
Features & Controls 
Remote Trunk Release (CONK) 
Lockout  Feature: 
The remote  trunk release is equipped 
with  a  lockout  feature  to  help  prevent 
unauthorized  entry into  the  trunk when 
leaving  the  vehicle  unattended. The 
switch  is  located  on  the inside  of the 
trunk lid,  mounted  to  the 
trunk lid  latch. 
To  turn  the  lockout  on, slide  the switch 
all the  way to  the  right. 
To turn the 
lockout  off, slide  the  switch  all  the way 
to  the  left. 
When  the  lockout  is  on, the  mechanical 
remote  trunk  release  will  not  release  the 
trunk lid.  However,  the trunk lid can 
still  be  opened  with  the key. 
Glove Box 
Use the door key to  lock  and  unlock  the 
glove  box. To open,  pull  the  glove  box 
handle  toward  you.  Your 
modern  Pontiac  doesn’t  need 
an  elaborate  “break-in.”  But 
it will 
perform  better in the long  run  if 
you follow  these  guidelines: 
Don’t  drive at  any one speed- 
fast or slow-for  the  first 500 
miles (804 km). Don’t  make  full- 
throttle 
starts 
Avoid  making  hard  st+  for  the 
first 
200 miles (322 km) or so. 
During  this  time  your  new brake 
linings  aren’t  yet  broken  in.  Hard  stops  with  new linings  can  mean 
premature  wear  and  earlier 
replacement.  Follow  this 
“breaking-in”  guideline  every 
time  you  get  new  brake  linings 
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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. 
53 
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Features & Controls 
Both Transax/es (CONTI 
Holding  your key in Start for 
longer  than 
15 seconds  at  a  time 
will  cause  your  battery 
to be 
drained  much  sooner.  And  the 
excessive  heat  can damage  your 
starter  motor. 
4. If  your  engine  still  won’t  start  (or 
starts  but  then  stops), it  could  be 
flooded  with  too  much  gasoline. 
Try 
pushing  your  accelerator pedal all tht 
way to the floor  and  holding  it  there 
as  you  hold  the key  in 
Start for abou 
three  seconds.  This clears 
the extra 
gasoline  from the  engine.  If  the 
vehicle 
starts briefly  but then stops 
again,  do the  same  thing,  but this 
time  keep  the pedal  about  one- 
quarter  of the  way  down  for  five  or 
six  seconds.  Your 
engine  is designed  to work 
with the electronics in 
your 
vehicle.  If  you  add  electrical parts 
or accessories, you could change 
the  way  the 
fuel injection  system 
operates.  Before  adding  electrical 
equipment, check  with  your dealer. 
If 
you don’t,  your  engine might  not 
perform  properly. 
If  you  ever have  to have  your 
vehicle  towed,  see the part  of this 
manual  that tells  how  to 
do it 
without  damaging  your  vehicle.  See the 
Index under Towing Your 
Pontiac. 
To Start Your  3300 V6 Engine 
(Code N): 
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,  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  and  the  accelerator  pedal. 
m.. 54 
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NOTICE 
Holding  your  key  in Start for 
longer  than 
15 seconds  at  a  time 
will  cause  your  battery  to  be 
drained  much  sooner.  And  the  excessive  heat  can  damage  your  starter  motor. 
4. If  your  engine  still  won’t start (or 
starts but  then  stops), it could  be 
flooded 
with too  much  gasoline. Try 
pushing  your  accelerator  pedal  all  thl 
way  to  the  floor  and  holding 
it there 
as  you  hold  the key 
in Start for  abou 
15 seconds.  This  clears  the  extra 
gasoline  from  the  engine. 
Turn the 
ignition  key  to 
Off. Wait 10 seconds: 
then  repeat  step 
3. 
1lL 
Your  engine is  designed  to  work 
with  the electronics  in  your 
vehicle. 
If you  add electrical parts 
or  accessories,  you could  change 
the way  the fuel  injection  system 
operates.  Before  adding  electrical 
equipment, check  with  your  dealer. 
If  you  don’t,  your  engine might  not 
perform  properly. 
If you  ever  have  to have  your 
vehicle  towed, see the  part of this 
manual  that  tells  how  to  do it 
without  damaging  your  vehicle. 
