ignition PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1997 Service Manual

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is too
hot! It means that your
engine coolant has
overheated.
Low Coolant Light (VS Engine)
This warning light should
come on while you are
starting your engine.
If the
light doesn’t
come on, have
it repaired.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems
on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index. Your
Firebird is equipped with
a LOW COOLANT
indicator which is designed to detect when the coolant
level drops below set limits. If the low coolant level
sensor (on the radiator) drops while the engine is
running,
the LOW COOLANT indicator will light and
remain lit until the ignition switch
is turned to the OFF
position. Check coolant level and add coolant as needed.
The LOW COOLANT light might stay on after filling
the radiator. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF
position, then restart the engine to verify that the LOW
COOLANT light goes out. See “Engine Coolant” in
the Index.
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NOTICE:
Driving with the LOW COOLANT light on could
cause your Pontiac
to overheat. See 66Engine
Overheating”
in the Index. Your Pontlac could
be damaged and
it wou1dn”t be covered by
your warranty.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
Your Pontiac is equipped with a computer which
monitors operation
of the fuel. ignition and emission
control systems. This
system is called
OBD I1 (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.
(In Canada, OBD 11 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The SERVICE ENGINE SOON
light comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated
by the system before any problem is apparent. This may
prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after
a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty,
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This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
0
0
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service
is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reducing vehicle speed.
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light
Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine.
If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light
Is On Steady” following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
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Check Gages Light When the gage pointer first indicates EMPTY (E) you
need to get more right away.
CHECK
GAGES
Fuel Gage
I
This 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. 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 when you turn, stop or
speed up.
When you turn the engine off, the gage doesn't go
back to
EMPTY (E).

Ventilation Tips
a Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction (such
as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance
of fogging the inside of your windows.
When you enter
a vehicle in cold weather, turn the
fan control
knob to the right for a few moments
before driving
off. This helps clear the intake ducts
of snow and moisture, and reduces the chance of
fogging
the inside of your windows.
Keep the air path under the rront sems clear of
objects. This helps air to circulate throughout
your vehicle.
Audio Systems
Your Delco@ audio system has been designed to operate
easily and give years
of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out
of it if you acquaint yourself
with it first. Find out what your Delco system can do
and how to operate all its controls,
to be sure you’re
getting the most out o’f the advanced ‘engineering that
went into it.
If you have power door locks, your vehicle has a feature
called Retained Accessory Power
(RAP). With RAP,
you can play your audio system even after the ignition is
off. See “Retained Accessory Power” in the Index.
Setting the Clock for All Systems
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold MIN until the correct minute appears. There
will
be a two-second delay before the clock goes into
time-set mode, and the colon on the display will blink
while
in this mode.
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AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
(If Equipped)
Playing the Radio
VOL: Push this knob to turn the system on and off.
To increase volume, turn the knob clockwise. Turn it
counterclockwise to decrease volume.
RECALL: Display the time with the ignition off by
pressing this knob. When the radio is playing, press this
knob to recall the station frequency.
Finding a Station
AM-FM: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1
and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn it to
choose radio stations. Push the knob back into its stored
position when
you’re not using it.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to go to the next
higher or lower station and stay there.
PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons let
you return to your favorite stations.
You can set up to
18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press AM-FM to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons until
SET appears on the display. Whenever you press that
numbered button, the station you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
Setting the Tone
BASS: Slide the lever to the right or left to increase or
decrease bass.
TREBLE: Slide the lever to the right or left to increase
or decrease treble, If
a station is weak or noisy, you may
want to decrease the treble.
3-7

