PONTIAC PONTIAC 1996 Owners Manual

Torque Lock Shifting Out of PARK (P)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in :.
the Index. I
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill
to take some of the
pressure
from the transaxle. so vou can pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
1 .:
Your Pontiac has .a brake-transaxle shift interlock.
You must fully apply your regular brakes before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the
I RUN position. See “Automatic Transaxle Operation”
in the Index.
If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on
, the shift lever by pushing it all the way into PARK (P),
. while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Release the
.. . shift lever button if you have a console shift. Then move
the
shift lever out of PARK (P), being sure to press the
shift lever button
if you have a console shift. .
If y’ou ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out of
PARK (PI; try this:
1. Turn the key to the OFF position.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the engine and shift to the drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle’ fixed as soon as you can.
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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine
Exhaust
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.
A CAUTION: I
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
0 Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
0 Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over mad debris.
0 Repairs weren’t done correctly.
0 Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to
0 Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
or different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
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Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s bewr not to park with the engine ruanhig. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
:- I .. .,
Idling the engine. with the air system control
off could allow dangerous exhaust into yo,ur
vehide (see the earlier Caution under
“Engine Exhalast”).
Also, idling in
a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch
is at the highest setting. \One place
this an happen is a garage. Exhanst -- with
CO -- can come in easily. park in a
garage with. the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard: (See
‘CBlizzard”
in the Index.)
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 besure your
vehicle
won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
.move the shift lever to Pm (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
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Power Windows The driver's window switch has an auto-down feature.
This switch is labeled AUTO. Tap the rear of the switch,
and the driver's window will open
a small amount. If the
rear of the switch is pressed all the way down and
released, the window will
go all the way down.
To stop the window while it is lowering,
press the front
of the switch.
To raise the window, press and hold the
front
of the switch.
.. . ._ 1 , ..1; 'T On four-door models, the driver's window controls also
7; include a lock-out switch. Press LOCK OUT to stop
. >. -. c with the lock on. Push LOCK OUT again for normal
. ., .I -. .. front and rear passengers from using their window . switches. The drivercan still control all the windows .- ..
. 5' .. .. window operation. When the orange band on the switch
is showing, the passengers can operate their windows.
Switches on
the driver's door armrest control each of the . Horn
windows when the ignition is on. In addition, each
Press either horn symbol on your steering wheel to
passenger's door has a switch for its own window.
sound the horn.
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Tilt Steer!-g Wheel
A tilt steering 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.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel
to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Thrn SignaVMultifunction Lever
The lever an the left side of the steering column
includes
yoar:
m
a
0
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’hrn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
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 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. Thelever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay
on, 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.
If the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and then check
the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the Indes).
A chime will sound if you leave your
turn signal on for
more than 1/2 mile (0.8 km).
Headlamp HigldLow Beam Changer
To change your headlamps
from low
beam to high
beam, or high to low, pull
the multifunction lever all
the way toward you. Then
release it. When the high
beams
are on, a. light on the
instrument panel also will
be on.
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Windshield Wipers
You. control the windshield
wipers
by tuning the band
marked WIPER. Fora
single wiping cycle,
turn the
band to
MIST. Hold it there
until
the wipers start; then
let
go. The wipers will stop
dter-one cycle.
If you want.
more. cycles, hold the band
on
MIST longer.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band to LO. For
high-speed wiping, turn
the band’ further, to HI. To stop
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes.
This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer
to LO, the shorter the delay.
Be sure to clear ice and snow
from the wiper blades
before using th&n. If they’re Frozen,to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
the wipers, turn the band to OW.

Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow
or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
At he top of the multifunction lever, there’s a paddle
with the word
PUSH on it. To spray washer fluid on the
windshield,
push the paddle. The wipers will run far
several sweeps and then either stop
or return to your
preset speed.
,
I
In freezing weatll=r, don’t use your washer until
the
windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your
vision.
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Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator.
This can really help on long trips. Cniise
control does not work at
speeds below about 25 mph
(40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control- shuts off.
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.
slippery roads. 00 such road& f@t change& ’.
in tire traction can muse neediem wheel
spinning, and you
could lose conirol, Don’t
use cruise. eontrol on slippery roads.
Cruise controi can be dangerous on
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Setting Cruise Control Resuming
a Set Speed
A CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not
lasing 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 it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3.
4.
Push in the SET.button
at
the end of the lever
and release it.
Take
your foot off the
accelerator pedal. 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.
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Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
0
0
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push in the
SET button, then release the button
and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now cruise at the
higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from
ON to WA. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch.
(To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to
R/A for
less than half a second and then release it. Each
time you do this, your vehicle will go 1 mph
(1.6 km/h) faster.)
The accelerate feature will only work after
you set the
cruise control speed by pushing the
SET button.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Push in the SET button until you reach the lower
speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the SET
button for Less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go 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 two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N), your cruise
control set speed memory
is erased.
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