warning PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1995 User Guide

Low Coolant Light (V8 Engine)
COOLANT
I I
I NOTICE:
Driving with the LOW COOLANT light on caul4
cause your Pontiac to overheat. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index. Your Pontiac&ul@ be
damaged and it wouldn’t be covered
by your
warranty.
This red warning light should come on while you are
starting your engine.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired. The light also comes
on when the coolant in
your radiator
is low. You may need to add coolant. See
“Engine Coolant” in the Index.
. 2773
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2-77
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2-78
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2-79
ProCarManuals.com

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 push 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 Pontiac has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent a braking skid.
INOP
This light on the
instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when you begin to drive
away, you may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves a little while this is going on. This is the ABS
system testing itself. If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system
warning light will stay on or flash.
See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light’’ in the
Index.
4-6
ProCarManuals.com

If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction When this warning light is on, the system will not liinit
control system begins to lirinit wheel spin, the cruise wheel spin. Adiust your driving accordingly - -
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise
corn-01. (See “Ci-uise Control” in
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle.
the Index.)
TCS
OFF
When the system is on,
the TCS
OFF warning
light will come on to
let you know if there’s a problem with your
traction control
system. See “Traction
Control System
Warning Light” in the
Index.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery mad
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 youi. vehicle
ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow. See “Rocking
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
’
I
4-9
ProCarManuals.com

1
TRACTION
@
Automatic
Transmission
Manual
Transmission
TRACTION
CONTROL
To turn the system off, press the button located on
the center of the console behind the shift lever
(Automatic Transmission) or in ffont of the shift boot
(Manual Trans’Mss-ion).
The light on the bu@on will go off, and the TCS OFF
wmiqg light will come on and stay on. If the traction
control system
is limiting wheel spin when you press the
button, the system won’t
turn off right away. It will wait
until there’s no.lonier
a current need to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again.
The light on the button should come on, aqd the
TCS
QFF warning light should go off.
If your car is equipped with P245/50ZR16 tires, the
traction control system will automatically
turn off at
speeds above 108 mph (174
km/h). (The TCS OFF
warning light will not come on.) When the vehicle speed
drops below
1p3 mph (166 km/h) the system will
automaticaUy borne on agdn.
,!
4-10
ProCarManuals.com

Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your Pontiac’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering
in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
If you do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road.
For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance
will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
--
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make
a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-15
ProCarManuals.com

City Driving
I
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
a
a
0
Know the best way to get to where you are going.
Get a city map and
plan your trip into an unknown
part of the city just as
you would for a cross-country
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner
is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be ruqping the red light.
trip.
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers
are doing and pay attention to
traffic
signals.
4-20
ProCarManuals.com

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for winter. Be sure
your engine coolant mix is correct.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red cloth, and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
4-25
ProCarManuals.com