Pontiac 1994 Grand Am User manual

PONTIAC
Ij
n
I
IS34 GRAND AM OWNER'S MANUAL

7 Pontiac Grand Am
introduction
Part
I
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
1994 Owner’s Manual
Table of Contents
How to Use This Manual ............ 3
7
Seats & Restraint Systems ...........
Features & Controls ............... 45
Comfort Controls & Audio Systems . IO I -
Your Driving and the Road ......... 119 -
Problems onthe Road ............. I47
Service & Appearance Care ........ I69
-
-
-
-
-
II
H
H
II
MaintenanceSchedule ............ 223
CustomerAssistanceInformation . . 243
Includes ‘LReportingSafety Defects” on page 247.
Index ........................... 263 9
Service Station Information . . LastPage
H
Printedin USA
10260961 A
Second Edition . . ,

ImportantNotesAbout This Manual
Please keep this manual in your Pontiac, so it will be there if you ever need it when you’re on the road.If you sell the
vehicle, please leave this manual
in it so the new owner can use it.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the product
after that time without further notice.
Note to CanadianOwners
For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Pontiac Motor Division
whenever
it appears in this manual.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual:
Aux proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en franc;ais chez votre concessionaire
ou au DGN Marketing Services Ltd.,
1500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5T lC7.
Published by Pontiac Motor Division
General Motors Corporation General Motors,
GM and the GM Emblem, Pontiac, the
Pontiac Emblem and the name Grand
AM are registered
trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
The word Delco is a registered trademarkof General
Motors Corporation.
@ Copyright 1993 General Motors Corporation, Pontiac Motor Division. All rights reserved.

How to Use This Manual
It
Using Your 1994 Pontiac
Owner’s Manual
I‘
Many people read their owner’s manual
from beginning
to end when they first
receive their new vehicle. This willhelp
you learn about the features andcontrols
for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll
find that pictures and words work
together to explain things quickly.
There are nine parts with black-tabbed
pages
in this manual. Each part begins
with a brief list of contents, so you can
usually tell ata glance
if that part
contains the information you want.
You can bend the manual slightly to reveal
the black tabs that help you finda part.
I
Part 1: Seats & Restraint Systems
This part tells you how to use your seats
and safety belts properly. It also explains
the
“SRS” (Air Bag) System.
Part 2: Features & Controls
This part,explainshow to start and
operate your Pontiac.
Part 3: Comfort Controls & Audio
Systems
This part tells you how to adjust the
ventilation and comfort controls and how
to operate your sound system.
Part 4: Your Driving andthe Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and
tips about
the road and how to drive
under different conditions.
Part 5: Problems on the Road
This part tells you whatto do if you have
a problem while driving, such as a flat tire
or engine overheating, etc.
Part 6: Service & Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep
your Pontiac running properly and
looking good.
Part 7: Maintenance Schedule
This part tells you when to perform
vehicle maintenance and what fluids and
lubricants to use.
Part 8: Customer Assistance
Information
This part tells you how to contact Pontiac
for assistance and how to get service
publications. It also gives you information
on “Reporting Safety Defects’’ on
page 247.
Part 9: Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost
?verysubject
in this manual. You can use it
to quickly find something you want toread.
Service Station Information
This is a quick reference of service
information.
You can find it on the last
page of this manual.
3.. .

How to Use This Manual
Safety Warningsand
Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions
in this book. We use a box with gray
background and the word CAUTION to
tell you about things that could hurt you
if
you were to ignore the warning.
In the gray caution area, we tell you what
the hazard is. Then we tell you what todo
to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please
read these cautions. If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle with a slash
:hrough it in this book. This safety
symbol means:
“Don’t,”
“Don’t do this,”
or “Don’t let this happen.”
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these
notices:
NOTICE:
These mean thereis something that
could damage your vehicle.
In the noticearea, we tell you about
something that candamageyour vehicle.
Many times,
this damagewould not be
covered by your warranty, and
it could be
costly. But the notice
will tell you what to
do to help avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might
see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings
in
different colors or in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your
vehicle. They use yellow for cautions,
blue for notices, and the words
CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on yourvehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
PROTECT
EYESBY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT 4
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
HIGH BEAM OR = =o
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WIPER Q
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
wlNDSHIELDw DEFROSTER
WINDOW
REAR
DEFOGGER.
VENTILATING ca
FAN c.
These symbols
are used
on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
TEMP --
ENGINE
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
RADIATOR a
COOLANT
FUEL
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
-4
TEMP OIL &
ANTILOCK (e)
BRAKE
Here are some
other symbols
you may
see:
FUSE *
RADIO
VOLUME
AIR
CONDITIONING
RELEASE
TRUNK
LIGHTER
SPEAKER
b

