engine PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1993 User Guide

5 & Controls
Park
P (Park): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best position to use when you start
your engine because your vehicle can’t move easily.
1 It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not my in
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is running unless you have to. If you
have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicIe won’t move, even when you’re on
fkirly level ground, always set your parking brake and move the shift lever to
P (Fark). See the Inda under Shiping into P (Park). If you are parking on a
hill, or if you’re pulling a trailer, also see the Inda under Parking on HilZs or
Towing a llailer.
- P (park) with the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in P (Park)
range before starting the engine. Your
Pontiac has a brake-transaxle shift
interlock. You have to fully
apply your
regular brakes
before you can shift from
P (Park) when the ignition key is in the
On position. If you cannot shift out of
P (Park), ease pressure on the shift
lever-push the shift lever all the way into
P (Park) and also release the shift
lever button
on floor shift console
models as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever
into the gear you wish. (Press the shift
lever button before moving the shift
lever on floor shift console models.) See
Shifting Out of P (Park} later in this
section.
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Severse
R (Reverse): Use this gear to back up.
Shifting to
R (Reverse) while your
vehicle
is moving forward could
damage your transaxle. Shift to
R
only after your vehicle is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to
get out
of snow, ice, or sand without
damaging your transaxle, see the
Index
under If You ’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Sy10w.
r
Neutral
N (Neutral): In this position, your
engine doesn’t connect
with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use
N (Neutral) only. Also, use N when
your vehicle is being towed.
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“r Controls
I Neutral (CONTJ
Shifting out of P (Park) or N
(Neutral) while your engine is
I “racing” (running at high speed) i: ’ ngerous. Unless your foot is
I llrmly on the brake pedal, your
vehicle could move very rapidly.
You
could lose control and hit people
or objects. Don’t shift out
of
P (Park) or N (Neutral) whill- --~ur
engine
is racin- Damage to your
transaxle caused
by shifting out
of P (Park) or
N (Neutral) with the engine racing
isn’t covered by your warranty.
Forward Gears
(Automatic Overdrive): This
position
is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about
halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 h/h) or
more, push the accelerator all the way
down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and
have more power.
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If your vehicle seems to start up
rather slowly, or if it seems not to
shift gears
as you go faster,
something may be wrong with a
transaxle system sensor. If you
drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this
happens, have your vehicle
serviced right away. Until
then,
you can use 2 (Second Gear) when
vou are driving less than
35 mDh
i56 km/h) anza (0
higher speeds.
D (Third Gear): This is like , but
you never go into Overdrive. Here are
some times you might choose
D instead
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less
When going down a steep hill.
2 (Second Gear): This position gives
you more power but lower fuel
economy.
You can use 2 on hills. It can
help control your speed as you go down
steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes
off
and on.
ofm:
shifting between gears.
r
Don't drive in 2 (Second Gear) for I
more than 5 miles (8 km), or at
speeds over
55 mph (88 km/h), or
you
can damage your transaxle. Use
or
D as much as possible.
Don't shift into
2 unless you are
going slower than
65 mph
(105 km/h), or you can damage
your engine.
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Features & Controls
Forward Gears (CONT.)
1 (First Gear): This position gives you
even more power (but lower fuel
economy) than
2. You can use it on very
steep hills, or in deep snow or
mud. If
the selector lever is put in
1, the
transaxle won’t shift into first gear until
the vehicle is going slowly enough.
66
If your front wheels can’t rotate,
don’t try to drive. This might
happen if you were stuck
in very
deep sand or mud or were up
against a solid object. You could
damage your transaxle.
Also,
if you stop when going uphill,
don’t hold your vehicle there with
only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the
transaxle.
Use your brakes or shift
into
P (Park) to hold your vehicle
in position
on a hill.
Performance Shifting (opTIoN)
Press PERFORM SHIFT to allow the
transaxle to shift at higher engine
speeds, increasing acceleration
performance. An indicator light on the
switch will glow when performance
shifting is in operation.