See the 
Index under Towing bur 
Pontiac. 
Triving  Through Deep Standing 
Vater 
NOTICE I 
If  you  drive too quickly  through 
deep  puddles  or standing  water, 
water  can come  in through  your 
engine’s  air intake  and badly 
damage  your  engine.  If  you  can’t 
avoid  deep puddles  or standing 
water,  drive through  them very 
slowly. 
5E ... 
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Features & Controls 
Park (CONT.) 
Ensure the  shift  lever  is fully in P (Park) 
range  before  starting  the engine.  Your 
Pontiac  has  a  brake-transaxle  shift 
interlock.  You  have 
to apply your 
regular  brake 
before you can shift  from 
P (Park)  when  the ignition  key is in  the 
Run position.  If  you cannot  shift  out  of 
P (Park), ease pressure on the shift 
lever-push  the shift  lever  all  the way 
into 
P (Park)-as you maintain  brake 
application.  Then  move the shift lever 
into the  gear  you  wish.  (Press the shift 
lever  button  before  moving  the shift 
lever,)  See 
Shifting Out of P (Park) later 
in this section. 
Reverse 
R (Reverse): Use  this gear to  back  up. 
Shifting  to 
R (Reverse)  while your 
vehicle 
is moving  forward  could 
damage  your  transaxle. Shift 
to 
R only after  your  vehicle  is 
stopped. 
To rock  your  vehicle  back  and  forth  to 
get  out  of 
snow, ice or sand  without 
damaging  your  transaxle, 
see the Index 
under If You ’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, 
Ice or Snow. 
Neutral 
N (Neutral): In this  position,  your 
engine  doesn’t  connect  with  the  wheels. 
To  restart  when  you’re  already  moving, 
use 
N (Neutral)  only.  Also,  use N when 
your  vehicle  is  being  towed. 
A Shifting  out of P (Park)  or 
1 N (Neutral)  while  your  engine I 
‘racing”  (running  at  high  speed) 
is  dangerous.  Unless  your  foot  is 
firmly  on  the  brake  pedal,  your 
vehicle  could  move  very  rapidly.  You 
could  lose  control  and  hit  people 
or  objects.  Don’t  shift  out 
of 
P (Park)  or N (Neutral)  while  your 
engine  is  racing. 
I.. 58 
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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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Engine  Coolant  Temperature Gage 
This  gage  shows  the  engine  coolant 
temperature.  If the  gage  pointer  moves 
into  the  red  area, your  engine  is  too  hot! 
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  the 
Index under 
Engine  Overheating. 
Low Coolant  Warning  light 
If this light  comes on, your  system  is 
low  on coolant  and  the engine may 
overheat.  See the 
Index under Engine 
Overheating 
and  have  your  vehicle 
serviced as 
soon as  you  can. 
Oil  Warning  Llght 
If  you  have  a problem with your  oil, this 
light  may  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. 
93 
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Oil Warning  Light (CONT.) 
The oil  light  could  also come on  in  three 
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. 
Sometimes  when  the  engine  is  idling 
at a  stop,  the  light  may blink  on  and 
off. This  is normal. 
If you  make  a hard  stop,  the light  may 
come  on  for  a moment.  This is 
normal. 
I 
 Don’t  keep  driving  if the oil 
your  engine  can  become so hot  that 
it  catches  fire.  You or others  could 
’ ; burned.  Check  your  oil  as soon 
ab possible  and  have  your  vehicle 
serviced. 
E pressure  is  low. If you do, 
‘CHECK I 
OIL 
,4-;, Damage  to  your  engine from 
;; neglected  oil  problems  can  be 
,’: costly  and  is  not  covered -1 by your 
i:.. warranty. , 1. 
I 
1 
Check  Oil  Light 
This  light  should  come  on  briefly  when 
you 
turn your  ignition  key  to Run. It 
also  comes  on  and  stays  on  when  the  oil 
level  in  your  vehicle  is  low.  If  this 
happens,  park  your  vehicle 
in a  level 
place,  check  your 
oil level  and  bring  the 
engine 
oil up  to  its  proper  level. See the 
Index under Engine Oil. 
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