parking brake PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1998 Owners Manual

Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your automatic transaxle may have a shift lever located on
the console between the seats or on the steering column.
There are several different
positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use
when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
A CAUTION: I
It is 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 have 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
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling
a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
2-24

Computer Command Ride (Option)
Vehicles equipped with computer command ride provide
improved passenger ride comfort under
a variety of road
and driving conditions.
For normal driving conditions, press the
TOURING
RIDE button to get a more refined comfortable ride.
When driving conditions require improved
handling,
press the PERFORM RIDE button to get a fm ride.
This mode minimizes how much the passenger
compartment leans in turns,
and decreases the
up-and-down motion of the front and rear
of the vehicle
during acceleration or
braking.
Even in the TOURING RIDE mode, the system will
adjust
to rapid cornering, acceleration or braking.
If the computer command ride detects a problem in the
system, the lights on the
TOURING RIDE and
PERFORM RIDE buttons will both come on. If this
happens, have your vehicle serviced.
Parking Brake
Your vehicle has a PUSH
TO RELEASE parking
brake.
To set the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down with
your right foot. Push down
the parking brake pedal
with your left foot.
If the
ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will
come on and a single chime
will be heard.
If you start to drive with the parking brake set, a chime
will sound after
the vehicle has traveled approximately
40 feet (12 m).
To release the parking brake, use the PUSH TO
RELEASE parking brake pedal. Hold the regular brake
pedal down with
your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. This will unlock the
pedal. When you lift your left foot, the parking brake
pedal will follow
it to the release position.
2-28

If you try to drive away with the parking brake on, the
brake light stays on and a chime sounds until you release
the parking brake.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
3
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
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. 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, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, use the
steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set
the parking brake.
2-29

Console Shift Lever Leaving Your Vehicle With
the
Engine Running
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
set the parking brake.
,I
0 Hold in the button on the lever.
0 Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK
(P).
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
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.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then,
see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
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 PARK (P).
2-31

Torque Lock
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.
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 parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK
(P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock
(BTSI). You have to fully apply your regular brake
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is
in
RUN. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
If you cannot
shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the
shift lever -- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move
the shift lever into the gear you want. If you ever
hold the brake pedal down but still can’t shift out of
PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition 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 NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Take your vehicle to an authorized service center as
soon as you can.
2-32

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 some things to know.
&A CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under
“Engine Exhaust”).
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 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
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
-
1
I
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 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 PARK (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.
2-34

Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’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 comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE (0)
This light should come on
when you turn the key to
START. If it doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you
if there’s a problem.
If the light and chime come on while you are 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 “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on.
Driving
with the brake system 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.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
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.
2-65

FUNCTION MONITOR: This lets you know if you are
low on fluids or have a problem with a vehicle function:
0
0
0
0
CHECK OIL LEVEL: This message could mean
your oil level
is low. If it comes on for more than
three seconds, see “Check Oil
Level Warning Light”
in the Index.
WASHER FLUID: This message means your
washer fluid
tank is less than about 30 percent full.
The windshield portion
of the vehicle outline will
also glow,
If these come on, see “Windshield Washer
Fluid” in the Index.
LOW COOLANT: This message means your
coolant level has fallen to about half full. If it comes
on,
see “Engine Coolant” in the Index.
CHECK GAGES: If this light comes on and stays
on while you are driving, check your gages for fuel,
coolant temperature, oil pressure or battery voltage.
SECURITY: You’ll get a DOOR AJAR message if a
door is not fully closed. The vehicle outline will show
you which door
it is. You will also get a HOOD AJAR
or TRUNK AJAR message if the hood or the trunk isn’t
fully closed. The vehicle outline will
also show you
these are ajar.
LAMP MONITOR: Whenever you try to use one of
the following lamps, the LAMP MONITOR will tell you
if a bulb is out.
0 Headlamp (Low and High Beam)
0 Turn Signal/Parking/Stop
0 Parking Lamp/Sidemarker
Brake Lamp and Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
0 Back-up Lamp
0 Taillamp~rn/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.
2-78

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
turn the system back on at any 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 m, 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.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
4-10

Tbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Pontiac dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs
on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug a
trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s lighting
system, its bulb warning lights may not let you know
if
one of your lamps goes out. So, when you have a trailer
lighting system plugged in, be sure to check your
vehicle and trailer lamps from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once you disconnect the trailer
lamps, the bulb warning lights again can tell
you if one
of your vehicle lamps is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if
you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until
the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
Release the regular brakes.
4-37