Pontiac Grand Am (2002 year). Manual - part 12

4-18

The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.

It’s wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank filled
with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.

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CAUTION:

Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.

After driving through a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.

Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.

Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.

Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.

Driving Through Deep Standing Water

NOTICE:

If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.

4-20

Driving Through Flowing Water

CAUTION:

Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. 
If you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can 
be carried away. As little as six inches of flowing
water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this
happens, you and other vehicle occupants could
drown. Don’t ignore police warning signs, and
otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.

Some Other Rainy Weather Tips

D Besides slowing down, allow some extra following

distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.

D Have good tires with proper tread depth. See “Tires”

in the Index.

City Driving

One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.

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Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
D Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get

a city map and plan your trip into an unknown part of
the city just as you would for a cross

-

country trip.

D Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most

large cities. You’ll save time and energy. See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”

D Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light

is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start 
to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the 
red light.

Freeway Driving

Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.

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The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too

-

fast or

too

-

slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the

left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.

At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to 
the freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as
you drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin 
to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.

Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.

Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.

Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.

Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.

When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.

The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.

The exit speed is usually posted.

Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.

Before Leaving on a Long Trip

Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh 

--

 such as after a day’s

work 

--

 don’t plan to make too many miles that first part

of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.

Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts in
Pontiac dealerships all across North America. 
They’ll be ready and willing to help if you need it.

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Here are some things you can check before a trip:
D Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? 

Are all windows clean inside and outside?

D Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
D Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked

all levels?

D Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
D Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,

trouble

-

free trip. Is the tread good enough for

long

-

distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to 

the recommended pressure?

D Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook

along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?

D Maps: Do you have up

-

to

-

date maps?

Highway Hypnosis

Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.

There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let 
it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road in less than a second, and you could crash and 
be injured.

What can you do about highway hypnosis? 
First, be aware that it can happen.

Then here are some tips:
D Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a

comfortably cool interior.

D Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and 

to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.

D If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service

or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as
an emergency.

4-24

Hill and Mountain Roads

Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.

If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
D Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels

and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and transaxle.
These parts can work hard on mountain roads.

D Know how to go down hills. The most important

thing to know is this: let your engine do some of the
slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.

CAUTION:

If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get 
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going 
down a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on a steep
downhill slope.

4-25

CAUTION:

Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.

D Know how to go uphill. Drive in the highest 

gear possible.

D Stay in your own lane when driving on two

-

lane

roads in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.

D As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be

something in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.

D You may see highway signs on mountains that 

warn of special problems. Examples are long grades,
passing or no

-

passing zones, a falling rocks area 

or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.

Winter Driving

Here are some tips for winter driving:
D Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
D You may want to put winter emergency supplies in

your trunk.

4-26

Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.

Driving on Snow or Ice

Most of the time, those places where your tires meet 
the road probably have good traction.

However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be 
very careful.

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What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer the
least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing (32

_F; 0_C) and freezing rain begins to fall.

Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.

Whatever the condition 

--

 smooth ice, packed, blowing

or loose snow 

--

 drive with caution.

Keep your Enhanced Traction System on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle has this system,
you’ll want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. See “Enhanced Traction System” in 
the Index.

Your anti

-

lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability

when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti

-

lock braking system, you’ll

want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti

-

Lock” in the Index.

D Allow greater following distance on any 

slippery road.

D Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine

until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. 
If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before
you are on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually
on the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.

4-28

If You’re Caught in a Blizzard

If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here are some
things to do to summon help and keep yourself and 
your passengers safe:
D Turn on your hazard flashers.

D Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that

you’ve been stopped by the snow.

D Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.

If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats 

--

 anything you can wrap around yourself or

tuck under your clothing to keep warm.

You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.

4-29

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 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.

4-30

Recreational Vehicle Towing

Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle 

--

 such as behind a motorhome.

The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your
vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly
towing” (towing your vehicle with two wheels on the
ground and two wheels up on a device known as 
a “dolly”).

With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy
Towing” and “Dolly Towing,” following.

Here are some important things to consider before you
do recreational vehicle towing:
D What’s the towing capacity of the towing 

vehicle? Be sure you read the tow vehicle
manufacturer’s recommendations.

D How far will you tow? Some vehicles have

restrictions on how far and how long they can tow.

D Do you have the proper towing equipment? 

See your dealer or trailering professional for
additional advice and equipment recommendations.

D Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as you would

prepare your vehicle for a long trip, you’ll want to
make sure your vehicle is prepared to be towed. 
See “Before Leaving on a Long Trip” in the Index.

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Dinghy Towing

To tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground,
follow these steps:

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 towing,

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” in the Index 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.

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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 (110 km/h), or your vehicle could be
badly damaged.

NOTICE:

Do not tow your vehicle from the rear. Your
vehicle could be badly damaged and the repairs
would not be covered by your warranty.

4-33

Dolly Towing

To tow your vehicle with two wheels on the ground and
a dolly, do the following:

1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.

2. Put the vehicle in PARK (P) for automatic transaxles

and NEUTRAL for manual transaxles.

3. Set the parking brake and then remove the key. 

(For manual transaxle vehicles, the shift lever must
be in REVERSE (R) before removing the key).

4. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight

-

ahead position

with a clamping device designed for towing.

5. Release the parking brake.