PONTIAC PONTIAC 1996 Owners Manual

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
Your Pontiac is equipped
with
a computer which
monitors operation
of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control
systems.
This system is called OBD I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and
is intended
to assure
that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment.
(In Canada, OBD 11 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The
SERVICE ENGINE SOON
light comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated
by the system
before any problem is apparent, which
may prevent more serious
damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your s~ewice technician
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a
while, your emission controls may not
work
as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when
the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, Gave it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
fight Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the epission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service
is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction
has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may
be required.
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If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
If the Light Is On Steady
0 Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
0 If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo ,being
hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains
on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If
the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On
Steady” following.
If the light is still flashing, follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you just put fuel into your vehicle?
If
so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly installed.
This will
allow
fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system,.may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light
off.
Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to
run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since
small amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can
detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly. It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
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Have you recently changed,brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel’ your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may
notice
this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may
go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to
turn on.
If you experience this condition, change the
fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel to turn the light
off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment
and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Warnine Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light my 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 two other situations:
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,
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0 If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment. This is normal.
A CAUTION:
-
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your
oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE: I
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Level Light
LOW OIL
LEVEL
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
engine oil dipstick. (See “Engine Oil” in the Index.)
If the light does not flash, have the low oil level sensor
system repaired
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
,
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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Security Light Fuel Gage
SECUPITY
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 duty or wet for
the PAS$-Key@II system to
read
the resistor pellet.
If the resistor pellet is damaged or missing, the light
will flash.
If you’re driving
and the light comes on and remains on,
your PASS-Key 11 system is not working prop,erly. Your
vehicle
is not protected by PASS-Key II, and you should
see
your dealer. Your
fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel
you
have left when the ignition
is on.
When the indicator
nears
EMPTY (E), you still
have a little fuel left, but
you should get more soon.
Here are
some things owners ask about. All these
situations
are normal and do not show a problem with
your fuel gage:
At the service station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F‘).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
the tank was half full, but it actually took’ a little more
or less than half ,the tank’s capacity to fill it.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
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Low Fuel Light
Ill If your fuel is low, a light
LOW
FUEL
will come on and stay on
until you add fuel. It will
also
come on for a few
seconds when you first turn
on the ignition as
a check to
show you it's working. If it
doesn't come on then, have
it fixed.
Trip Calculator (Option)
b INSTECON
fi FMp b AVGECON 3 8:8 8:8.8 MVGMPH'F L/lOOh/h%
b TRIP b AVG SPEED
ELAPSED
b FUELUSED
RANGE
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 anly the time the engine is
running. The display will be updated every three
seconds until you select another mode.
FUEL 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.
I€ there is less than
one-eighth of a tank,
LOFUEL 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.
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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 driv’en since you last reset
this mode.
ELAPSED TIME: Shows how much time has passed
with the engine running since you last reset this mode.
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:
0 Turn Signal Indicators
High-Beam Indicator Symbol
0 Low Fuel Symbol
Oil Warning Symbol
0 Coolant Temperature Symbol
0 Charging System Symbol
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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.
To adjust the HUD so you can see it properly:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Start your engine and turn the HUD dial all the way up.
When the headlamps are off, the HUD image will
0 When the headlamps are on, the HUD image
Adjust your seat, if necessary, to a
comfortable position.
Press the top of the
IMAGE switch until the HUD
image stops moving. Then press the bottom
of the
switch until the image
is as low as possible, but in
full view.
Turn the HUD dial down until the HUD image
is no
brighter than necessary.
To turn the HUD off, turn
the HUD dial all the way down.
be
at a preset daytime brightness.
brightness is controlled by the dimmer control.
If the sun comes out, it becomes cloudy, or if you turn
on your headlamps, you may need to adjust the
HUD
brightness again. Polarizing sunglasses could make the
HUD image harder to see.
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I
If the HUD image is too or too high in
your field of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it’s’dark outside.
Be sure to keep the HUD image dim and placed
low in your field of view.. r. ’ ._ .. .
. :’ t _. .. . ,. : _I’
Push the EM button on the
trip calculator to switch the
speedometer from English
to metric
or metric to
English. If you don’t have
the
trip calculator, you can’t
change
the display,
Care of the Head-Up Display
Clean the inside of the windshield as needed to remove
any
dirt or film that reduces the sharpness or clarity of
the HUD image.
To clean the HUD, spray household glass cleaner on a
soft, clean cloth. Wipe the HUD lens gently, then dry it.
Do not spray cleaner directly on the lens because the
cleaner could leak into the unit.
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If You Can’t See the HUD Image When the Ignition
Is On
If the HUD Image Is Not Clear
Is the HUD image too bright?
0
0
0
0
Is anything covering the HUD unit?
Is the HUD dimmer setting bright enough?
Is the HUD image adjusted to the proper height? have to have a new windshield, be sure to get one
0 Are the windshield and HUD lens clean?
Your windshield is
part of the HUD system. If you ever
Still no
HUD image? Check the fuse in the
I/P Electronics position in the instrument panel
fuse block. See “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in
the Index,. designed for
HUD. If you. don’t, the HUD image may
look blurred and out
of focus.
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