Notes

...
Her6 you'll find information about'the
seats in your Po.ntiac, and how ti, us0
your-safety belts properly . You can
also learn about
some thi, ngs you
should not dm o with safety belts .
I.
Seats & Restraint Sys
Seats and Seat Controls ........................................
El
terns
...... 8
Part I
5. afety Belts .......... ; ............................................. 12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly ...................................... 17
Driver Positian ...................................................... 17
SupplementalRestraint System (SRS) ....................... ............. 21
Air'BagReadiness Light
.............................................. 22
Servicing YourAirBag-Equipped Pontiac
............................... 25
SafetyBelt
Use During Pregnancy ..................................... 25
RightFront. Passenger Position
.........................................
RearSeat Passengers ................................................ 26
Center Passenger Position ............................................ 27
Rear SafetyBelt Comfort Guides ...................................... 30
Children
.......................................................... 32
Smaller Children andBabies
.......................................... 32
Child Restraints
.................................................... 33
LargerChildren
.................................................... 40
Safety Belt Extender
................................................ 42
Checking Your Restraint System ........................................ 42
Replacing Safety Belts After a Crash
................................... 42
. 26
I a..

Seats & Restraint Systems
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the
seats-how to adjust them-and also
about reclining seatbacks and head
restraints.
Manual Front Seat
Move the control lever under the front of
the seat to unlock it. Slidethe seat to
where you want it.Then release the lever
and try to move the seat with your body,
to make sure the seat is locked into place.
Manual 4- Way Adjustable
Seai
(omoN)
There are two levers at the frontof the
seat. The left lever adjusts the seat
forward and back.Theright lever adjusts
the angle
of the frontof the seat.
To Adjust the Seat’s Forward and
Rearward Movement:
Lift the left lever up and adjust the seat
forward or back. Then release the lever
and try to move the seat to be certain that
it is locked in place.
To Raise or Lower the Front of the
Seat:
Lift the right lever, and lean forward or
backward.

Power Seat Controls
(OPTION)
To adjust the power seat on some models:
Front Control: Raise the front of
the seatby holding the switch up. Lower
the front of theseat by holding the switch
down.
Center Control: Move the seat
forward or back by holding the control
to
the front or back.
Move the seat higher by holding the
control up. Lower the seatby holding the
control down.
Rear Control: Raise the rear of the
seat by holding the switch up. Lower the
rear of the seat by holding the switch
down.
I
I
I
Manual Lumbar Support
Turn the knob on the side of the driver’s
seat clockwise
to increase support to the
lower back. Turn the knob
counterclockwise
to decrease the support.
Manual Reclining
Seatback
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the
outer side of the seat and move the
seatback where you want
it. Release the
lever to lock the seatback.
Pull up on the lever andthe seat will go to
an upright position.
Don’t have a seatback reclined, however,
if your vehicle is moving.
9...

Seats & RestraintSystems
Manual Reclining
Seafback
(CONT.)
Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some vehicles
and adjustable on others. Slide an
adjustable head restraint up or down
so
that thetop of the restraint is closest to the
top of your ears.
This position reduces the chanceof a
neck injury
in a crash.
On some models, the head restraints tilt
forward and rearwardalso.
r.. IO

Front Seatback Latches
(TWO-DOOR MODELS)
The front seatbackfolds forward to let
people get into the backseat. Your
seatback
will move back and forth freely,
unless you come to a sudden stop. Then
it
will lock into place.
There’s one time thefront seats may not
fold without some help from you.That’s
if your vehicle is parked going downa
fairly steep
hill.
To fold a front seatback forward, pushthe
seatback toward the rear seatas you
lift
this latch.Then the seatback will fold
forward. The latch mustbe down for the
seat towork properly.
Easy-Entry Seat
(TWO-DOOR MODELS)
The right front seat of your vehicle makes
it easy to get in and out of the rear seat.
Whenyou tilt the right front seatback
fully forward, thewhole seat will slide
forward.
After someone gets into the rear seat
area, move the right front seatback to
its original position.Then move the
seat rearward until
it locks.
To get out, again tilt the seatback fully
forward.
Split Fold-Down Rear Seat
(OPTION)
To Open:
Pull forward on the seat tab.
To Close:
Push the seatback up to its original
position.
Push the seatback solidly up against the
back plate to ensurethe inertial latchwill
hook and lock securely during sudden
stops.

Seats & Restraint Systems
Safety Belts: They’re
For Everyone
This part of the manual tells you howto
use safety belts properly. It also tells you
some things you should not do with safety
belts.
And it explains the Supplemental
Restraint System,or “air bag” system.
This figurelights up as a reminder to
buckle
up. (See “Safety Belt Warning
Light”
in the Index.)
In many states and Canadian provinces,
the law says to wear safety belts. Here’s
why: They work.
You never knowif you’ll be in a crash. If
you dohave a crash, you don’t know
if it
will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes
can be
so serious that even buckledup a
person wouldn’t survive.But most
crashes are
in between. In many of them,
people who buckle
up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without belts they
could have been badly hurtor killed.
After more than 25 years of safety belts in
vehicles, the factsare clear. In most
crashes bucklingup does matter
... a lot!

