PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1993 Owners Manual

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Features & Controls
Warning Lights
Your Pontiac has some of the warning
light systems shown here. The symbols
are explained on the following pages.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light
This light tells you that your engine
coolant has overheated
or your radiator
cooling fans are
not working. If you
have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions, you should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and
turn the engine
off as soon as possible.
HOT
COOLANT CAN BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this
manual shows what to do. See the
Index
under Engine Overheating.
Some clusters with gages do not have a
coolant temperature warning light.
In
those clusters a CHECK GAGES
warning light will alert you of a
potential coolant heating problem.
Low Coolant Warning light
(OPT/ON)
If this light comes on, your system may
be low
on coolant and the engine may
overheat. Check to see
if the level is
low, and add coolant if necessary. See
the
Index under Engine Coolant.
The LOW COOLANT warning light
will also come on when
you turn on the
ignition, but your engine is not running,
as a check to show you it is working.
If
it doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
right away.
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Features & Controls
Oil Warning Light
If you have a problem with your oil, this
light may stay on after you
start your
engine, or come on
when you are
driving. This indicates that oil is not
going through your engine quickly
enough to keep
it cool. The engine
could be low
on oil, or could have some
other oil problem. Have
it fixed right
away. The
oil light could also come
on in two
other situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine
is not running, the light will come
on
as a test to show you it is working, but
the light will go out when you turn the
ignition to
Start. If it doesn't come on
with the ignition on, you may have a
problem with the fuse or bulb. Have
it
fixed right away.
If you make a hard stop, the light may
come on for a moment. This is
normal.
Clusters with gages use the CHECK
GAGES warning light to alert you of a
potential oil pressure problem.
4iU I JUN
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.
[
Damage to your engine from,: . .. ', .
neglected oil problems can be ' .I'
costly and is not covered by your
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Check Oii Levei Warning Light
fO#-rn#)
This light indicates when the engine oil
level is
1 to 1% quarts (0.95 L to 1.4 L)
low. It will go on for one to three
seconds when the ignition is turned to
the Run position, as a bulb check. It
will then
go off. Even if you have a law
oil level, it will go off for 15 to 20
seconds. Then, if the oil level is low,
and it has been at least eight minutes
since your engine was last running, the
CHECK OIL LEVEL light will come
on for
20 to 40 seconds. The eight-
minute delay
allows the majority of the
oil to drain back into the oil pan and
prevent a false low condition.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL warning
comes on, the oil level should be
checked at the oil dipstick. If the level is
low, the engine oil should
be brought up
to the proper level (see the
Index under
Engine Oil). After restoring the proper
level and waiting for the eight-minute
drainback, the key can be
turned to the
Run position and the CHECK OIL
LEVEL warning light should only
come on as a bulb check.
Battery Warning,Lighf
This light will come on briefly when
you
start the vehicle, as a check to show
you it is
working, then it should go out.
If it stays on, OF comes on while you are
driving, you
may have a problem with
the electrical charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose generator
drive belt, or another electrical
problem. Have it checked right away.
Driving while this light is
on could
drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with
the light
on, be certain to turn off all
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Features & Controls
Battery Warning Light (CONI:)
your accessories, such as. the radio and
climate control system.
Some clusters with gages do
not have a
battery warning light. They have a
CHECK GAGES warning to indicate a
problem. Vehicles with the supercharged
engine also have a similar battery
warning light.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
A computer monitors operation of your
fuel, ignition and emission controls
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 does not 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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Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
(OPTION)
This light will come on when your
windshield washers are working and the
fluid container
is less than one-third
full.
Driving without washer
fluid
- :an be dangerous. A bad mud
splash
can block your vision. You
could collide with another vehicle.
Check
your washer fluid often, and
add
only the proper fluid. See the
Idex under Windshiel$ Washer
Fluid.
I
I
Brake System Warning Light
Your Pontiac’s hydraulic brake system is
divided into two parts.
