PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1999 Owners Manual

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NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
Modifications made to the engine, transaxle,
exhaust or fuel system of your vehicle or the
replacement of the original tires with other than
those of the same Tire Performance Criteria
(TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission controls
and may cause the CHECK ENGINE light to
come on. Modifications to these systems could
lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. This may also result in a failure to pass
a required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:

Reducing vehicle speed.

Avoiding hard accelerations.

Avoiding steep uphill grades.

If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.

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If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see ªIf
the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A
few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
ªFuelº in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start
-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.

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2-73 Oil Pressure Gage
The oil pressure gage shows
the engine oil pressure in
psi (pounds per square inch)
when the engine is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate
pressure in kPa
(kiloPascals).
Oil pressure may vary with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the red
warning zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the red zone may be caused by a
dangerously low oil level or other problem causing low
oil pressure. On vehicles with the optional DIC, the
CHECK GAGES light will go on and a warning chime
will sound, if you have this option. Driving your vehicle
with low oil pressure can cause extensive
engine damage.CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.

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2-74 Check Oil Level Warning Light
The CHECK OIL LEVEL
light turns on for three
seconds as a bulb check
each time the ignition key is
turned to RUN. If the light
doesn't turn on, have your
vehicle serviced.
If the engine oil is more than one quart (0.95 L) low and
the engine has been shut off for at least eight minutes,
the CHECK OIL LEVEL light will turn on for about
one minute and will then remain off until the next time
you start the vehicle.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light turns on, the engine oil
level should be checked at the dipstick then brought up
to the proper level, if necessary. See ªEngine Oilº in
the Index.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working and the
fluid container is less than
one
-third full.
Check Gages Warning Light (Option)
This light will come on
briefly when you are
starting the engine.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your gages for fuel, coolant temperature, oil
pressure or voltage. This light will stay on if your engine
is not running with the ignition on.

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2-75 Check Doors Light
This light is part of the
Systems Monitor. This
message means that either
the driver's door or one of
the passenger's doors is not
completely closed.
Fuel Gage
Cluster with Gages Cluster with Compass
and GagesWhen the ignition is on, your fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have left. When the gage reads in
the yellow band, a warning chime will sound and the
CHECK GAGES warning light will go on, if you have
this option. This warning means you are low on fuel.
You should get more fuel as soon as you can.
Here are some things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:

At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads FULL (F).

It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank's capacity to fill
the tank.

The gage moves a little when you turn a corner,
speed up, or make a hard stop.

The gage doesn't go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.

If you have the large span (220) gage, the needle
moves more for a given amount of fuel. This does
not indicate excessive fuel consumption, and
is normal.

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2-76 Systems Monitor (Option)
If you have the Systems
Monitor, it gives you
important safety and
maintenance facts.
When you turn the ignition on, the Systems Monitor and
warning lights will briefly light up. If a problem is
detected, the warning lights will turn on.The following warning lights are displayed in the
Systems Monitor:

Check Oil Level: This message could mean your oil
level is low. If it comes on for more than three
seconds, see ªCheck Oil Level Warning Lightº in
the Index.

Washer Fluid: This message means your washer
fluid tank is less than about 30 percent full. If this
light comes on, see ªWindshield Washer Fluidº in
the Index.

Check Doors: This message means that either the
driver's door or one of the passenger's doors is not
completely closed. If this light comes on, see ªCheck
Doors Lightº in the Index.

Brake: If this message comes on while you are
driving, it means there is a brake problem. See
ªBrake System Warning Lightº in the Index.

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2-77 Boost Gage (Option)
Vehicles equipped with the supercharged engine have
this boost gage that indicates vacuum during light to
moderate throttle and boost under heavier throttle. The
gage displays the air pressure level in psi going into the
engine's combustion chamber.
The gage is automatically centered at zero psi every
time the engine is started. Actual vacuum or boost is
displayed from this zero point. Changes in ambient
pressure, such as driving in mountains and changing
weather, will slightly change the zero reading.
Head-Up Display (Option)
CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your field of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it's dark outside.
Be sure to keep the HUD image dim and placed
low in your field of view.
If you have the optional Head-Up Display (HUD), you
can see some of the driver information also available on
your instrument panel cluster. The information may be
displayed in English or metric units and appears as a
reflection on the windshield. The HUD shows:

Speedometer reading

Turn signal indicators

High
-beam indicator symbol

CHECK GAGES message (for low oil pressure, high
coolant temperature, low oil level and low fuel)

Low fuel warning symbol

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HUD shows these images when they are lighted on the
instrument panel.
At 70 miles per hour (113 km/h), the speedometer may
display a variance of 3 miles per hour (5 km/h) from the
HUD. This condition is normal.When you sit straight in your seat, the HUD image will
appear slightly to the right.
When the ignition key is turned to RUN, all possible
HUD images will come on, then the Head
-Up Display
will operate normally.
If you never look at your instrument panel, you may not
see something important, such as a warning light. So be
sure to scan your displays and controls and the driving
environment just as you would in a vehicle without HUD.
NOTICE:
Although the HUD image appears to be near the
front of the vehicle, do not use it as a parking aid.
The HUD was not designed for that purpose. If
you try to use it that way, such as in a parking
lot, you may misjudge distance and run
into something.

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The HUD controls are located to the left of the
steering column.
1. Start your engine and slide the HUD dimmer control
all the way up.
The brightness of the HUD image is determined by
whether the headlamp switch is on or off, and where you
have set the HUD dimmer control.2. Adjust the seat, if necessary, before setting the
height control.
Slide the IMAGE (image height) control all the way up,
raising the image as far as possible. Then slide the HUD
image height control down so the image is as low as
possible but in full view.
3. Slide the dimmer control downward until the HUD
image is no brighter than necessary. To turn the HUD
off, slide the HUD dimmer control all the way down.
If the sun comes out, or it becomes cloudy, or if you turn
on your headlamps, you may need to adjust the HUD
brightness using the HUD dimmer control. Polaroid
sunglasses could make the HUD image harder to see.
Clean the inside of the windshield as needed to remove
any dirt or film that reduces the sharpness or clarity of
the HUD image.
Spray household glass cleaner on a soft, clean cloth.
Wipe the HUD lens gently, then dry it. Do not spray
cleaner directly on the lens, because the cleaner fluid
could leak inside the unit if you do.

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If you can't see the HUD image when the ignition is on,
check to see if:

The headlamps are on

The HUD unit is covered

The HUD dimmer control is adjusted correctly

The HUD image is adjusted to the proper height

A fuse in the fuse panel may be blown. See ªFuses
and Circuit Breakersº in the Index.
If the HUD image is not clear, it could be too bright.
Move the HUD dimmer control further downward. You
may need to clean the windshield and HUD lens.
Your windshield is part of the HUD system. If you ever
have to have a new windshield, be sure to get one
designed for HUD. If you don't, the HUD image may
look blurred and out of focus.Driver Information Center (Option)
If you have the Driver Information Center (DIC), it
gives you important safety and maintenance facts. When
you turn the ignition on, the entire center lights up for a
few seconds. Then it goes to work.