Automatic Tmnsaxle
Move your shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). Your engine won’t start in
any other position-that’s a safety
feature.
To restart when you’re already
moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
Don’t
try to shift to P (Park) if
5 your Pontiac is moving. If you do,
! you could damage the transaxle.
3 Shift to P (Park) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
8‘
Manual Tmnsaxle
Shift your gear selector to N (Neutral)
and hold the clutch pedal to the floor
while starting the engine. Your vehicle
won’t start
if the clutch pedal is not all
the way down-that’s a safety feature.
Both Tmnsax/es
To Start Your 2.3L Quad OHC or
Quad
4 Engine (Code 3, A or D):
1 , Don’t push the accelerator pedal
before starting your engine. In some
other vehicles you might need to do
this, but because of your vehicle’s
computer systems, you don’t.
2. Turn your ignition key to Start.
When the engine starts, let go of the
key. The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm.
3. If it doesn’t start right away, and the
weather is very cold (below
-20°F’ or
-29”C), push the accelerator pedal
about one-quarter of the way down
while you turn the key to
Start. Do
this until the engine starts. As soon as
it does, let go
of the key.
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1 3 5
2 4 R
This is your shift pattern. Here’s how to
operate your transaxle:
1 (First Gear): Press the clutch pedal
and shift into
1. Then, slowly let up on
the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into
1 when you’re going
less than
20 mph (32 km/h). If you’ve
come to a complete stop and it’s hard to
shift into
1, put the shift lever in
N (Neutral) and let up on the clutch.
Press the clutch pedal back down. Then
shift into
1.
2 (Second Gear): Press the clutch pedal
as you let up on the accelerator pedal
and shift into
2. Then, slowly let up on
the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
3,4 and 5 (Third, Fourth and Fifth
Gears): Shift into 3, 4 and 5 the same
way you do for
2. Slowly let up on the
clutch pedal as you press the accelerator
pedal.
To Stop: Let up on the accelerator pedal
and press the brake pedal. Just before
the vehicle stops, press the clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift into
N (Neutral).
N (Neutral): Use this position when
you
start or idle your engine.
R (Reverse): To back up, press the
clutch pedal and shift into
R. Let up on
the clutch pedal slowly while pressing
the accelerator pedal.
Shift to
R (Reverse) only after your
vehicle is stopped. Shifting to
R (Reverse) while your vehicle is
moving could damage your
transaxle.
Also, use
R (Reverse), along with the
parking brake, for parking your vehicle.
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Features & Controls
Shift Light (MANUAL TRANSAXLE)
If you have a manual transaxle, you have
a SHIFT light. This light will show you
when to shift to the next higher gear for
best fuel economy.
When this light comes
on, you can shift
to the next higher gear if weather, road
and traffic conditions let you. For the
best fuel economy, accelerate slowly and
shift when the light comes on.
While you accelerate, it is normal for
the light to go on and off if you quickly
change the position of the accelerator.
Ignore the
SHIFT light when you
downshift.
Shift Speeds (MANUAL TRANSAXLE)
This chart shows when to shift to the
next higher gear for best fuel economy.
Acceleration Shift Speeds for 2.3L
OHC and 2.3L High Output Quad 4
Engines (Codes 3 and A):
Ist to 2nd 15 mph (24 km/h)
2nd to 3rd 25 mph (40 km/h)
3rd to 4th 40 mph
(64 km/h)
4th to 5th 45 mph (72 km/h)
If your speed drops below 20 mph
(32 km/h), or if the engine is not
running smoothly, you should downshift
to the next lower gear. You may have to
downshift two or more gears to keep the
engine running smoothly or for good
performance.
If you skip more than one gear
when you downshift, or
if you race
the engine when
you downshift,
you can damage the clutch
or
transaxle.
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Features & Controls
Turn Signal and Lane Change
Indicator
(CONT.)
To signal a lane change, just raise or
lower the lever until the green arrow
starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever
will return by itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if
the arrows don’t flash but just stay on, a
signal bulb may be burned out and other
drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace
it to help
avoid an accident. If the green arrows
don’t
go on at all when you signal a
turn, check the fuse (see the Index under
Fuses & Circuit Breakers) and for
burned-out bulbs.
