heater PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 Owners Manual

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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Sustained Interior Illumination
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever you:
Open a door.
Press UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
Press DOOR on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
If
you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn
off automatically about 18 seconds after
you close
it. If you don’t open a door, the lamps will
turn off after about 18 seconds, unless you pressed
UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control. If you pressed
UNLOCK and don’t open a door, the lamps will turn off
after about
55 seconds.
Sustained interior illumination includes a feature called
theater dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps don’t
just turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they
slowly dim during the delay time until they
go out. The
delay time
is cancelled if you turn the ignition key to
RUN or START, so the lamps will go out right away.
When the ignition is on, Sustained Interior Illumination is
inactive, which means the courtesy lamps won’t come
on.
Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps
These lamps go on when you open the doors. When the
doors are closed, turn them on and off with the switches.
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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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Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger
uses a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear
window. Press the button to
turn the defogger on. It will
turn itself off after about 10
minutes.
If you turn it on again, the defogger will only run for
about five minutes before turning
off. You can also turn it
off by turning off the ignition or pressing the button again.
Flow-Through Ventilation System
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it
is moving. Outside
air
will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning
fan is running.
Ventilation Tips
Do not attach anything like a temporary vehicle license
or decal across the defogger grid.
0
NOTICE:
Don’t use a razor blade or something else sharp
on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.
Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction, such as leaves. The heater and
defroster will work
far better, reducing the chance of
fogging the inside of your windows.
When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, adjust the
mode knob to
FLOOR and the fan to the highest
speed for a few moments before driving off.
This
helps clear the intake ducts of snow and moisture
and reduces the chance of fogging the inside of your
windows.
Keep the air path under the front seats clear of
objects. This helps
air to circulate throughout your
vehicle.
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cloth to your vehicle to alert police that you’ve been stopped by the snow. Put
on extra clothing or wrap a
blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from newspapers, burlap
bags, rags, floor mats
-- anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This
saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
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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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NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can kreeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts. Use
the recommended coolant.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at the
COLD mark, start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing you can
try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling system is
cool before you do
it.
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3. After the engine cools, open the coolant air bleed
valve.
3.1L L82 (Code M) Engine
3.1L V6 (VIN Code M): There are two bleed valves.
One is located on the thermostat housing. The other is
located
on the thermostat bypass tube.
3.4L LQl (Code X) Engine
3.4L V6 (VIN Code X): There are two bleed valves.
They are located on the thermostat housing and heater
inlet pipe.
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When to Change Engine OiI
See if any one of these is true for you:
Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km).
This is particularly important when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
driving in stop and go traffic).
0 Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
Most trips are through dusty areas.
You frequently tow a trailer or use a carrier on top of
If any one of these is true for your vehicle, then you
need to change your
oil and filter every 3,000 miles
(5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever comes first.
your
vehicle.
If none of them is true, change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months -- whichever
comes first.
Engine Coolant Heater
An engine coolant heater can be a big help if you have
to park outside in very cold weather,
0°F (-18°C) or
colder. If your vehicle has
this option, see “Engine
Coolant Heater” in the Index.
What to Do with Used Oil
Did you know that used engine oil contains certain
elements that may be unhealthy for your skin and could
even cause cancer? Don’t let used oil stay on your skin
for very long. Clean your skin and nails with soap and
water, or a good hand cleaner. Wash or properly throw
away clothing or rags containing used engine oil. (See
the manufacturer’s warnings about the use and disposal
of oil products.)
Used oil can be a real threat to the environment.
If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing oil
from the filter before disposal. Don’t ever dispose of oil
by putting
it in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into
sewers, or into streams or bodies of water. Instead,
recycle it by taking it to a place that collects used oil.
If
you have a problem properly disposing of your used oil,
ask your dealer, a service station
or a local recycling
center for help.
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