warning PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1994 User Guide

Features and Controls
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ABS
INOP
f the anti-lock brake system warning
ight stays on longer than normal after
rou’ve started your engine, turn the
gnition
off. Or, if the light comes on and
tays on when you’re driving, stop as
oon as possible and turn the ignition
off.
rhen start the engine again to reset the
‘ystem. If the light still stays on, or
:omed on again while you’re driving,
rour Pontiac needs service. If the light is
In but not flashing and the regular brake
,ystem warning light isn’t on, you still
lave brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
wakes.
TCS
OFF
kaction Control System Warning
,ight (Option)
men the traction control system is off,
he “TCS OFF” light will come on. This
ight will also come on for three seconds
:ach time you start your vehicle as a bulb
:heck and if there’s a system failure. See
‘Traction Control System” in the Index.
The traction control system will shut
lown partially due to brake overheating
)ut the “TCS OFF” light will not come
m. If there is throttle relaxer overheating,
he “TCS
OFF” light will illuminate
md the system will shut down. Once
werything cools
off, the system will
)perate normally again.
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When this warning light is on, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
When your anti-lock system is adjusting
brake pressure to help avoid a braking
skid, the “LOW TRAC” light will appear
on your instrument cluster. If you have
the traction control system, this light will
also come on when the system is limiting
wheel spin. Slippery road conditions may
exist if this light comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly. The light will stay
or
for a few seconds after the anti-lock
system stops adjusting brake pressure or
the traction control system stops limiting
wheel spin. The “LOW TRAC” light also
comes
on briefly, as a bulb check, when
the engine is started.
Sngine Coolant Temperature Gage
’his gage shows the engine coolant
emperature.
If the gage pointer moves
nto the red area, your engine is too, hot!
t means that your engine coolant fias
werheated. If you have been operiting
‘our vehicle under normal driving-
onditions, you should pull off the road,
top your vehicle and turn
off the engine
s soon as possible.
IOT COOLANT CAN BURN
YOU
iADLY!
n “Problems on the Road,” this manual
hows what
to do. See “Engine
Iverheating” in the Index.
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Features and Controls
I
Voltmeter
You can read battery voltage on your
voltmeter.
If it reads less than 11 volts or
more than
16 volts while your engine is
running, and it stays there, you may have
a problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked right away.
Driving with the voltmeter reading in a
warning zone could drain your battery.
If you idle your engine for a while, the
voltmeter reading might move into the
yellow zone.
If the reading stays in the
yellow zone while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical
charging system. Have it checked. While
the voltmeter reads in the yellow zone,
your battery may not be able
to power
certain electrical accessories, like
ABS.
... 94
:If this happens, your “ABS INOP’ light
will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in this
part.)
[f you must drive a short distance with the
voltmeter reading in a warning zone, turn
~ff all your accessories, including your
:omfort control and audio systems.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
A computer monitors operation of your
fuel, ignition and emission control
systems. This light should come on when
the ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show you it is
working.
If it doesnot come on at all,
have it fixed right away.
If it stays on, or
it comes on while you are driving, the
computer is indicating that you have a
problem. You should take your vehicle in
for service soon.
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Features and Controls
CHECK
GAUGES
Check Gages Light
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 to see
if they are in the
warning areas.
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LOW
OIL
,ow Oil Light
!our vehicle is equipped with an oil level
nonitoring system. When you start your
ngine, the light will come on briefly. If
he light doesn’t come on, have it
epaired. If the light stays on after startine
‘our engine, your engine oil level may be
30 low. You may need to add oil. See
Engine Oil” in the Index.
I NOTICE:
The oil level monitoring system only
checks the oil level when you are
starting your engine. It does not keep
monitoring the level once your en- gine is running.
Also, the oil level
check only works when the engine
has been turned off long enough for
the oil to drain back into the oil pan.
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This is a mistake. Your brakes may not
have time to cool between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if
you do a lot of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow
realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re
driving, brake normally but don’t pump
your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get
harder to push down. If your engine stops,
you will still have some power brake
assist. But you will use it when you brake.
Once the power assist
is used up, it make
take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
mti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
[our Pontiac has an advanced electronic
lraking system that will help prevent
kidding.
ABS
INOP
This light on the instrument panel will go
on when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when you
begin to drive away, you may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise. And
you may even notice that
your brake
pedal moves a little while
this is going on.
This is the
ABS system testing itself. If
there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake
system, the anti-lack brake system
warning light will stay on or flash.
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TCS
OFF
If your vehicle is in cruise control when
the traction control system begins to
limit wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it
again, you may re-engage the cruise
control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the
Index.)
The “TCS
OFF” warning light will come
on when you turn the traction control system off. When the system is on, this
light will come on to let you know if
there’s a problem with your traction
control system. See “Traction Control System Warning Light”
in the Index.
When this warning light is on, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
F
TRACTION
’he traction control system automatically
omes on whenever you start your vehicle
’0 limit wheel spin, especially in
lippery road conditions, you should
lways leave the system on. But you can
urn the traction control system off if you
ver need to. (You should turn the system
Iff if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand.
mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your
[ehicle” in the Index.)
’0 turn the system off, press the button
.ear the center of the console behind the
hift lever. The light on the button will
;o off, and the “TCS OFF” warning light
Jill come on and stay on. If
the traction
ontrol system
is limiting wheel spin
{hen you press the button, the system won’t
turn off
right away. It will wait
until there’s no longer a current need to
limit wheel spin.
You can
turn the system back on at any
time by pressing the button again. The
light on the button should come on, and
the “TCS
OFF” warning light should go
off.
If your car
is equipped with P245/50ZR16
tires, the traction control system will
automatically turn off at speeds above
108 mph ( 173 km/h). (The “TCS OFF”
warning light will not come on.) When
the vehicle speed drops below
103 mph
(165 km/h), the system will automatically
turn on again.
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Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the
vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most
skids by taking reasonable care suited
to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Pontiac’s three control systems. In
the braking skid your wheels aren’t
rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid,
too much speed or steering in a curve
causes tires to slip and lose cornering
force. And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by
Easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
[f you have the traction control system,
remember:
It helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. If you do not have
traction control, or if the system is
off,
then an acceleration skid is also best
handled by easing your foot
off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
bot off the accelerator pedal and quickly
steer the way you want the vehicle to
go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be
ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on
the road. For safety, you’ll want to slow
down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down
on slippery surfaces because stopping
distance will be longer and vehicle
control more limited. While
driving
on a surface with reduced
traction,
try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braking
(including engine braking by shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not
realize the surface is ‘slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recqgnize
warning clues
- such as enough water,
ice or packed snow
on the road to make a
“mirrored surface”
- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
*:p? ’
‘.I ,
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Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic light is there because the
comer 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.
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Your Driving and the Road
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for
winter. Be sure your engine coolant
mix is correct.
. . .I42
You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your vehicle.
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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Here you’ll find what to do
tbout some problems that can
)ccur
on the road.
Part 5
Problems on the Road
3azard Warning Flashers ............................................
..................................................... lump Starting
rowingYourVehicle
...............................................
Engineoverheating ................................................
[faTireGoesFlat ................................................. [f You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow .............................
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