If one part isn’t
working, the other part can still work
and stop you. For good braking, though,
you need both parts working well. If the
warning light goes
on, there could be a
brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start
the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem. This
light will also come
on when you
set your parking brake, and the light
will stay on if your parking brake
doesn’t release fully.
If you try to drive
off with the parking brake set, a chime
will also come on until you release the
parking brake. If the light and chime
stay
on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake
problem.
If the light and chime come on
while driving, pull off the road and stop
carefully.
You may notice that the pedal
is harder to push. Or, the pedal may go
closer to the floor. It may take longer to
stop. If the light
is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See the
Index
under Towing Your Pontiac.)
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Features Controls
Brake System Warning Light
(CONT.)
Your brake system may not be
working properly if the brake
warning light is on. Driving with
the brake warning light
on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still
on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the
vehicle towed for service.
Anti-lock Brake System
Warning light
With anti-lock, this light will go on
when you start your engine and may stay
on for several seconds or
so. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there is a problem.
If the light stays on or comes on when
you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
and turn the key off. Then start the engine
to reset the system.
If the light still stays
on, or if it comes on again while you’re
driving, your Pontiac needs service.
Unless the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you will still have brakes,
but not anti-lock brakes.
If the regular
mm. 106
c Y
brake system warning light is also on,
see the
Index under Brake System
Warning Light.
The anti-lock brake system warning
light may also come on when you are
driving with a compact spare tire.
If this
happens, the light means you won’t have
anti-lock until you replace the compact
spare with a full-size tire.
If the warning
light stays
on after you replace the
compact spare with a full-size tire, or
comes
on again while you are driving,
your Pontiac needs service.
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L
Traction Control System Warning
Light
(OPTION)
The TRACTION OFF warning light
means that the system is not working.
This warning light may come on for the
following reasons:
If your transaxle overheats, the
traction control system automatically shuts off
until the transaxle cools. The
warning light will come on and stay
on during that time.
If your brakes overheat, the traction
control system will go off and the
warning light will come
on until your
brakes cool down. The warning light
will come on for varying periods of
time.
If you turn the system off by pressing
the switch on the center console while
the vehicle is stopped, the warning
light will come on and stay on. To
turn the system back on, bring the
vehicle to
a stop and press the switch
again. The warning light should go
off. The system will also turn itself on
if you turn your ignition off and back
on again.
If the
TRACTION OFF warning
light comes on and stays on for an
extended period
of time, even when
you've switched the system on, your
vehicle needs service.
If you let your tires spin at
high sped when the
TRACTION OFF warning light is
on, they can explode and you or
othm could be injured. And,
spinning your tires with the
TRACTION OFF' warning light
on can cause the transaxle to
overheat or can cause other
problems. That could cause an
engine fire or other damage. When
you're stuck, spin the wheels as
little as possible. Don't spin the
wheels above 35 mph (56 h/h) as
shown on the speedometer.
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..I
.
Features & Controls
Id
Traction Control System Warning
Light (CONT.)
108
rn Gages
Your Pontiac may have many of the
following gages. Be sure to read about
the ones that came with your vehicle.
Check Gage5 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.
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Fuel Gage
You will either have this fuel gage or
one very similar. Your fuel gage tells
you about how much fuel you have left,
when
the ignition is on. 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 it.
Here are five things that some owners
ask about. None of these show a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts
off before the gage reads
F (Full).
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 or speed up.
The gage doesn't go back to E (Empty)
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.
For your fuel
tank capacity, see Sewice
Station Informution
on the last page of
this manual.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gage
(OPTION)
A coolant temperature gage shows the
engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red
warning area, your engine is too hot!
The
CHECK GAGES light will go on
and a warning chime will sound, if you
have this option. It means that your
engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions, you should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and
turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
HOT COOLANT CAN
BURN YOU
BADLY! In Problems on the Road, this
manual shows what to do. See the
Index
under Engine Overheating.
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