warning PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1993 User Guide

Warning Lights,
Gages
Tachometer (omtoN)
The tachometer shows your engine
speed in revolutions per minute (rpm).
and Indicators
This section 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 go 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 briefly when
you turn the ignition key just to let you
know they’re 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’s
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 the manual’s advice. Waiting to
do repairs can be costly-and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your
warning lights and gages. They’re a big
help.
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Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how
much fuel you have left, when the
ignition is on. When the indicator nears
E (Empty), you still have a little fuel
left, but you should get more soon.
Here are four things that some owners
ask about. None
of these show a
problem with
your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts
off before the gage reads
F (Full).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill
up than the gage indicated. For
example, the gage may have indicated
the
tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the
tank’s capacity to fill the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn
The gage doesn’t go back to E when
For your fuel tank capacity, see
Service
Station Information
on the last page of
this manual. a
corner or speed up.
you turn off the ignition.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
This light tells you that your engine
coolant has overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
If you have been operating your vehicle
under normal driving conditions, you
should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn the engine
off as soon
as possible.
HOT
COOLANT CAN BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this manual
shows what to do. See the
Index under
Engine Overheating.
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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!
That reading means the same thing as
the warning light. It means that your
engine coolant has overheated.
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.
HOT
COOLANT CAN BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this manual
shows what to do. See the
Index under
Engine Overheating.
Low Coolant Warning light
If this light comes on, your system is
low on coolant and the engine may
overheat. See the
Index under Engine
Overheating
and have your vehicle
serviced as
soon as you can.
Oil Warning Llght
If you have a problem with your oil, this
light may stay on after you
start your
engine, or come
on when you are
driving. This indicates that
oil is not
going through your engine quickly
enough to keep it lubricated. The engine
could be low on oil, or could have some
other
oil problem. Have it fixed right
away.
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Oil Warning Light (CONT.)
The oil light could also come on in three
other situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine
is not running, the light will come on
as a test to show you it is working, but
the light will
go out when you turn the
ignition to
Start. If it doesn’t come on
with the ignition on, you may have a
problem with the fuse or bulb. Have
it
fixed right away.
Sometimes when the engine is idling
at a stop, the light may blink on and
off. This is normal.
If you make a hard stop, the light may
come on for a moment. This is
normal.
I
Don’t keep driving if the oil
your engine can become so hot that
it catches fire. You or others could
’ ; burned. Check your oil as soon
ab possible and have your vehicle
serviced.
E pressure is low. If you do,
‘CHECK I
OIL
,4-;, Damage to your engine from
;; neglected oil problems can be
,’: costly and is not covered -1 by your
i:.. warranty. , 1.
I
1
Check Oil Light
This light should come on briefly when
you
turn your ignition key to Run. It
also comes on and stays on when the oil
level in your vehicle is low. If this
happens, park your vehicle
in a level
place, check your
oil level and bring the
engine
oil up to its proper level. See the
Index under Engine Oil.
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Oil Pressure Gage (omrorv)
The oil pressure gage shows the engine
oil pressure in psi (pounds per square
inch) when the engine is running.
Canadian vehicles indicate pressure in
kPa. Oil pressure may vary with engine
speed, outside temperature and
oil
viscosity, but readings above the red warning zone indicate the normal
operating range.
A reading in the red zone may be caused
by a dangerously low oil level
or other
problem causing low oil pressure. Have
your vehicle serviced immediately.
A
Don’t keep driving if the oil
pressure is low.
If you do,
your engine can become
so hot that
it catches fire. You or others could
be burned. Check your oil as soon
as possible and have your vehicle
serviced.
Charging System Light
The charging system light will come on
briefly when you
turn on the ignition,
but the engine is not running, as a check
to show you it is working. Then it
should go out.
If it stays on when your
engine is running, or comes on while
you are driving, you may have a
problem with the electrical charging
system. It could indicate that
you have a
loose generator drive belt or another
electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on
could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with
the light on, be certain to
turn off all
your accessories, such as the radio and
air conditioner.
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Features & Controls
Voltmeter (omoN)
When your engine is running, this gage
shows the condition of your charging
system.
When your engine is not running, but
the ignition is on (in the
Run position),
the gage shows your battery’s state of
charge in
DC volts. Readings between
the red warning zones indicate the
normal operating range.
Readings in either red warning zone
indicate a possible problem in the
electrical system. Have your vehicle
serviced immediately.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Pontiac’s hydraulic brake system is
divided into two parts. If one part isn’t
working, the other part can still work
and stop you. For good braking, though,
you need both parts working well.
If the warning light goes on, there could
be a brake problem. Have your brake
system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start
the vehicle. If it doesn’t come
on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem, This
light will
also come on when you
set your parking brake, and 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 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 floor. It may take
longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. (See
the
Index under Bwing Your Pontiac.)
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I CAUTION Anti-lock Brake Sptetn Warning
Light A Your brake system may not be
working properly if the brake
warning light is on. Driving with
the brake warning light on can lead
to
an accident. If the light is still
on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the
vehicle towed for service. Vith
anti-lock, this light will
go on
when you start your engine and may stay
on for two seconds or so. That’s normal.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the light
stays on or comes on when
you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible
and turn the key off. Then start the
engine to reset the system.
If the light
still
stays on, or comes on again while
you’re driving, your Pontiac needs
service. Unless the regular brake system
warning light
is also on, you will still
have brakes, but not anti-lock brakes.
If
the regular brake system warning light is
also on, see Brake System Warning Light
earlier in this part.
If the anti-lock brake system warning
light ever flashes, your anti-lock brake
system
is still working but needs service
as soon as possible.
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. .. . ..
Check Gauges Light (opTIoN)
This 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 various gages to see
if they are in the warning zones.
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Your Driving and the Road
rn Road Signs
The road signs you see everywhere are
coded by color, shape and symbols. It’s
a good idea to know these codes
so that
you can quickly grasp the basic meaning
or intent
of the sign even before you
have a chance to read it.
STOP DO NOT WRONG
ENTER WAY
Color of Road Signs
Red means Stop. It may also indicate
that some movement is not allowed.
Examples are
Do Not Enter and Wrong
Way.
Green
is used to guide the driver. Green
signs may indicate upcoming freeway
exits or show the direction
you should
turn to reach a particular place.
RR ADVANCE NARROW NO PASSING
CROSSING BRIDGE ZONE
Yellow indicates a general warning.
Slow down and be careful when you see
a yellow sign.
It may signal a railroad
crossing ahead, a no passing zone,
or
some other potentially dangerous
situation. Likewise, a yellow solid line
painted
on the road means Don’t Cross.
Blue
signs with white letters show
motorists’ services.
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LOW
SHOULDER WORKERS
AHEAD FLAGGER
AHEAD
Orange indicates road construction or
maintenance. You’ll want
to slow down
when you see an orange sign, as part
of
the road may be closed off or torn up.
And there may be workers and
maintenance vehicles around, too.
CANOEING SWIMMING
Brown signs point out recreation areas
or points of historic or cultural interest.
T
Shape of Road Signs
The shape of the sign will tell you
something, too.
An octagonal (eight-sided) sign means
Stop. It is always red with white letters.
A triangle, pointed downward, indicates
Yield. It assigns the right of way to
traffic on certain approaches to an
intersection. A
diamond-shaped sign is a warning of
something ahead-for example, a curve,
steep hill,
soft shoulder, or a narrow
bridge.
A
triangular sign also is used on two-
lane roads to indicate a
No Passing
Zone. This sign will be on the left side
of the roadway.
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