engine PONTIAC G6 2006 Owner's Guide

Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section that
tells you what to do about it. Please follow this
manual’s advice. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly — and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They are a big help.
Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you
know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You will
know how fast you are going, how much fuel you
have, and many other things you will need to drive safely
and economically.
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Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has
been driven, in either miles (used in the United States)
or kilometers (used in Canada).
When in manual shift mode, the odometer will change
from the vehicle’s mileage to the letter M, for manual
mode, and a number indicating the requested gear
range when moving the shift lever forward or rearward.
For more information seeAutomatic Transaxle
Operation on page 2-28.
Your vehicle has a tamper resistant odometer.
Repair or replacement of your instrument panel
cluster should only be performed by a qualied
GM service center.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can display how far you have driven
since you last reset it.
For more information seeDIC Operation and Displays
on page 3-46.
Tachometer
The tachometer
shows your engine
speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your vehicle
could be damaged, and the damages would not
be covered by your warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area.
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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 it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes 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
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-38.
{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 have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle has the
anti-lock brake system, the
light will come on when
your engine is started
and may stay on for
several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon
as possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays
on, or comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning
light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-36.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briey when you turn the ignition key to ON. This is
normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, the light comes
on and you hear a chime, your engine is too hot! It
means that your engine coolant has overheated. See
Engine Overheating on page 5-30.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition, and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (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 check engine 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. United States
Canada
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Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after awhile, 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.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
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 does not come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed
Avoiding hard accelerations
Avoiding steep uphill grades
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, 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
ashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
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If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling the Tank on page 5-8. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, misring, hesitation
on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the check
engine light is on or not working properly.
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Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
If you have low engine oil
pressure, this light will stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on
and you will hear a chime
when you are driving.
This indicates that your engine is not receiving enough
oil. The engine could be low on oil, or could have
some other oil problem. Have it xed immediately.This light will come on briey when you turn on the
ignition as a check to show you it is working. If it does
not come on with the ignition on, you may have a
problem with the bulb. Have it xed right away.
{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.
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Security Light
For information regarding
this light, see
Theft-Deterrent Systems
on page 2-19.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set your
cruise control.
The light will go out when the cruise control is turned
off. SeeCruise Control on page 3-10for more
information.
Highbeam On Light
This light will come on
when the high-beam
headlamps are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-8.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
and a chime will sound if
it detects a problem on
the vehicle.
The Driver Information Center (DIC) may display a
message such as Low Coolant, Power Steering, Engine
Reduced Power, etc. These messages may help you
determine why the service vehicle soon indicator is on.
SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-48.If
this happens, see your GM dealer for necessary repairs
to maintain top vehicle performance.
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ENTER/r(Enter):Press this button to select a
menu option or to acknowledge a warning message.
The DIC messages will be read through your audio
system display.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. If your
vehicle has the uplevel audio system, the time and
outside temperature will be shown on the rst line of the
display and the DIC information will be shown on the
second line of the display.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the DIC buttons. The button functions are
detailed in the following.
Information Mode
INFO/4(Information):Press this button to scroll
through the vehicle information mode displays in the
following order:
TRIP A
TRIP B
FUEL RANGE (Fuel Range Until Empty)
ECON (Average Fuel Economy)
AV SPEED (Average Vehicle Speed)
OIL LIFE (Engine Oil Life System)TRIP A or TRIP B:Press the information button until
TRIP A or TRIP B is displayed. This shows the
current distance traveled since the last reset for each
trip odometer in either miles or kilometers. Both
odometers can be used at the same time. Each trip
odometer can be reset to zero separately by pressing
and holding the enter button for a few seconds while the
desired trip odometer is displayed.
FUEL RANGE:Press the information button until FUEL
RANGE is displayed. This shows the remaining
distance you can drive without refueling. It is based on
fuel economy and the fuel remaining in the tank.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range is
an average of recent driving conditions. As your
driving conditions change, this data is gradually updated.
Fuel range cannot be reset.
ECON (Economy):Press the information button until
ECON is displayed. Average fuel economy is how
many miles per gallon or liters per 100 kilometers your
vehicle is getting based on current and past
driving conditions.
Press and hold the enter button while ECON is
displayed to reset the average fuel economy. Average
fuel economy will then be calculated starting from
that point. If the average fuel economy is not reset, it
will be continually updated each time you drive.
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AV (Average) SPEED:Press the information button
until AV SPEED is displayed. This shows the vehicle’s
average speed in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
Press and hold the enter button while AV SPEED is
displayed to reset the average vehicle speed.
OIL LIFE:Press the information button until OIL LIFE is
displayed. The engine oil life system shows an
estimate of the oil’s remaining useful life. It will show
100% when the system is reset after an oil change.
It will alert you to change your oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving conditions.
Always reset the engine oil life system after an oil
change. See “OIL LIFE RESET” underDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-52andEngine Oil Life
System on page 5-20.
In addition to the engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in
the Maintenance Schedule in this manual. See
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4andEngine Oil on
page 5-17.Personalization
MENU:Press this button while the vehicle is in ON to
scroll through each of the personalization options in
the following order. If the vehicle is moving faster than
2 mph (3 km/h), the personalization menu options
are not available, except for the UNITS option. All of the
personalization options may not be available on your
vehicle. Only the options available will be displayed on
your DIC.
Units Selection (English/Metric)
Oil Life Reset
Remote Start Capability
Horn Chirp During Remote Keyless Entry Locking
Horn Chirp During Remote Keyless Entry Unlocking
Exterior Light Flash During Remote Keyless
Entry Locking or Unlocking
Delayed Locking
Automatic Vehicle Unlocking: Specic Doors
Automatic Vehicle Unlocking: When Key is Off or
When Shift To Park
Exterior Perimeter Lighting During Remote Keyless
Entry Unlock
Select Language: (English, French, Spanish or
German)
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