2006 PONTIAC G6 headlamp

No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you
are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They
may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also
make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver
who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching headlamps.Keep the windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made
much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the
glass can build up a lm caused by dust. Dirty glass
makes lights dazzle and ash more than clean
glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract
repeatedly.
Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep
your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as the headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from
night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and
are not even aware of it.
4-19

{CAUTION:
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 cannot 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 does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is 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.
4-31

Service............................................................5-3
Accessories and Modications..........................5-3
California Proposition 65 Warning.....................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling the Tank..............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-17
Engine Oil Life System..................................5-20
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-22
Automatic Transaxle Fluid (2.4L LE5 and
3.5L LX9 Engines).....................................5-23
Automatic Transaxle Fluid (3.9L LZ9 Engine). . . .5-24
Manual Transaxle Fluid..................................5-26
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-26
Engine Coolant.............................................5-27Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-30
Engine Overheating.......................................5-30
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode........................................5-32
Cooling System............................................5-32
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-37
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-38
Brakes........................................................5-39
Battery........................................................5-42
Jump Starting...............................................5-42
Headlamp Aiming...........................................5-47
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-49
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-49
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker,
and Parking Lamps....................................5-50
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
(Sedan)...................................................5-51
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
(Retractable Hardtop and Coupe).................5-51
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps
and Back-up Lamps (Sedan).......................5-52
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps
and Back-up Lamps (Coupe).......................5-53
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps
and Back-up Lamps (Retractable Hardtop). . . .5-54
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-55
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles,
do the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle that had the dead battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
other vehicle.
Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical headlamp aiming
system. The aim has been preset at the factory and
should need no further adjustment.
However, If the vehicle is damaged in an accident, the
headlamp aim may be affected and adjustment may
be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles ash their high beams at you, this
may also mean the vertical aim needs to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle is taken to your
dealer for service if the headlamps need to be re-aimed.
It is possible however, to re-aim the headlamps as
described in the following procedure.The vehicle should be properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle should be placed so the headlamps
are 25 ft. (7.6 m) from a light colored wall or
other at surface.
The vehicle must have all four tires on a perfectly
level surface which is level all the way to the wall
or other at surface.
The vehicle should be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall or other at surface.
The vehicle should not have any snow, ice, or
mud on it.
The vehicle should be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp aiming is being
performed.
The vehicle should be normally loaded with a full
tank of fuel and one person or 160 lbs (75 kg) on
the driver’s seat.
Tires should be properly inated.
The spare tire is in its original location in
the vehicle.
5-47

Headlamp aiming is done with the vehicle’s low-beam
headlamps. The high-beam headlamps will be correctly
aimed if the low beams are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim, do the following:
1. Open the hood. SeeHood Release on page 5-11
for more information.
2. Find the aim dot on the lens of the low-beam lamp.
3. Measure the distance from the ground to the aim
dot on the low-beam headlamp. Record the
distance.
4. At the wall or other at surface, measure from the
ground upward the recorded distance from Step 3
and mark it.
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line the width of the
vehicle at the wall or other at surface where it
was marked in Step 4.Notice:Do not cover a headlamp to improve beam
cut-off when aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up which may cause
damage to the headlamp.
6. Turn on the low-beam headlamps and place a
piece of cardboard or equivalent in front of the
headlamp not being aimed. This should allow only
the beam of light from the headlamp being
aimed to be seen on the at surface.
7. Locate the vertical headlamp aiming screws, which
are under the hood, on top of each headlamp
assembly.
Passenger’s Side Shown
5-48

8. Turn the vertical aiming screw until the headlamp
beam is aimed below the horizontal tape line. The
top edge of the beam cut-off should be positioned
2 inches (5 cm) below the bottom edge of the
horizontal tape line.
The adjustment screws can be turned with a
6 mm external hex.
9. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 for the opposite headlamp.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement bulbs, see
Replacement Bulbs on page 5-55.
For any bulb changing procedure not listed in this
section, contact your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{CAUTION:
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside
and can burst if you drop or scratch the bulb.
You or others could be injured. Be sure to
read and follow the instructions on the bulb
package.
5-49

Headlamps, Front Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and Parking Lamps
A. Front Sidemarker
B. Front Turn Signal/Parking Lamp
C. Low-Beam Headlamp
D. High-Beam Headlamp
To replace one of these bulbs, do the following:
1. Remove the two screws that secure the
headlamp assembly.2. Loosen the front fascia by removing the plastic
push pins along the top of the tie bar by prying
under the fasteners with a tool.
3. Pull back the front fascia then pull the headlamp
assembly forward, out of the vehicle. You will
need to pry the headlamp assembly away from the
fender. This will free the ball stud from its retainer
in the fender bracket.
You may want someone to assist you with the
removal of the headlamp assembly to avoid possible
damage to the vehicle.
5-50

4. Remove the bulb access cover by turning it
counterclockwise.
5. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise and pull out
the bulb assembly.
6. Disconnect the bulb socket from the wiring harness
for headlamps.
For the front turn signal/parking or sidemarker
bulbs, unclip the bulb from the socket.
7. Install a new bulb.
8. Reverse Steps 1 through 4 to reinstall the bulb
assembly and headlamp assembly.
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
(CHMSL) (Sedan)
To replace a center high-mounted stoplamp (CHMSL)
bulb, do the following:
1. Open the trunk lid. SeeTrunk on page 2-14for
more information.
2. Locate the center high-mounted stoplamp (CHMSL)
on the inside of the trunk lid.
3. Unclip the wiring harness by using a tool to
disengage the connector.4. Remove the beauty cover by pressing the tabs at
either end with a tool.
5. Remove the bulb by turning it counterclockwise.
6. Install a new bulb.
7. Reverse Steps 3 through 5 to reinstall the bulb
assembly.
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
(CHMSL) (Retractable Hardtop
and Coupe)
If your vehicle has this component and it needs
replacement, it is recommended that it be replaced
as a unit by your dealer.
5-51