1993 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE coolant

r
These symbols are on some of your
controls:
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Headlight Washers
Windshield Defroster
Rear Window Defogger
Q@
Ventilating Fan
Power Window
These symbols are used on warning and
indicator lights:
L
I
a
Engine Coolant Temperature
Battery Charging System
Fuel
Engine
Oil Pressure
Brake
Anti-Lock Brakes
ProCarManuals.com

Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light
This light tells you that your engine
coolant has overheated
or your radiator
cooling fans are
not working. If you
have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions, you should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and
turn the engine
off as soon as possible.
HOT
COOLANT CAN BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this
manual shows what to do. See the
Index
under Engine Overheating.
Some clusters with gages do not have a
coolant temperature warning light.
In
those clusters a CHECK GAGES
warning light will alert you of a
potential coolant heating problem.
Low Coolant Warning light
(OPT/ON)
If this light comes on, your system may
be low
on coolant and the engine may
overheat. Check to see
if the level is
low, and add coolant if necessary. See
the
Index under Engine Coolant.
The LOW COOLANT warning light
will also come on when
you turn on the
ignition, but your engine is not running,
as a check to show you it is working.
If
it doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
right away.
101
ProCarManuals.com

..I
.
Features & Controls
Id
Traction Control System Warning
Light (CONT.)
108
rn Gages
Your Pontiac may have many of the
following gages. Be sure to read about
the ones that came with your vehicle.
Check Gage5 Warning Light
(OPTION)
This light will come on briefly when
you
are starting the engine. If the light
comes
on and stays on while you are
driving, check your gages for fuel,
coolant temperature,
oil pressure or
voltage.
This light will stay on if your
engine
is not running.
ProCarManuals.com

Fuel Gage
You will either have this fuel gage or
one very similar. Your fuel gage tells
you about how much fuel you have left,
when
the ignition is on. When the gage
reads in the yellow band, a warning
chime will sound and the
CHECK
GAGES warning light will go on, if you
have it.
Here are five things that some owners
ask about. None of these show a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts
off before the gage reads
F (Full).
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 the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn
a corner or speed up.
The gage doesn't go back to E (Empty)
when you turn off the ignition.
If you have the large span (220") gage,
the needle moves more for a given
amount
of fuel. This does not indicate
excessive fuel consumption, and is
normal.
For your fuel
tank capacity, see Sewice
Station Informution
on the last page of
this manual.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gage
(OPTION)
A coolant temperature gage shows the
engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red
warning area, your engine is too hot!
The
CHECK GAGES light will go on
and a warning chime will sound, if you
have this option. 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 the
Index
under Engine Overheating.
10s
ProCarManuals.com

Boost Gage (OPTION)
Vehicles equipped with the supercharged
engine have this boost gage that indicates vacuum during light to
moderate throttle and boost under
heavier throttle. The gage displays the
air pressure level
in psi going into the
engine’s combustion chamber.
The gage is automatically centered at
zero psi
every time the engine is started.
Actual vacuum or boost
is displayed
from this zero point. Changes
in
ambient pressure, such as driving in
mountains and changing weather, will slightly change
the zero reading.
I
rn Driver Znformation Center
If you have the Driver Information
Center, it gives you important safety and
maintenance facts. When you turn the ignition on, the entire Center lights up
for a few seconds. Then it goes to work.
FUNCTION MONITOR: This lets you
know if you are low
on fluids or have a
problem with a vehicle function:
CHECK OIL LEVEL: This message
could mean your oil level is low. If
it
comes on for more than three seconds, see
the Index under Check Oil Level
Warning Light.
WASHER FLUID: This message
means your washer fluid tank is less
than
30% full. The windshield portion
of the vehicle outline will also glow. If
these come on, see the
Index under
Windshield Washer Fluid.
means your coolant level has fallen to
about half full. If it comes on,
see the
Index under Engine Coolant.
CHECK GAGES: If this light comes
on and stays on while
you are driving,
check your gages for fuel, coolant
temperature, oil pressure or battery
voltage.
LOW COOLANT This message
111
ProCarManuals.com

Features & Controls
pH2119
Head-Up Display (omorq
If you have the optional Head-Up
Display (HUD), you can see the
speedometer reading in English or
metric units displayed “through” the
windshield.
The HUD
also shows:
Turn signal indicator lights.
A high beam indicator symbol.
A CHECK GAGES message. (For
low oil pressure, high coolant
temperature, low oil level and low
fuel .)
A low fuel warning symbol.
The HUD shows these lights when they
are lit
on the instrument panel.
... 116
When you sit straight in your seat, the
HUD image will appear slightly to the
right in front
of the driver.
When the ignition is turned
to Run, all
possible HUD images will come on as
shown above. Then the Head-Up
Display will operate normally.
14
NOTEE
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.
If you never look at your
b instrument panel, you may not
see something important, such as a
warning light. So be sure to scan
your displays and controls and the
driving environment just
as you
would in a vehicle without
HUD.
ProCarManuals.com

Toque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transaxle into P (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl in the transaxle.
You may find it difficult
to pull the shift lever out of P (Park).
This is called “torque lock.” To prevent
torque lock, always be sure
to shift into
P (Park) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To find out how, see the
Index under Shifing Into P (Park).
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever
out of P (Park) before you
release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another vehicle push yours a
little uphill
to take some of the pressure
from the transaxle,
so you can pull the
shift lever out
of P (Park).
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.
Snow tires can help in loose snow, but
they may give
you less traction on ice
than regular tires.
If you do not expect
to be driving in deep snow, but may
have to travel over ice,
you may not
want to switch to snow tires at all.
I
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.
17s ...
ProCarManuals.com

I' Problems on the Road
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage
or the warning light about a hot engine
on your Pontiac's instrument panel. See
the
Index under Coolant Temperature
Gage
and Coolant Temperature Warning
Light.
202
If your engine catches fire because
you keep driving with no coolant,
your vehicle can be badly
damaged. The costly repai
not be covered
by your warranty.
' Steam is Coming from Your Engine:
Steam from an overheated
, engine can burn you badly,
even
if you just open the hood. Stay
away hm the engine if you see or
hear steam coming from it. Just
turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until itmols down.
Wait until there is no sign of steam
or coolant before opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your
engine is overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fm You or-others
could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it wetheats, and get out
of the vehicle until the engine is
cool.
ProCarManuals.com