Page 95 of 338
Features & Controls
Zmhment Panel Clusters
Your Pontiac is equipped with one of these instrument panel clusters, which
includes indicator warning lights and gages that are explained on the following
pages. Be
sure to read about those that apply to the instrument panel cluster for
your Pontiac.
94 W2175
ProCarManuals.com
Page 96 of 338

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning lights
and gages that may be on your vehicle.
The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that
something is wrong before it becomes
serious enough to cause an expensive
r’epair or replacement. Paying attention
to your warning lights and gages could
also save you or others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may
be or
is a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when
you turn the ignition key just to let you
know they’re working.
If you are familiar
with this section, you should
not be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be
or is a problem with one of your
vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you
lmow when there’s a problem with your
vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes
on and stays on when you are driving,
or when one of the gages shows there
may be a problem, check the section
that tells you what to
do about it. Please
follow the manual’s advice. Waiting to
do repairs can be costly-and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your
warning lights and gages. They’re a big
help. Your vehicle may also
have
a driver
information system that worlrs along
with the warning lights and gages. See
the Index under Driver Information
Center.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 99 of 338
8..
Features & Controls
Low Fuel Warning Light
If your fuel is low, a light will come on.
98
The warning will not go off 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 is
working. If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed.
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light
This light tells you that your engine
coolant has overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is 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.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 100 of 338
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
You have a gage that 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
Coolant and have your vehicle serviced
as soon as you can.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 101 of 338

mmm
Features & Controls
I
Oil Warning Light
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.
3 00
The oil light could also come on in three
other situations:
When the ignition is 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.
Don’t keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. If you do,
your engine can become so hot that
it catches he. You or others could
be burned. Check your oil as soon
as possible and have yaw vehicle
NOTICE
ProCarManuals.com
Page 102 of 338

Oil Pressure Indicator (OPTION)
This indicator tells you if there could be
a problem with your engine oil pressure.
The pointer should be above the red
zone when the engine is running.
I CAUTION
Readings in the red area tell you that
the engine is low on oil, or that you
might have some other oil problem. See
the
Index under Engine Oil.
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.
Battery Warning Light
The charging system light will come on
briefly when you turn on the ignition
as
a check to show you it is working. Then
it should go out.
If it stays on, or comes
on while you are driving, you may have
a problem with the electrical charging
system. It could indicate that
you have
a loose generator drive belt
or another
electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light
is on
could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with
the light
on, be certain to turn off all
your accessories, such as the radio and
air conditioner.
101
ProCarManuals.com
Page 103 of 338

Voltmeter (OPTION)
When the engine is running, the gage
shows the condition
of the charging
system. Readings between the red
warning zones indicate the normal
operating range.
Readings in either red warning zone
indicate a possible problem in the
electrical system. Have your vehicle
serviced immediately.
When your engine
is not running, but
the ignition is
on (in the Run position),
the gage shows your battery’s state
of
charge.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Pontiac’s hydraulic brake system
is divided into two parts. If one part
isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good bralung,
though, you need both parts working
well.
If the warning light goes on, there
could be a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right
away.
This light should come on as you start
the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there’s a problem.
This light will also come on when you
set your
parking brake, and will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t release fully.
If it stays on after your parking
brake is fully released, it means you
have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving, pull
off the road and stop carefully. You maJ
notice that the pedal is harder to push.
Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop.
If the light is
still on, have the vehicle towed for
service. (See the
Index under Towing
Your Pontiac.)
1 CAUTION
Your brake system may not
be working properly if the .
WIMC warning light is on. Driving
with the brake warning light ora can
lead to an accident. If the light is
still on after you’ve pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have
I the vehicle towed €or senrice.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 104 of 338
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light (OPTION)
With anti-lock, this light will go on
when you start your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on or comes on when
you’re driving,
stop as soon as possible
and turn the key off. Then start the
engine to reset the system. If the light
still stays
on, or comes on again while
you’re driving, your Pontiac needs
service. Unless the regular brake system
warning light
is also on, you will still
have brakes, but not anti-lock brakes.
If
the regular brake system warning light
is also on, see the Index under Brake
System Warning Light.
If the anti-lock brake system warning
light ever flashes, your anti-lock brake
system is still working but needs service
as soon as possible.
1
ProCarManuals.com