Downshifts will occur at a lower
percentage
of accelerator application
while you’re in the
PERFORM SHIFT
mode.
Press
NORMAL SHIFT to have the
transaxle shift at lower engine speeds, increasing fuel economy. An indicator
light on the switch will glow when
normal shifting is in operation.
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Features & Controls
1 Shifting Znto P (Park)
It can be dangerous to get out
~ b of your vehicle if the shift
lever is not fully
in P (Park) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, when you’re
on fairly level ground, use the
steps that follow. If you are parking
on a hill, or if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see the
Index under
rking on Hills or Towing a
rrailer.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your
right foot and set the parking brake. 2. Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position as follows:
Pull the lever toward you.
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Features & Controls
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running
It is dangerous to leave your
vehicle with the engine
nning. Your vehicle could move
ddenly if the shift lever is not
dy in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. And, if
you leave
the vehicle with the engine
running,
it could overheat and even
catch fire. You or others could be
injured. Don’t leave your vehicle
with the engine running unless you
have to.
I
If you have to leave your vehicle with
the engine running, be sure your vehicle
is in
P (Park) and your parking brake is
firmly set before you leave
it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the
P (Park) position, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from
P (Park)
without first pulling it toward you (or, if
you have the console shift lever, without
first pushing the button).
If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into
P (Park).
70
Shifting Out of P (Park)
Your Pontiac has a brake-transaxle shift
interlock. You have to fully
apply your
regular brakes
before you can shift from
P (Park) when the ignition is in the On
position. See the Index under Shifting
the Automatic Transaxle.
If you cannot shift out of P (Park), ease
pressure
on the shift lever-push the
shift lever all the way into
P (Park) and
also release the shift lever button on
floor shift console models as you
maintain brake application. Then move
the shift lever into the gear you wish.
(Press the shift lever button before
moving the shift lever on floor shift
console models.)
If you ever hold the
brake pedal down but still can’t shift out
of
P (Park), try this:
1. Turn the key to Off. Open and close
the driver’s door to
turn off the
Retained Accessory Power feature.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step
4.
3. Shift to N (Neutral).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the
drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you
can.
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I CAUTION I
A
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
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas carbon monoxide (eo),
which you can't see or smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
0 Your exhaust system sounds strange or different.
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving over high points on the road or
0 Repairs weren't done correctly.
* Your vehicle or exhaust system has been modified improperly.
If
you ever suspect exhaust is coming into your vehicle:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to blow out any CO; and
0 Have it fixed immediately.
over road debris.
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Features & Controls
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
I some things to know.
II Idling the engine with the air system control OFF could allow dangerous
xhaust
into your vehicle (see the earlier CAUTION under Engine Exhaust). ‘
so, 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 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
the Index under Bliaard.)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) 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 P (Park).
If you are parking on a hill, or if you’re pulling a trailer, also see the Zndex
under Parking on Hills or Towing a Truik
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Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn
symbols on your steering wheel,
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c
Tachometer (OFTION)
The tachometer shows your engine speed in revolutions per minute
(rpm).
Do not run your engine at speeds in the
red area.
Warning Lights, Gages
and Indicators
This section describes the warning lights
and gages that may
be on your vehicle.
The pictures will help
you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that
something
is wrong before it becomes
serious enough to cause an expensive
repair or replacement. Paying attention
to your warning lights and gages could
also save you or others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be
or is a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights
come on briefly when
you turn the ignition key just to let you
know they’re working.
If you are
familiar with this section,
you should
not be alarmed when this happens. Gages can
indicate when there may
be
or is a problem with one of your vehicle’s
functions. Often gages
and warning
lights work together to let
you know
when there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes
on and stays
an when you are driving,
or whtm one
of the gages shows there
may be a problem, check the seetion
that tells you what
to do about it. Please
follow the manual’s advice. Waiting to
do repairs can
be costly-and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your
warning lights
and gages. They’re a big
help.
Your vehicle may also have a Driver
Information Center that
works along with
the warning lights and gages. See the
Index under Driver Information Center.
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