coolant PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 Owners Manual

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery;
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for
you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
S
These symbols
have to
do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
HIGH
LAMPSoR BEAM = =o
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are
011 some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
a+
FAN w*
These symbols
are used
on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
ENGINE
TEMP
- k
CHARGING BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
RADIATOR COOLANT
a
FUEL
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
Wb
TEMP OIL &
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKE
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
RELEASE RADIO
k
VOLUME a
CONDITIONING AIR 33
RELEASE TRUNK ru
t
LIGHTER m
SPEAKER
b
V
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Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
In very cold weather, 0 OF (- 1 8 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better
fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged
in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To use the coolant heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 10-volt outlet.
NOTICE:
After you’ve used the coolant heater, be sure to
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the weather, the kind
of oil
you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list
everything here, we
ask that you contact your Pontiac
dealer in the area where you’ll
be parking your vehicle.
The dealer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
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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!
I I I I
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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Control Buttons
The trip calculator has three buttons that control its
functions.
MODE: Press this button to change the mode being
displayed.
EM: Press this button to change the display from
English to metric units or metric to English.
RESET Press this button for one second to reset the
mode displayed.
If you push and hold RESET for more
than five seconds, all the modes will reset. You can’t
reset
INST ECON, RANGE or EXT TEMP.
Head-Up Display (Option)
If you have the Head-Up
Display (HUD), you can see
the speedometer reading, in
English or metric units,
displayed “through” the
windshield. The
HUD also shows these lights when they are
lit on
the instrument panel:
Turn Signal Indicators
0 High-Beam Indicator Symbol
Low Fuel Symbol
0 Oil Warning Symbol
0 Coolant Temperature Symbol
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, all possible
HUD images will come on. Then the Head-Up Display
will operate normally.
NOTICE:
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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Air Conditioning Heating
On very hot days, open the
windows long enough to
let hot inside air escape. This reduces the time the
compressor has
to run, which should help fuel economy.
For quick cool-down on very hot days,
use MAX with
the temperature knob all the way in the blue area.
If this
setting is used for long periods
of time, the air in your
vehicle may become too dry.
For normal cooling on hot days, use
VENT with the
temperature hob in the blue area and the
A/C button
pushed
in. The system will bring in outside air and cool it.
On cool but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body, but your lower body may not be warm enough.
You can use BI-LEVEL with the temperature knob in
the middle and the
A/C button pushed in. The system
will bring in outside air and direct it to your upper body,
while sending slightly warmed air to your lower body.
You may notice this temperature difference more at
some times than others. On
cold days use
FLOOR with the temperature knob all
the way in the red area. The system will bring in outside
air, heat
it and send it to the floor ducts.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you can use
it to help your system provide warm
air faster when it’s
cold outside (0°F (-lS0C) or lower).
An engine coolant
heater warms the coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See “Engine Coolant
Heater” in the Index.
Ventilation
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use VENT
to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Your vehicle also has the
flow-through ventilation system described later in this
section.
Defogging and Defrosting Windows
Your system has two settings for clearing the front and
side windows. To defrost the windows quickly, use
DEFROST with the temperature knob all the way in the
red area. To warm passengers while keeping the
windows clean, use DEFOG.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for winter. Be sure
your engine coolant mix is correct.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk. Include an
ice scraper,
a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a
small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth, and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a warning
light about a hot engine on your instrument panel. See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Engine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the Index. You
also have a low coolant light on your instrument panel.
See “Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not
be covered by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get
a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
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If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for
a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
speed and open the window as necessary.
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive.
Just to be safe, drive slower for about ten minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn ofSthe engine and get everyone out
of the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
3.1L L82 (Code M) Engine
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what \
you’ll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fans
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3.4L L27 (Code X) Engine The coolant level should
be at or above the COLD mark.
If it isn't, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else
in
the cooling system.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down.
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