NEXT (2): Press this button or the SEEK up arrow to
search for the next selection on the tape. If you hold the
button, the player will continue moving forward through
the tape. Your tape must have at least three seconds of
silence between each selection for NEXT or SEEK to
work. The tape direction arrow blinks during NEXT or
SEEK operation. Press NEXT or the SEEK up arrow to
stop searching. The sound will mute during NEXT or
SEEK operation.
PROG (3): Press this button to play the other side
of the tape.
130 (4): Press this button to reduce background noise.
Note that the double-D symbol will appear on the display.
Dolby@ Noise Reduction is manufactured under a
license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
REV (5): Press this button to reverse the tape rapidly.
Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will
play the last-selected station while the tape reverses.
You may select stations during REV operation by using
SEEK or TUNE.
FWD (6): Press this button to advance quickly to
another part of the tape. Press the button again to return
to playing speed. The radio will play the last-selected
station while the tape advances. You may select stations
during FWD operation by using SEEK or TUNE.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a tape
is in the player.
TAPEPLAY Press this button to change to the tape
function when the radio is on. The tape symbol with an
arrow will appear on the display when the tape
is active.
To return to playing the radio, press the
AM-FM button.
EJECT Press this button to remove the tape. The radio
will play. EJECT may be activated with either the
ignition
or radio off. Cassettes may be loaded with the
radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first. If
you leave a cassette tape in the player while listening to
the radio,
it may become warm.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean it as soon
as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care
of
Your Cassette Tape Player” in the Index. After you clean
the player, press and hold EJECT for five seconds to
reset the CLN indicator. The radio will display --- to
show the indicator was reset.
3-9

CD Adapter Kits
It is possible to use a CD adapter kit with your cassette
tape
player after activating the bypass feature on your
tape player.
To activate the bypass feature, the ignition must be on.
Turn
your radio off. Press TAPERLAY and hold for
three seconds. After three seconds, the tape symbol in
the display will flash for two seconds indicating the
feature
is active. Turn the radio on and insert
the adapter.
This override feature will remain active until EJECT
is pressed.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
and Equalizer (I€ Equipped)
Included with the AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape
Player and Equalizer,
are 10 high performance speakers
and an
8 channel, 500 watt amplifier. See your dealer
for details.
3-10

Playing the Radio
VOL: Push this knob to turn the system on and off. To
increase volume, turn the knob clockwise. Turn it
counterclockwise to decrease volume.
RECALL: Display the time with the ignition off by
pressing this knob. When the radio is playing, press this
knob to recall the station frequency.
Finding a Station
AM-FM:
Press this button to switch between AM, FM1
and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn it to
choose radio stations. Push the knob back into its stored
position when you’re not using it.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to go to the next
higher or lower station and stay there.
PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons let
you return to your favorite stations.
You can set up to
18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press AM-FM to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons until
SET appears on the display. Whenever you press that
numbered button, the station you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
Setting the Tone
EQUALIZER: A
seven band equalizer is part of your
audio system. Slide the levers up to boost or down
to
reduce frequency range.
Adjusting the Speakers
BAL: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn it to
move the sound to the left or right speakers. The middle
position balances
the sound between the speakers.
FADE: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn it to
move the sound to the front or rear speakers. The middle
position balances the sound between
the speakers.
Push these knobs back into their stored positions
when
you’re not using them.
Playing a Cassette Tape
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
30 to 45 minutes long on e,ach side. Tapes longer than
that are so thin they may not work well in this play’er.
3-11

REV (5): Press this button to reverse the tape rapidly.
Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will
play the last-selected station while the tape reverses.
You may select stations during
REV operation by using
SEEK or TUNE.
FWD (6): Press this button to advance quickly to
another part of the tape. Press the button again to return
to playing speed. The radio will play the last-selected
station while the tape advances. You may select stations
during
FWD operation by using SEEK or TUNE.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a tape
is in the player.
TAPE/PLAY Press this button to change to the tape
function when the radio is on. The tape symbol with an
arrow will appear on the display when the tape is active.
To return to playing the radio, press the AM-FM button.
EJECT Press this button to remove the tape. The
radio
will play. EJECT may be activated with either the
ignition or radio
off. Cassettes may be loaded with the
radio
off if this button is pressed first. If you leave a
cassette tape in the player while listening to the radio, il
may become warm.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean
it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care
of
Your Cassette Tape Player” in the Index. After you clean
the player, press and hold EJECT for five
seconds to
reset the CLN indicator. The radio will display --- to
show the indicator was reset.
CD Adapter Kits
It is possible to use a CD adapter kit with your cassette
tape player after activating the bypass feature
on your
tape player.
To activate the bypass feature, the ignition must be on.
Turn your radio
off. Press TAPE/PLAY and hold for
three seconds. After three seconds, the tape symbol in
the display will flash for two seconds indicating the
feature is active. Turn
the radio on and insert
the adapter.
This override feature will remain active until EJECT
is pressed.
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