ECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2007 Owner's Manual

2. If the engine does not start after 5-10 seconds,
especially in very cold weather (below 0°F
or−18°C), it could be ooded with too much
gasoline. Try pushing the accelerator
pedal all the way to the oor and holding it
there as you hold the key in START for up to
a maximum of 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to allow the
cranking motor to cool down. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and accelerator. If
the vehicle starts briey but then stops again,
do the same thing. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine. Do not race the
engine immediately after starting it. Operate
the engine and transaxle gently until the
oil warms up and lubricates all moving parts.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with
your dealer. If you do not, your engine might
not perform properly. Any resulting damage
would not be covered by your vehicle’s
warranty.Engine Coolant Heater
The vehicle may be equipped with an engine
coolant heater. In very cold weather, 0°F (−18°C)
or colder, the engine coolant heater can help.
The vehicle will start easier and get better
fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually, the
coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum
of four hours prior to starting the vehicle. At
temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of the coolant
heater is not required. Your vehicle may also
have an internal thermostat in the plug end of the
cord. This will prevent operation of the engine
coolant heater when the temperature is at or above
0°F (−18°C) as noted on the cord.
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To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical
cord. The cord is located above the engine
air cleaner/lter. SeeEngine Compartment
Overview on page 346for more information on
location.
3. Plug the cord into a normal, grounded
110-volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded
outlet could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong kind of extension cord
could overheat and cause a re. You
could be seriously injured. Plug the cord
into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will not
reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before, making
sure to keep it away from moving engine parts.
If this is not done, the cord could be damaged.
How long should the coolant heater be kept
plugged in? The answer depends on the outside
temperature, the kind of oil that is in the vehicle,
and some other things. Instead of trying to list
everything here, we ask that you contact your
dealer in the area where the vehicle will be parked.
The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Active Fuel Management™
Your vehicle’s engine may be equipped with
Active Fuel Management™. This system allows
the engine to operate on either all or half of
its cylinders, depending on your driving conditions.
When less power is required, such as cruising
at a constant vehicle speed, the system will
operate in the half cylinder mode, allowing your
vehicle to achieve better fuel economy. When
greater power demands are required, such
as accelerating from a stop, passing, or merging
onto a freeway, the system will maintain
full-cylinder operation.
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DRIVE (D):This position is for normal driving. It
provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle. If
the vehicle needs more power for passing, and it is:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push the
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push
the accelerator pedal all the way down.
The vehicle will shift down to the next gear and
have more power.
Downshifting the transaxle in slippery road
conditions could result in skidding, see Skidding
underLoss of Control on page 301.
Notice:If your vehicle seems to start up
rather slowly or not shift gears when you go
faster, and you continue to drive your vehicle
that way, you could damage the transaxle.
Have your vehicle serviced right away. You can
drive in SECOND (2) when you are driving
less than 35 mph (55 km/h) and DRIVE (D) for
higher speeds until then.THIRD (3):This position is also used for normal
driving. However, it reduces vehicle speed more
than DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You
might choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D)
when driving on hilly, winding roads, when towing a
trailer, so there is less shifting between gears, when
going down a steep hill and when driving on
non-highway scenarios (i.e. city streets etc.).
SECOND (2):This position reduces vehicle speed
even more than THIRD (3) without using your
brakes. You can use SECOND (2) on hills. It can
help control the vehicle’s speed as it goes
down steep mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use the brakes off and on.
Notice:Driving in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km) or at speeds over 55 mph
(90 km/h), can cause damage to your engine
and/or transaxle. Also, shifting into SECOND (2)
