PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 Owners Manual

Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn
on the ignition, as
a check to, show you it’s
working. Then it should
go
out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose 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.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to
RUN or START, a chime
will come on for about eight
seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts,
unless the driver’s safety
belt is already buckled.
I-
The safety belt light will also come on and stay on until
the driver’s belt is buckled.
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Air Bag Readiness Light You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
There is an
air bag readiness light on the instrument
turn your ignition to RUN panel, which shows SRS AIR BAG or the air bag or START. Then the light
symbol. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical
should go out. This means system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an the system is ready.
electrical problem. The system check includes the air
bag sensors and modules, the wiring and the diagnostic
module. For more information on the air bag system, see
“Air Bag” in the Index.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays on, or comes on when you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
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Brake System Warning Light
I
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 comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on briefly 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.
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 floor. It may take longer to stop.
If the light
is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light
is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index
.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when
you set your parking brake, and it 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.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
(Option)
2801 0 With the anti-lock brake
0 system, this light will come
RPM x1 000 on when you start your
engine and it
will stay on
for three seconds. 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 flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with your
regular brakes. 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.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.) 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 Pontiac needs service.
If the
light is
on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
(Option)
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the
LOW TRAC light will
come on.
Slippery road conditions will exist
if this light comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will stay on
for a few seconds after the system stops adjusting brake
pressure.
The
LOW TRAC light also comes on briefly, as a bulb
check, when the engine is started. If the light doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be there to tell you
when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature Light
4b 100
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated
or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
-k
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 “Engine Overheating’’ in the Index.
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En.gine Coolant Temperature Gage
You have a gage that
shows the engine coolant
temperature.
If the gage
pointer moves into the red
area, your engine is too hot!
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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 “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
Low Coolant Warning Light
If this light comes on, your
system is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat. See “Engine
Coolant” in the Index and
have your vehicle serviced as
soon as you can.
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Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
A computer monitors
operation
of your fuel,
ignition and emission
control systems. This light should come on when the
ignition is on, but the
engine is not running,
as a
check to show you it is
working.
If it does not come on at all, have it fixed right away. If
it stays on, or it comes on while you are driving, the
computer is indicating that you have a problem. You
should take your vehicle in
for service soon.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while the emission controls won’t
work as well, your fuel economy won’t be as good
and your engine may not run as smoothly. This
could lead
to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty.
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Oil Warning Light
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.
The oil light could also come on in three other
situations:
0 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.
0 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.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by your
warranty.
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Low Oil Level Light Security Light
Your engine is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key is turned on, the LOW
OIL LEVEL light will
briefly flash. If the light
does not flash, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s
a problem.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and
turn the engine off. Check the oil level using the
This light will come on
when you turn the key to
START and stay on until the
vehicle starts. It will also
come on and stay on if your
key is too
dirty or wet for
the PASS-Key@II system to
read the resistor pellet.
If the resistor pellet is damaged or missing, the light will
flash.
engine oil dipstick. (See “Engine Oil” in the Index.) If you’re driving and the light comes on and remains on,
If‘ the light does not flash, have the low oil level sensor your PASS,Key~II system is not working properly.
a problem. and you system repaired SO it will be ready to warn you if there’s Your vehicle is not protected by
should see your dealer.
The
oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key on and engine
crank.
It does not monitor engine oil level when the
engine is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed
if the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time, allowing the oil normally
in
circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
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Trip Calculator (Option)
L
When you start your engine, the trip calculator will
display a mode.
A lighted arrow shows which mode is
displayed.
INST ECON: Shows your fuel economy when you
select
this mode. This display will update every second
and cannot be reset.
AVG ECON: Shows your average fuel economy since
you last reset this mode.
AVG SPEED: Shows your average speed since you
last reset this mode.
It counts only the time the engine
is running.
The disp1.a~ will be updated every three
seconds until you select another mode.
WEL USED: Shows the total amount of fuel used
since you last reset
this mode. The amount can be
displayed in gallons or liters.
RANGE: Shows how much farther you can travel with
the
fuel you have before refueling. If there is less than
one-eighth
of a tank, LOF’UEL will be displayed. If the
fuel level is
low enough, LOFUEL will show on the
display in all modes. The message
will flash for
60 seconds and then stay on until you add more fuel.
You can’t reset
RANGE mode. Range is updated
automatically when you reset
AVG ECON.
‘EXT TEMP: Shows the temperature outside your
vehicle. Temperature can be displayed in Fahrenheit or
Celsius. This mode can’t be reset.
TRIP: Shows how far you’ve driven since you last reset
this mode.
ELAPSED TIME: Shows how much time has passed
with the engine running since you last reset this mode.
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