PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1995 Manual Online

Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
lhnsmission Models Only)
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like
this:
Hold in the button on the lever, and push the
lever all the way toward the front of your car.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from your car with the ignition key in
your hand, your car
is in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission Models
Only)
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 pushing the button. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK
(P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. 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 transmission,
so you can pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Shiftiqg out of PARK (P)
(Authmatic .. .. Transmission)
Parking Your Vehicle
(Manual Transmission)
Your Pontic has a brake-transmission shift interlock. Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
You hqve to hlly apply your regular brake before you transmission in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the
ca~ shjft from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the parking brake.
RUN position. See “Automatic Transmission” in the
Index.
If yov cmot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever - push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) and release the shift lever button as you
maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever
button
and move the shift lever into the gear you wish.
If you per hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn @e key to OFF.
If your vehicle is equipped to tow a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
2, Apply and hold the brake.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. St& the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can,
ww!.
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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
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Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked (Automatic Transmission)
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
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.
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Windows
Manual Windows
Rotate the window crank handle to open and close each door window.
Power Windows (Option)
You can also open the passenger window any amount by
pressing the switch and releasing it when the window
has lowered
to the position you want.
The switch for the driver’s window has an Express
Down feature.
Quickly press and release the switch for
the driver’s window and the window will lower
completely.
You can also open the driver’s wjndow any
amount
by pressing the switch again while the window
is in the Express Down mode when it has lowered to the
position
you want.
With power windows, switches on the door control each
window when the ignition is
on or when RAP is present.
(See “Retained Accessory Power”
in the Index.)
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Horn Tilt Wheel
To sound the horn, press either horn symbol on your
steering wheel. A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level'to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
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The Tclrn SignaMlea~amp Beam Lever
I
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlamp High/Low Beam and Passing Signal
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for Right) and two
downward (for Left) positions. These positions allow
you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up qr down.
When the turn
is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
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A green arrow on the instrument panel will flash in the
direction of the turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the green arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until
you complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the green arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check the fuse (see“Fuses” in the Index).
Headlamp High/Low Beam
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or high
to low,
pull the turn signal lever all the way toward you.
Then release
it. When the high beams are on, this blue
light on the instrument panel also
will be on.
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Windshield Wipers
1
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let
go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle.
If you want more cycles, hold the
band on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain
or
snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer to
LO, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away
from you to the
LO position. For high speed wiping,
turn the band' further, to'H1. To stop the wipers, move
the band to
OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage, be sure to
I
clear ice and snow from the wipers blades before using *
them. If they're frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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