at speeds above 65 mph (105 km/h) can cause
damage. Drive in DRIVE (D) instead of
SECOND (2).
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FIRST (1):This position reduces vehicle speed
even more than SECOND (2) without using
your brakes. It can be used on very steep hills, or
in deep snow or mud. If the shift lever is moved
to FIRST (1), while the vehicle is moving forward,
the transaxle will not shift into rst gear until
the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill using only the
accelerator pedal may damage the transaxle.
If you are stuck, do not spin the tires. When
stopping on a hill, use the brakes, or parking
brake to hold the vehicle in place.
Performance Shifting with TAP-Shift®
If the vehicle is equipped with the 3800 V6
Supercharged engine or the 5.3L V8 engine, your
vehicle may have this feature. It allows you to
change gears similar to a manual transaxle.
To fully use this feature, do the following:
1. The MANUAL (M) position can be selected
while the vehicle is moving. The current
transaxle position will continue to be displayed
on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and
Head-Up Display (HUD), if equipped.2. Move the shift lever
to the MANUAL (M).
3. The paddles are
located on the
steering wheel.
They are used to
up-shift or down-shift
the transaxle.
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4. Push either paddle once to up-shift to the next
gear. Pull either paddle once to down-shift to
the next gear.
The vehicle will begin moving in rst gear upon
acceleration. For better control in icy or slippery
conditions, the vehicle may start out in
SECOND (2), rather than FIRST (1). This
will only occur if you have “tapped up” to
second gear.
The up-shift light on the
instrument panel cluster,
or the up-shift symbol on
the HUD, if equipped, is
given as a prompt to use
the TAP-Shift
®paddle.
For more information, seeUp-Shift Light on
page 175.
The up-shift light will only appear in the instrument
panel cluster if the HUD is off or if the vehicle
does not have HUD.This prompt to up-shift, as needed, will be given
throughout acceleration. If up-shifting does not
occur when prompted, the vehicle speed will be
limited to protect the engine.
The gear position will display on the DIC and
HUD, if equipped, when in manual mode.
Pressing the accelerator while driving in the
highest gear (FOURTH (4)) between 20 mph
(32 km/h) and 50 mph (80 km/h), will make
the transaxle automatically downshift. As your
speed gets closer to 50 mph (80 km/h), you
will need to increase accelerator pedal travel to
get the vehicle to downshift. At 50 mph (80 km/h),
even with the accelerator fully depressed, the
transaxle will always remain in FOURTH (4). The
transaxle will also automatically downshift as
the vehicle decelerates and comes to a stop.
If a paddle is pushed or pulled and the vehicle
cannot respond to a transaxle gear change,
a chime will sound. The system will not allow either
an up-shift or a down-shift if the vehicle speed
is too fast or too slow, nor will it allow a start from
THIRD (3) or higher gear.
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OnStar®Steering Wheel Controls
Your vehicle may have a Talk/Mute button that
can be used to interact with OnStar®Hands-Free
Calling. SeeAudio Steering Wheel Controls on
page 277for more information.
On some vehicles, you may have to hold the
button for a few seconds and give the command
“ONSTAR” in order to activate the OnStar
®
Hands-Free Calling feature.
On some vehicles, the mute button can be used to
dial numbers into voicemail systems, or to dial
phone extensions. See the OnStar
®Owner’s
Guide for more information.
How OnStar®Service Works
In order to provide you with OnStar®services,
your vehicle’s OnStar®system has the capability
of recording and transmitting vehicle information.
This information is automatically sent to an
OnStar
®Call Center at the time of an OnStar®
button press, Emergency button press or if
your airbags or AACN system deploys.The vehicle information usually includes your GPS
location and, in the event of a crash, additional
information regarding the accident that your vehicle
has been involved in (e.g. the direction from
which your vehicle was hit). When you use the
Virtual Advisor feature of OnStar
®Hands-Free
Calling, your vehicle also sends OnStar®your GPS
location so that we can provide you with
location-based services.
OnStar
®service cannot work unless your vehicle
is in a place where OnStar®has an agreement
with a wireless service provider for service in that
area. OnStar
®service also cannot work unless
you are in a place where the wireless service
provider OnStar
®has hired for that area
has coverage, network capacity and reception
when the service is needed, and technology that
is compatible with the OnStar
®service. Not all
services are available everywhere, particularly in
remote or enclosed areas, or at all times.
OnStar
®service that involves location information
about your vehicle cannot work unless GPS
satellite signals are unobstructed and available in
that place as well.
125

