charging PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2007 Owners Manual

Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management
(EPM) that estimates the battery’s temperature and
state of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for
best performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage or voltage
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate
control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It
can increase engine idle speed to generate more
power, whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels,
without being noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action, this action may
be noticeable to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as Battery Saver Active. If this
message is displayed, it is recommended that the
driver reduce the electrical loads as much as
possible. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 200.
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The compass is self-calibrating, which eliminates
the need to manually set the compass. However,
under certain circumstances, such as during a long
distance cross-country trip, it will be necessary
to compensate for compass variance and reset the
zone through the DIC. SeeDIC Compass
(Uplevel DIC) on page 198for more information.
The buttons on the DIC trip computer are gages,
trip odometer, set/reset, options, and fuel.
Gages
2(Gages):Press this button to access the OIL
LIFE REMAINING, TRANSMISSION FLUID
TEMPERATURE, BATTERY, ENGINE HOURS,
ENGINE BOOST, and MAXIMUM Gs modes.
OIL LIFE REMAINING:Press the gages button
until OIL LIFE REMAINING is displayed. This
screen indicates the percentage of oil life in thevehicle’s engine that has not degraded. See
Engine Oil on page 350for more information.
After the oil has been changed in the vehicle, reset
the ENGINE OIL MONITOR screen in the
options menu. To reset the engine oil monitor
system, seeEngine Oil Life System on page 353.
Press the gages button again to advance to
the next screen.
TRANSMISSION FLUID TEMP:This screen
displays this message along with the temperature
(F° or C°) of the transmission uid.
Press the gages button again to advance to the
next screen.
BATTERY:This screen displays the amount of
volts the battery is generating.
Your vehicle’s charging system regulates voltage
based on the state of the battery. The battery
voltage may uctuate when viewing this
information on the DIC. This is normal.
SeeElectric Power Management on page 150for
more information.
Press the gages button again to advance to the
next screen.
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CHANGE OIL SOON
This symbol comes on
with this message.
This message displays when service is required
for the vehicle. See your dealer. SeeEngine Oil on
page 350andScheduled Maintenance on
page 473for more information.
The CHANGE OIL SOON message is reset by
acknowledging the message. The ENGINE OIL
MONITOR SYSTEM screen under the options
menu on the DIC must also be reset. See “Engine
Oil Monitor System” in options underDIC Controls
and Displays (Base Level DIC) on page 186orDIC
Controls and Displays (Uplevel DIC with Trip
Computer) on page 190for more information.
This message displays while the ignition is in RUN.
Press the set/reset button to acknowledge this
message and to clear it from the screen.This message continues to display for
three seconds if it has not been acknowledged
when the engine is turned off. It also re-displays
for three seconds if the message has been
acknowledged, but the condition still exists when
the engine is turned off.
If the condition still exists, the message re-appears
when the engine is turned on.
CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE
This symbol comes on
with this message.
This message displays when there is a problem
with the generator and battery charging systems.
Driving with this problem could drain the battery.
Turn off all unnecessary accessories. Stop
and turn off the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so. Have the electrical system checked by your
dealer as soon as possible.
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