOSTER
BATTERY