Sunroof
If the vehicle has a sunroof, it includes a sliding
glass panel and a sunshade.
The switch to control
the sunroof is located
in the headliner.
The switch works only while the ignition is on, or in
ACC, or Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is on.
SeeRetained Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 106.Vent:Open the sunshade by hand. Push the switch
toward the rear of the vehicle once and the sunroof
will open to the vent position. Push the switch
forward to close.
Open/Express-Open:Push the switch toward the
rear of the vehicle a second time and the sunroof
will open the remainder of the way. The sunshade
will open with the sunroof if the switch is pushed
toward the rear of the vehicle twice.
Close:Push and hold the front of the switch until
the sunroof motor stops. The sunshade must
be closed by hand.
128

Windshield Wiper Lever
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they are frozen to the
windshield, gently loosen or thaw them. Damaged
wiper blades may not clear the windshield well,
making it harder to see and drive safely. If the
blades do become damaged, install new blades or
blade inserts. For more information, seeWindshield
Wiper Blade Replacement on page 399.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it
cools down. Clear away snow or ice to prevent an
overload.
N(Windshield Wipers):The lever with this
symbol, located on the right side of the steering
column, operates the windshield wipers.
9(Off):Lower the lever to its original position to
turn the wipers off.
&(Delay):Push the lever up once to this
position to set a delay between wiping cycles. Turn
the delay adjustment band to set the length of
the delay.
x(Delay Adjustment):Turn the band, located
on the left of the windshield wiper lever, to set
the length of the delay between wiper cycles when
using the delay feature. There are ve delay
adjustment settings. Turn the band up to make the
delays shorter in between wiper cycles. Turn
the band down to make the delays longer between
wiper cycles. The windshield wiper lever must
be in delay for this feature to work.
138

6(Low Speed):Push the lever up to the
second position for steady wiping cycles at a slow
speed.
1(High Speed):Push the lever up to the
third position for steady wiping cycles at a high
speed.
7(Mist):For a single wiping cycle, push the
lever down once and let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. For additional cycles, hold
the lever down.
About 30 seconds after the wipers are on, the
headlamps, taillamps, and instrument panel
lighting will come on, and the Driver Information
Center (DIC) back lighting will decrease to
the night time mode. About ten seconds after the
wipers are turned off, all the lamps will go back
to the AUTO (Automatic) mode. SeeExterior
Lamps on page 144.
Windshield Washer
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your
washer until the windshield is warmed.
Otherwise the washer uid can form ice
on the windshield, blocking your vision.
The windshield washer button is located at the
end of the windshield wiper lever.
K(Washer Fluid):Press this button to activate
the washer uid to spray onto the windshield.
The wipers will run for a few cycles to clear the
windshield. For more wash cycles, press and hold
the button.
If the vehicle is low on washer uid, the LOW
WASHER FLUID message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) display. See
“LOW WASHER FLUID” underDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 200for more information.
139

The CRUISE SET message will also appear
briey on the Head-Up Display (HUD), if your
vehicle has one, when the cruise control lever is
pushed to the minus (set) or the plus
(resume/accelerate) positions.
A cruise control light will also appear on the
instrument panel cluster when the cruise control is
on. This light will disappear when the brakes
are applied or the cruise control is cancelled. It will
reappear when the set cruise speed is resumed.
The light will go out when the cruise control is
turned off. SeeCruise Control Light on page 185.
Resuming a Set Speed
Once you are going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more, you can move the cruise control switch
briey from on to resume/accelerate.
Your vehicle will go back up to your previously
chosen speed and stay there.
If you hold the switch at resume/accelerate the
vehicle will keep going faster until you release the
switch or apply the brake. Do not hold the
switch at resume/accelerate, unless you want the
vehicle to go faster.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the set button at the end of the
lever, then release the button and the
accelerator pedal. You will now cruise at the
higher speed. If the accelerator pedal is
held longer than 60 seconds, cruise control
will turn off.
Move the cruise switch from on to resume/
accelerate. Hold it there until you get up to the
speed desired, and then release the switch.
To increase the vehicle speed in very small
amounts, move the switch briey to resume/
accelerate. Each time you do this, your vehicle
will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The acceleration feature will only work after the
cruise control speed has been set by pushing the
cruise control set button.
142