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.
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Page 98 of 338
Tachometer (OPTION)
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in revolutions per minute
(rpm).
-
NU I IL't
Fuel Gage
You have one of the fuel gages shown.
The fuel gage tells you about how much
fuel you have left, when the ignition is
on. When the indicator nears E (Empty),
you still have a little fuel left, but you
should get more
soon.
Here are three things that some owners
ask about. None of these show a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, with your ignition
on, 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
tanks capacity to fill the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn
a corner
or speed up.
For your fuel tank capacity, see
Service
Station
Information on the last page of
this manual.
a7
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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Page 105 of 338
Features & Controls
Malfunction Incfkator Lamp
(Semite Engine Soon Light)
A computer monitors operation of your
fuel, ignition and emission control
systems. This light should
come on
when the ignition is on, but the engine
is not running, as a check to show you
it is,
working. If it does not come on at
all, have it fixed right away. If it stays
on, or it comes on while you are driving,
the computer is indicating that yo8u
have a problem. You should take your
vehicle in for service soon.
If you keep driving your vehicle
with
this light on, after a while th
emission controls won't work as
well, your fuel economy won't be
as good and your engine may not
run as smoothly. This could lead to
costly repai+p@,cqered
by your warranty :',~: ~;'='-- ~ -'--:< .:-
Check Gauges Light (OPTION)
The CHECK GAUGES light will come
on
if your oil pressure gage or engine
coolant temperature gage
is pointing to
the red area.
If these gages do not indicate a
problem, the CHECK GAUGES light
means there is
a problem with your
vehicle's charging system.
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Page 111 of 338
Features & Controls
Head-Up Display (OPTION)
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 GAUGES message. (For
low oil pressure, high coolant
t.emperature, and high or low battery
voltage.).
A low fuel warning symbol.
HUD shows these lights when they are
lit on the instrument panel. When you
sit straight in your seat, the HUD image
will appear slightly to the right.
When the ignition key
is turned to Run,
all possible HUD images will! come on
and look like this. Then the Head-Up
Display will operate normally. 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
r,y, into something. R
A If you never look at your
,A instrument panel, you rnL
not see something important, si1
as a warning light. So be sure tc
scan your displays and controls
an
th’e driving environment ju,st as xou --. W n a car w- out UD. .:g:~$ I. A,..+-
.- -. rA .-
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