PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1995 Owners Manual

Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine Soon Light)
I SERVICE ~
ENGINE
SOON
..
A computer
monitors operation of your fuel, ignition
and emission control 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.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while the emission controls won’t
work as well, your fuel economy won’t be as good
and your engine may not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty.
OBD I1 3.8L Engine (Code K)
Certain vehicles are equipped with a new emission
diagnostic system. You can tell whether your vehicle has
this system by reading our tune-up label located under
the hood.
If the label says OBD 11 on it, the following
instructions apply.
Your Pontiac Firebird is equipped with an onboard
computer which monitors operation of the emission
control system. This system is called OBD
11 (On-
Board Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions
are at acceptable levels for the
life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE
ENGINE SOON light
comes on to indicate when service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
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before any problem is apparent, which may prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. The system is also
designed to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light should come on,
as
a check to show you it is working, when the ignition
is on and the engine is not running. This light will also
come on during a malfunction in one or two ways:
Light on steady - - indicates a system malfunction
has been detected. Drive the vehicle to the dealer for
service at your first opportunity.
Light Flashing - - indicates a misfire has been
detected which may damage the emission control
system. The damage may be reduced'by lowering the
vehicle speed, reducing the amount of cargo being
hauled or trailered, avoiding hard acceleration, or by
avoiding steep uphill grades.
If these actions are
effective, the light will stop flashing and remain on
steady. Drive the vehicle to a dealer for service.
If
the light continues to flash, stop the vehicle. Wait for
a steady light to come on, then drive the vehicle to
the nearest dealer for service.
These following conditions also may cause the
SERVICE ENGINE
SOON light to come on.
Low Fuel/Out of Fuel - - As the vehicle starts to run out
of fuel the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light may come
on as a result of
an engine misfire. Filling your gasoline
tank should correct this condition. Make sure to install
the gas cap fully. It will require a few driving trips to
turn the light
off.
Poor Quality Fuel - - Be sure to fuel your vehicle with
quality fuel. Your engine may not run efficiently on poor
fuel. Poor fuel may cause stalling, hesitation or misfire.
These conditions may go away when the engine is
warmed-up. However, poor quality fuel may cause the
SERVICE ENGINE SOON light to come
on.
Have a dealer check the vehicle. If no problems are
found, you may want to change to another brand of fuel.
Driving Through Standing Water -- Driving your
vehicle through puddles
of deep standing -w.a&r may
result in a temporary misfire condition. This condition
will usually correct itself- shortly after the electrical
system dries out.
It will require a few driving trips to
turn the light off.
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Enghe Oil Pressure Gauge
3.8L Engine Only
This gage tells you if there could be a problem with your
engine oil pressure.
The engine oil pressure gauge shows the engine oil
pressure in psi (pounds per square inch) in the
U.S., or
kPa (kilopascals) in Canada, when the engine is running.
Oil pressure should be
20 to 80 psi (140 to 550 kPa). It
may
vary with engine speed, outside temperature and oil
viscosity, but readings above the red area show the
normal operating range. Readings in the red area tell
you that the engine is low on oil, or that you might have
some other oil problem. See “Engine Oil”
in the Index.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by your
warranty.
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Low Oil Light
LOW
OIL
I NOTICE.:
The oil level monitoring system only checks the
oil level when you are starting your engine.
It
does not keep monitoring the level once your
engine is running. Also, the oil level check only
works when the engine has been turned
off long
enough for the oil to drain back into the oil pan.
Your vehicle is equipped with an oil level monitoring
system. When you start your engine, the red warning
light
will come on briefly. If the light doesn’t come on,
have it repaired.
If the light stays on after starting your
engine, your engine oil level may be too low. You may
need to add oil. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
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Voltmeter If you idle your engine for a while, the voltmeter
reading might move into the yellow zone.
If the reading
stays
in the yellow zone while you are driving, you may
have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have it checked.
While the voltmeter reads in the yellow
zone, your battery may not be able to power certain
electrical accessories, like
ABS. (If this happens, your
ABS INOP light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in this part.)
If you must drive a short distance with the voltmeter
reading in a warning zone,
turn off all your accessories,
including your comfort control and audio systems.
You can read battery voltage on your voltmeter. If it
reads less than
11 volts or more than 16 volts while your
engine
is running, and it stays there, you may have a
problem with the electrical charging system. Have it
checked right away. Driving with the voltmeter reading
in a warning zone could drain your battery.
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Check Gauges Light Fuel Gage
This red warning 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 to see if they
are in the warning areas. Your
fuel gage shows about how much fuel is in your
tank. The gage works only when the ignition switch is in
the
RUN position. When the gage pointer first indicates
EMPTY
(E) you still have a little fuel left (about one to
two gallons), but you need to get more right away.
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Here are four concerns some owners have had about the
fuel gage. All these situations are normal and do not
indicate that anything is wrong with the
fuel gage.
0
0
0
0
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
reads. For example, the
gage reads 1/2 full, but it
took more (or less) than half
of the tank’s capacity to
fill it.
The gage moves a little whefi you turn, stop or speed
UP.
When
you turn the engine off, the gage doesn’t go
back to EMPTY (E).
Convertible Top
The following procedures explain the proper operation
of your convertible top.
To Lower Your Convertible Top
NOTICE:
Don’t leave your convertible out with the top
down for any long periods of time. The sun and
the rain can damage your seat material and other
things inside your car.
1. Park on a level surface. Set the parking brake firmly,
shift an automatic transmission into
PARK (P) or a
manual transmission into
REVERSE (R). The
ignition must be in the ACC or
RUN position. Lower
both
sun visors.
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NOTICE:
Don’t lower the top if it is damp or wet. When
the top is down, trapped water can cause stains,
mildew and damage to the inside of your car. Be
sure to dry off the top before you lower
it.
NOTICE:
It is not recommended to lower the top if your
car is out in cold weather,
0°F (-18OC) or lower.
NOTICE:
Before lowering the convertible top into the
storage area, be sure there are no objects in the
way of the folded, stored top. The weight of
a
stored top on items in. the storage area will cause
the convertible top back glass to break.
2. Unlock the fiont of the convertible top by pushing on
the smaller part
of the latch, then pulling down on the
larger part
of the latch. Be sure the hook on the iatch
that attaches into the hole at the windshield releases.
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Installing the Boot Cover
After lowering the convertible top, you may want to
install the boot cover. The three-piece boot cover is
stored
in a bag in the trunk.
3. Be sure no one or nothing is on or around the top.
Push and hold the bottom
of the convertible top
switch. The switch
is on the left side of your console.
The top will automatically lower into the storage
area.
1. Open the trunk and remove the two side covers from
the storage bag.
2. Install the two side covers by engaging the tab into
the front seatbelt cover. Lower the covers onto the
car.
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To Raise Your Convqtible Top
1. Park on a level surface. Set the parking brake firmly.
If you have an automatic transmission, shift into
PARK (P). If you have a manual transmission, shift
into
REVERSE (R). The ignition must be in the
ACC or RUN position. Lower both sun visors.
Lower both windows at least three inches.
If the boot
cover is in place, it must be removed first.
3. Insta the middle section of the cover by sliding the
tabs ilifo the slots on right side cover. Lower the
cover and engage latch.
4. Close the trunk.
2. Open the trunk. Remove the middle piece of the
cover by pushing in on the latch and lifting up on the
cover.
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