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Cruise Control (OPTION)
With cruise control, you can maintain a.
speed
of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more without keeping your foot
on the
accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does
not work at
speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When
you apply your brake or the
clutch pedal, the cruise control
shuts
off. I
I CAUTION
IL
A 0 Cruise control can be
dangerous where you can’t
drive safely
at a steady speed.
So, don’t use your cruise control ‘
on winding roads ofin heavy
traff1C.
I
0 Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such
roads, fast changes
in tire
traction can cause needless wheel
1 spinnin&and you could lose
control.
Don’t use cruise control
on slippery roads.
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To Set Cruise Control
1. Move the cruise control switch to
ON.
If you leave your cruise
W control switch ON when
you’re not using cruise, you might
hit a button and go into cruise
when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch
OFF until you want to use it.
I
3. Push in the SET button at the end of
4. Take your foot off the accelerator
the lever and release
it.
pedal.
To Resume a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a
desired speed and then you apply the
brake or clutch pedal. This, of course,
shuts off the cruise control. But you
don’t need to reset it. Once you’re going
about
25 mph (40 kdh) or more, you
can move the cruise control switch from
ON to R/A (which stands for Resume/
Accelerate) for about half a second.
You’ll
go right back up to your chosen
speed and
stay there.
2. Get up to the speed you want,
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Features & Controls
To Resume a Set Speed (corn)
I A Ifyou hold the switch at R/A 1
longer than half a second, the
vehicle will keep going faster until
you release the switch or apply the
brake or clutch pedal. You could
be startled and even lose control.
So unless you want to go faster,
don’t hold the switch at
R/A.
To lncn?ase Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher
speed. Here’s the first:
1. Use the accelerator pedal to get to the
2. Push the button at the end of the
higher
speed.
lever, then release the button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now cruise at the higher speed. Here’s
the second way to go to a higher
Move the cruise switch from ON to
speed:
R/A. Hold it there until
you get up to
the speed you want, and then release
the switch.
To increase your speed in very small
amounts, move the switch to WA for
less than half a second and then
release it. Each time you do
this, your
vehicle will
go 1 mph (1.6 Wh)
faster.
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To Reduce Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your
speed while using cruise control:
Push in the button at the end of the
lever until you reach the lower speed
you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts,
push the button for less than half a
second. Each time you
do this, you’ll
go
1 mph (1.6 h/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehic/e While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase
your speed. When you take your foot off
the pedal, your vehicle will slow down
to the cruise control speed you set
earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hi&
How well your cruise control will work
on hills depends upon your speed, load,
and the steepness
of the hills. When
going up steep hills, you may have to
step on the accelerator pedal to maintain
your speed. When going downhill, you
may have to brake or shift
to a lower
gear to keep your speed down, Of
course, applying the brake or clutch
pedal takes you out
of cruise control.
Many drivers find this to be too much
trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
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Features & Controls
I
I'
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise
control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal or push
the clutch pedal, if you have
a manual
transaxle; OR
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or
the ignition, your cruise control set
speed memory is erased.
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. .. .. .. . , .. PN210!
Light Controls
Parking Lights:
Rotate the switch up to pf to turn on
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
Instrument Panel Lights
Headlights:
Rotate the switch to , , ,- to turn on:
Headlights
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
Instrument Panel Lights
Rotate the switch
to OF" to turn all the
lights off.
-'D
Operation of Lights
Although your vehicle's lighting system
(headlamps, parking lamps, fog lamps,
side marker lamps and taillamps) meets
all applicable federal lighting requirements,
certain states and provinces may apply
their own lighting regulations that may
require special attention before you
operate these lamps. For example, some
jurisdictions may require that you
operate your lower beam lamps with fog
lamps at all times, or that headlamps be
turned
on whenever you must use your
windshield wipers.
In addition, most
jurisdictions prohibit driving solely with
parking lamps, especially at dawn
or
dusk. It is recommended that you check
with your own state
or provincial
highway authority for applicable lighting
regulations.
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