PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 2002 Owners Manual

2-38
Parking Over Things That Burn
CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don't park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
Engine Exhaust
CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can't see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:

Your exhaust system sounds strange
or different.

Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.

Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.

Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.

Repairs weren't done correctly.

Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modified improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:

Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any CO; and

Have your vehicle fixed immediately.

2-39
Running Your Engine While
You're Parked
It's better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
ªEngine Exhaust.º
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even
if the fan is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard.
See ªBlizzardº in the Index.
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you've left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won't
move. See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you're pulling a
trailer, also see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.

2-40
Horn
Press on the center area of the steering wheel to sound
the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can also raise it to the highest
level to give your legs more room when you exit and
enter the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to
tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of
the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move the steering wheel to a
comfortable level and release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:

Turn and Lane
-Change Signals

Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer

Flash
-To-Pass Feature

Cruise Control
For information on the exterior lamps, see ªExterior
Lampsº later in this section.

2-41 Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up
or down. When the turn is finished, the lever will
return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
If the arrows flash very fast as you signal a turn or a lane
change, a signal bulb may be burned out and other
drivers won't see your turn signal.If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. See ªBulb Replacementº in the Index. If the
arrows don't go on at all when you signal a turn, check
the fuse. See ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the Index.
Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the turn
signal. To turn off the chime, move the turn signal lever
to the off position.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the lever forward. To change from high beam to
low beam, pull the turn signal lever toward you, then
release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.

2-42
Lamps On Reminder
If you open the driver's door while leaving the
headlamps or parking lamps on and the key is in OFF,
you will hear a warning chime.
Flash-To-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high
-beam headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high
-beam indicator on the instrument panel cluster will
come on. Release the lever to turn the high
-beam
headlamps off.
Windshield Wipers
The windshield wipers are controlled by the lever on the
right of your steering column.
If your windshield wipers are on for more than
six seconds while you are driving, the low
-beam
headlamps, instrument panel cluster backlighting and
the taillamps will turn on. For more information see
ªWiper
-Activated Headlampsº in the Index.

2-43
OFF: Lower the lever to its original position to turn the
wipers OFF.
INT (Intermittent): Push the lever up to the INT
position and turn the INT ADJ band to adjust the delay
time. The further you turn the band, the shorter the delay
between wiping cycles.
LO (Low Speed): Push the lever up to LO for steady
wiping at a slow speed.
HI (High Speed): Push the lever up to HI for steady
wiping at a high speed.
MIST: For a single wiping cycle, push the lever down
to the MIST position and let go. The wipers will stop
after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
lever down.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wiper motor. A
circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear
away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Keep in mind that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid
damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts. See ªWiper
Blade Replacementº in the Index.Windshield Washer
At the end of the wiper lever, there's a button. To spray
washer fluid on the windshield, push the button until
you have enough fluid to clean the windshield. The
wipers will clear the window and either stop or return to
your preset speed.
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
A WASHER FLUID warning light will indicate if the
fluid level in the windshield washer reservoir is low. See
ªLow Washer Fluid Warning Lightº in the Index.

2-44
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
The cruise control switch
is located on the lever
on the left side of the
steering column.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
CAUTION:

Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.

Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. See
ªTraction Control Systemº in the Index. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.

2-45
Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET button.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don't need to reset it.Once you're going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise lever up to R/A
(resume/accelerate) briefly.
You'll go right back up to your chosen speed and stay
there. Remember that if you hold the lever at R/A, the
vehicle will keep going faster until you release the
switch or apply the brake. So unless you want to go
faster, don't hold the lever at R/A.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed.

Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the SET button and then release it as well
as the accelerator pedal. You'll now cruise at the
higher speed.

Move the cruise switch to R/A. Hold it there until
you get up to the speed you want, and then release it.
To increase your speed in very small amounts, move
the switch to R/A briefly and then release it. Each
time you do this, your vehicle will go about 1 mph
(1.6 km/h) faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you have set
the cruise control speed by pressing the SET button.

2-46
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:

Press and hold the SET button until you get to the
speed you want, and then release it.

To slow down in very small amounts, press and
release the SET button briefly. Each time you do
this, you'll go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to turn off the cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal,

move the cruise switch to OFF, or

pull the multifunction lever toward the driver.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.

2-47
Exterior Lamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
: Turn the outside part of the lever with the symbol
on it, to operate the lamps.The exterior lamp switch has three positions:
OFF: Turning the switch to this position turns
off all lamps and lights, except the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL).
(Parking Lamps): Turning the switch to
this position turns on the parking lamps, together
with the following:

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

License Plate Lamps

Instrument Panel Lights
(Headlamps): Turning the switch to this position
turns on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.