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 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
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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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Page 144 of 338

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a national
tragedy. It’s the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every
year.
Alcohol takes away three things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all
motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol-a driver, a passenger or
someone else, such as a pedestrian, had
been drinking. In most cases, these
deaths are the result
of someone who
was drinking and driving. Over
25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each
year because of alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured. Just
how much alcohol is too much
if a
~ person plans to drive? Ideally, no one
~ should drink alcohol and then drive.
But if one does, then what’s “too
much”? It can be
a lot less than many
might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is
some
general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that is consumed
before and during drinlung.
The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol.
I
According to the American Medi’cal
Association,
a 180-pound [82 kg)
person who
drinks three 12-ounce
(355 mi) bottles of beer in an hour will
end up with a
BAC of about 0.06,
percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed
drinks
if each had ll/z ounces (45 ml)
of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts.
For example, if the same person drank
three double martinis (3 ounces or
90 rnl of liquor each) within an hour,
the person’s BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who consumes
food just before or during drinking will
have a slightly lower BAC level.
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Page 185 of 338
Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and rear
turn signal lights will flash on and off.
184
Slide the switch up to make your front
and rear turn signal lights flash
on and
off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no
matter what position your key is in, and
even if the key isn’t in.
To turn off the flashers, slide the switch
down.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can
set one
up at the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
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Page 191 of 338

Problems on the Road
Towing Your P onfiac (c0N;T.j
When your vehicle is being towed!, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel
should be clamped
in a straight-ahead
position, with a clamping device
designed for
towing service. Do not use
the vehicle's steering
column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in
N [Neutral) and the parking brake
re1,eased.
Don't have your vehicle towed
on the
front wheels, unless
you must. If the
vehicle must be towed
on the front
wheels, don't go more than 35 mph
(56 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 km) or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded, then the front wheels have to
be supported on a dolly.
II
CAUTION
* A vehicle can fall from a car
scb,red. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle
damage. The vehicle should be
tightly secured with chains or steel
cables before it is transported.
Don't use substitutes (ropes,
leather straps, canvas webbing,
etc.) that can be cut
by sharp e('- :s
underneath the tou hicle .
I b carrier if it isn't properly
Towing from the Front-
Vehicle
Hook-up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information on
Towing Your Pontiac earlier in this
section.
1. Attach T-hook chains into the side
slots in the cradle in front of the
wheels, on both sides.
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Page 204 of 338
8. If your vehicle has optional alloy
wheels, each wheel may have one
wheel locknut in place
of a standard
wheel nut. A special wheel lock key
(removal tool) and instructions are
provided with your vehicle. Attach
the wheel lock key to the socket
of
your wheel wrench. Remove the
locking wheel nut by turning it
counterclockwise.
Do not use an
impact wrench.
Store the key in the foam sleeve
beside the spare tire.
9. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all
the wheel
nuts. Don't remove them
yet.
10. Attach the socket end of the wheel
wrench to the jack.
Turn the wheel
wrench clockwise to raise the
jack
head a few inches.
203
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Page 301 of 338

Maintenance Schedule
Section B: Owner Checks & Services t~ont.3
At Least Once a Bar
CHECK
OR SERVICE I WHAT TO DO
I
Key Lock Cylinders I Lubricate the key lock cylinders with the lubricant specified in Section D.
Body Lubrication
Lubricate all body door hinges. Also lubricate all hinges and latches, including t\
hose for the
hood, trunk, glove box door, console door and any folding seat hardware. Se\
ction
D tells you
what to use.
I
When you are doing this check, the vehicle could move suddenly. If it does, you or others I
could be injured. Follow the steps below.
1. Defore you start, be sure you have enough room aIuund the vdcle.
2. Firmly apply both the parking brake (see the Index under Parking Brake if necessary) and the
regular brake.
NOTE:
Do not use the accelerator pedal, and be ready to turn off the engine immediately if it
starts.
3. On automatic transaxle vehicles, try to start the engine in each gear. The starter should work
only in
P (Park) or N (Neutral). If the starter works in any other position, your vehicle needs
service.
On manual transaxle vehicles, put the shift lever in
N (Neutral), push the clutch down halfway
and try to start the engine. The starter should work only when the clutch\
is pushed down all
the way to the floor.
If the starter works when the clutch isn’t pushed all the way down, your
vehicle needs service.
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