When you ride in or on anything,you go
as fast as itgoes.
For example, if the 'bike is going 10 mph
( 16 km/h), so is the child.
When the bike hits the black, it stops. But
the child keepsgoing! Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose! it's
just
a seat onwheels.
..
,.
.. *
.i. ,
iii' ::
-$,!
13...

Seats & RestraintSystems
Get it up to speed.Then stop the vehicle.
The rider doesn’t stop. The person keeps going until stoppedby
something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the
windshield ...
... 14

or the instrumentpanel ...
or the safetybelts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the
vehicle does. You get more time to stop.
You stop overmore distance, and your
strongest bones take the forces. That’s
why safety belts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions
Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
--
and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle
after an accidentif
I’m wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re
wearing a safety belt or not. But you
can easilyunbuckle a safety belt, even
if you’re upside down. And your
chance of being conscious during and
after anaccident,
so you can unbuckle
and get out, ismuch greater
if you are
belted.

Seats & Restraint Systems
Here Are Questions
Many People
Ask
About Safety Belts --
and theAnswers (CONT.)
Q: Why don’t they justput in air bags
so people won’t have to wear safety
belts?
A: Air bags, or Supplemental Restraint
Systems, are
in some vehicles today
and
will be in more of them in the
future. But they are supplemental
systems only
-- so they work with
safety belts, not instead of them.
Every air bag system ever offered for
sale has required the use of safety
belts. Even
if you’re in a vehicle that
has air bags, you
still have to buckle
up to get the most protection. That’s
true not only
in frontal collisions, but
especially in side and other collisions.
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never
drive far from home,why should I
wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if
you’re in an accident -- even one that
isn’t yourfault
-- you and your
passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you fromthings
beyond your control, such as bad
drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles
(40 km) of home. And the greatestnumber
of serious injuries and deaths occur at
speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
Safety Belt Warning Light
When the key is turned to “Run”or
“Start”, a chime
will come onfor about
eight secondsto remind people to fasten
their safety belts, unless the driver’s
safety belt is already buckled.The safety
belt
light will also come on and stay on
for 20 seconds, then it will flash for an
additional
55 seconds. If the driver’s belt
is already buckled, neither the chime nor
the light will come on.
... 16

1 How To WearSafety
Belts Properly
Idults
his section is only for people of adult
ze.
e aware that thereare special thingsto
now about safety belts and children. And
lere are different rules for smaller
ddren
and babies. If a child will be
ding
in your Pontiac, see “Children”
tcated later
in this section. Followthose
des for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint
systems your vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Vehicles First Sold In
Canada
Was your Pontiac first sold, when new, in
Canada? (If it was, a sticker on the
driver’sdoor will say “conforms to all
applicable Canada motor vehicle...”etc.)
If so, then the rest of Part 1 does not apply
to your vehicle.
To leai-n how to use your safety belts,
please read the “Owner’s Manual Safety
Belt Supplement”. It comes with every
new Pontiac first sold
in Canada.
I
r
m
i
a
I Driver Position
’his section describes the driver’s
zstraint system.

Seats & Restraint Systems
automatic Lap-Shoulder
3elt
’his safety belt is called “automatic”
lecause you don’t have to buckle up
vhen you get into your vehicle.
P
Y
J1
SI
md you don’t have to unbuckle when
ou get out.
ust get into your vehicle. Then close and
Ick the door. Adjust the seat(to see how,
ee “Seats” in the Index) so you can sit up
traight.
‘
’helap belt should be worn as low on the
ips as possible. Ina crash, this applies
xce to the strong pelvic bones. And
ou’d be less likely to slide under the lap
elt. If you slid underit, the belt would
pply force at your abdomen. This could
ause serious or even fatal injuries.The
houlder belt should go over the shoulder
nd across the chest. These parts
of the
ody are best able to take belt restraining
xces.
... 18

The safety belt locksif there’sa sudden
;top or a crash.
[t’s possiblethat an automaticbelt could
keep you from fully opening a door. That
:an happen
if the door was slammedshut
very hard.Just close the doorall the way,
;hen slowly open it.
If that doesn’tfix it,
:hen your Pontiac needsservice.
We hope you’llalwayskeep your
mtomatic belt buckled. However, you
nay need to unbuckle
it in an emergency. To unbuckle the automaticbelt,just push
the button
on the buckle.
To reattach the automaticbelt:
1. Close andlock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to seehow, see
“Seats” in the Index) so you can situp
straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’tlet it get
twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks. Pull up
on the latch
plate to make sure it is secure.