brake light PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1997 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: PONTIAC, Model Year: 1997, Model line: BONNEVILLE, Model: PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1997Pages: 405, PDF Size: 18.83 MB
Page 134 of 405

LAMP MONITOR: Whenever you try to use one of
the following lamps, the LAMP MONITOR will tell you
if a bulb is out.
Headlamp (Low and High Beam)
Turn Signal/Parking/Stop
Parking Lamp/Sidemarker
Brake Lamp and Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
Back-up Lamp
Taillamp/Turn/Sidemarker/License
If a bulb is out, you will see a message, such as PARK
LAMP, and you will also see where the problem is on
the vehicle outline. The message stays
on until the
problem is fixed. See “Replacement Bulbs” in
the Index
for bulb details.
If a burned-out bulb is replaced, the warning light will
stay
on until the bulb is used. ’
Back Up . .
Tail . . .......
Message Bulbs Monitored
Hi Beam Lamp ....... Both Headlamp High Beams
Head Lamp
........... Both Headlamp Low Beams
Turn Signal
............. 1 Front Left Turnpark
1 Front Right Turnpark
1 Rear Left Turn
1 Rear Right Turn
....... .2 Back-up Lamps
........... 4 Tail Only
4 Stop/Tail
2 License Plate
1 Right Rear Sidemarker
1 Left Rear Sidemarker
Brake Lamp ............... 4 Rear Stop/Tail/Turn
1 Center High-Mounted Stop
................... 2 Front Park
Right Sidemarker Left Sidemarker
Park Lamp . .
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Page 180 of 405

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. 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 pus’h 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 may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
ANTILOCK (e)
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System
Warning Light” in
the Index.
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Page 182 of 405

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance.
If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room
up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the
system working, or you may notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Traction Control System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only
if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the front brakes and reduces engine power
to limit wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
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.)
L
When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s a
problem with your traction
TRACT1 0 N control system.
OFF
-
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.
The traction control system automatically comes
on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions,
you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system
off if you ever need to. (You
should turn
the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your Vehicle’’
in the Index.)
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Page 183 of 405

To turn the system off, press
the
TRACTION
CONTROL button located
on the console next to the
gear shift selector.
The traction control system warning light will come
on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button, the warning light will come
on -- but 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
hm the system back on at my time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should
go off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering ~
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Magnasteer TM
Your vehicle is equipped with GM Magnasteer TM ? a
steering system that continuously
adjusts the effort you
feel when steering at
all vehicle speeds. It provides ease
when parking, yet a firm, solid feel at highway speeds.
Your steering can be adjusted for an easier or more firm
setting. See your dealer for information.
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Page 192 of 405

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes.
Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control
of the vehicIe.
After driving through
a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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Page 217 of 405

2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
NOTICE:
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start
yo8ur Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic transaxle 4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
in
PARK (P) before setting the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter. Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios, This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. In addition,
it could save your radio!
I 1
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clo’thing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan,
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Page 283 of 405

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is here. It is filled
with
DOT-3 brake fluid.
There
are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
the reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake
fluid goes down to an acceptable level during normal
brake lining wear. When
new linings are put in, the fluid
level goes
back up. The other reason is that fluid is
leaking out of the brake system.
If it is, you should have your brake
system fixed,
since a leak means that sooner
or later your brakes won’t work well, or won’t work
at all,
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’ your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won’t correct a leak. If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll have too much
fluid when
you get new brake linings. You should add
(or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when w’ork is
done on the brake hydraulic system.
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill
on the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine
is hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and
your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fluid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system,
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come
on. A chime will sound if you
try to drive with this warning light on. See “Brake
System
Wming Light” in the Index.
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Page 285 of 405

Brake Wear
Your Pontiac has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make
a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn
and new pads are needed. The
sound may come and go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except when
you are pushing on the brake pedal fiiy).
Le brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have
your vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could
result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something
is wrong
with your brakes.
See “Caliper/Knuckle Maintenance Inspection” in
Section
7 of this manual under Part C “Periodic
Maintenance Inspections.”
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear
and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to
GM specifications.
Your rear drum brakes don’t have wear indicators, but if
you ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected.
Also, the rear brake drums should
be removed
and inspected each time the tires are removed
for rotation or changing. When you have the front brakes
replaced, have the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings
should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See “Brake System Inspection”
in Section 7 of this manual
under Part
C 44Periodic Maintenance Inspections”.
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Page 316 of 405

Fuse
5B
6B
7B
8B
9B
1c
2c
3c
4c
5c
6C
7c
8C
9c
1D
2D
3D
4D
5D
Usage
Anti-Lock Brake System, Computer Command Ride
Brake and Hazard Lamps
Not Used Interior Lighting
Cigarette Lighter
Air Bag System Spare
Not Used
Not Used
Cooling Fans, Transaxle
Parking LampsDnterior Lamps
Not Used
Not Used
(Battery), Radio, Cluster
Ignition (Run/Crank), Chime, Cluster Spare
Heated Mirror
Not Used
Base A/C
Fuse Usage
6D Fog Lamps
7D Not Used
8D Radio
9D Not Used
1E Not Used
2E Air Bag System, PASS-Key
3E Not Used
4E Not Used
5E Rear Defog
6E Non-OBD I1 Engine Miscellaneous
7E Not Used
8E Wipers, Washer
9E Not Used
Passenger’s Side Fuse Block
Additional fuses are located in the relay center, on the
passenger’s side, below the instrument panel. You must
remove the sound insulator on the right side
of the
passenger footwell to replace these
fuses.
Since replacing these fuses is difficult. We recommend
that you see your dealer if you need one replaced.
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