traction control PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 1998 Owners Manual

A CAUTdN:
0 Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads
or in heavy traff“lc.
slippery roads.
On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous on
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index.)
When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
Setting Cruise Control
-
/A CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you
might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don’t want to.
You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control
switch off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the lever and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake system, this light will
come on when you start your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition
off. Or, if the light comes on and stays 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
light is on and the regular brake system warning light
isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Traction Control System Warning Light
(3800 Supercharged Engine Only)
1
The traction control system
warning light may come
on
for the following reasons: TCS
OFF
0
0
If you turn the system off by pressing the TCS button
located on
the far right hand side of the Driver
Information Center, the warning light
will come on and
stay on. To turn the system back on, press the button
again. The warning light should go
off. (See “Traction
Control System”
in the Index for more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system will turn
off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn
off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If
the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when
the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
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Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(3100 or 3800 Engine)
TRAC
OFF
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the TRAC
button on the far right hand side of the Driver
Information Center, the warning light will come on
and stay on. To
turn the system back on, press the
button again. The warning light should
go off. (See
“Enhanced Traction System” in the Index
for more
information.)
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for
an extended period of
time when the system is turned on, your vehicle
needs service. Adjust your driving accordingly.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on. When
this warning light is on, the
system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
See
“Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light” earlier in
this section.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System or the
Traction Control System, this light will
also come on
when the system
is limiting wheel spin. You may feel or
hear the system working, but
this is normal. Slippery
road conditions may exist if the low traction light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for a few seconds after the traction system stops
limiting wheel spin. See “Enhanced Traction System”
or
“Traction Control System” in the Index.
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The low traction light also comes on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light doesn’t come
on then, have
it fixed so it will be there to tell you when
the anti-lock brake system, Traction Control System or Enhanced Traction System is active.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
Your vehicle 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. 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.
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
a
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 may be 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.
2-69

Control Buttons
The trip computer has three buttons that control its functions.
ENGMET: Press this button to change the display from
English to metric units or metric to English.
RESET Press this button for two seconds to reset the
mode displayed.
MODE: Press this button to change the mode
being displayed.
Functions
FUEL USED: Shows the total amount of fuel used
since you last reset this mode. The amount can be
displayed in gallons
or liters.
AVG ECON: Shows your average fuel economy since
you last reset this mode.
OIL LIFE: Shows a percentage of the oil’s remaining
useful life. The system predicts remaining oil life using
inputs from length of drives, coolant temperature,
engine rpm and vehicle speed. Each time
you get an oil
change, be sure to reset this function
so that it will give
you an accurate percentage.
To reset the Oil Life Indicator after the oil has been
changed, press the
MODE button until the light appears lit next
to
OIL LIFE. Press and hold the RESET button
for
three seconds. The oil life percentage should change
to
100%.
RANGE: Shows how much farther you can travel with
the fuel you have before refueling.
LOW WASHER FLUID: This light will come on when
your ignition
is on and the fluid container is low.
DOOR AJAR: If one of your doors is left ajar, a light
will appear next to that
door on the vehicle outline.
BOOST GAGE: If you have the supercharged engine,
this gage will show the amount of boost your engine
is receiving.
TRUNK AJAR: If your trunk is not fully closed or
open, a light will outline the trunk
area on your
vehicle outline.
TCS SWITCH: If your vehicle has the Traction Control
System, you will have
a disable switch on the far right
side of your Trip Computer. Your Traction Control
System
is automatically activated when you turn the
ignition on. This switch will activate/deactivate the
Traction Control System.
If you need to disable the
system, such as when you
are stuck and are rocking your
vehicle back and forth, push
this switch. See “Stuck: In
Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow’’ in
the Index.

TCS OFF: This light lets you know that your Traction
Control System has been disabled and will not limit
wheel spin. See “Traction Control System Warning
Light” or “Low Traction Light” in the Index.
LOW TRAC: This light will come on when your
Traction Control System is limiting wheel spin. See “Traction Control System” or “Low Traction Light” in
the Index.
Head-Up Display (If Equipped)
If you have the Head-Up
Display (HUD), you can see
the speedometer reading (in
English or metric units) and
a brief display of the current
radio station or CD track,
displayed
“through” the
windshield.
The
HUD also shows these lights when they are lit on
the instrument panel:
0 Turn Signal Indicators
0 High-Beam Indicator Symbol
Low Fuel Symbol
The HUD will display the “Check Gage” when the
following are lit on the instrument panel:
0 Oil Warning Symbol
0 Coolant Temperature Symbol
0 Charging System Symbol
When you sit straight in your seat, the HUD image will appear straight ahead near the front bumper.
When the ignition key is turned to
RUN, the HUD
image
will come on. Then the Head-Up Display will
operate normally.
I NOTICE: I
Although the HUD image appears to be near the
front
of the vehicle, do not use it as a parking aid.
The
HUD was not designed for that purpose. If
you try to use it that way, such as in a parking
lot, you may misjudge distance and run
into something.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle
in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to
stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
Traction Control System (With 3800
Supercharged Engine)
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits wheel
spin.
This is especially useful in slippery road conditions.
The system operates only if it senses that one or both of
the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When
this happens, the system works the front brakes and
reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your traction control system is limiting wheel
spin. See “Traction Control
System Warning Light” in
the index.
You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin,
the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control” in the Index.)

This light should come on briefly when you start
comes on while
you are
driving, there’s a problem with your traction
control system.
TCS
OFF
the engine. If it stays on or
See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle.
To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road 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 your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
To turn the system off,
press the TCS button on
the far right end of the
trip computer.
The traction control system warning light will come
on and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button, the warning light will come
on -- and the system will shut-off instantly. It will wait
until there’s no longer
a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can
turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should go
off.
4-10

When you turn the system off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light
will come on and stay on. If the
Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button to turn the system off, the warning
light will come on
-- and the system will shut-off
instantly. It will
wait until there’s no longer a current
need
to limit wheel spin.
You can
turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The Enhanced Traction System
warning light should go off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Variable Effort Steering (Option)
This steering system provides lighter steering effort
for parking and when driving at speeds below
20 mph
(32 km/h). Steering effort will increase at higher speeds
for improved road feel.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the
news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of us is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried
to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
4-12

The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your
tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much
of those places. You can lose control. Refer to
“Enhanced Traction System” or “Traction Control
System”in the Index.
What should you do if
this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want
it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve,
do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve.
Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steerifig can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.)
It is better to
remove as much speed as
you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on
the space available.
4-13