1994 PONTIAC FIREBIRD transmission

Ensure the shift lever is fully in “P”
(Park) range before starting the engine.
Your Pontiac has a brake-transmission
shift interlock. You have to fully apply
your regular brakes 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) and also release the
shift lever button on floor shift console
models 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 on floor
shift console models.) See “Shifting out
of
“P” (Park)” in this part.
R (Reverse)
Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to “R” (Reverse) while your
vehicle is moving forward could
damage your transmission. 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
jamaging your transmission, see “Stuck:
[n Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow, If You’re”
In the Index.
@ N (Neutral)
[n this position, your engine doesn’t
:onnect with the wheels.
To restart when
You’re already moving, use
“N” (Neutral)
mly. Also, use
“N’ when your vehicle is
Jeing towed.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused
by shifting out of
“P” (Park) or “N”
(Neutral) with the engine racing isn’t
covered by your warranty.
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Features and Controls
@ Automatic Overdrive
This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power far passing, and you’re:
- Going less than about 35 mph
(56 kdh), push your accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
- Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or
more, push the accelerator all
the way
down.
You’ll shift down to the
next gear and
have more power.
D (Third Gear)
This is like @ , but you never go into
Overdrive.
Here are some times you might choose
“D’ instead of @ :
- When driving on hilly, winding roads
- When towing a trailer, so there is less
shifting between gears
- When going down a steep hill
2 (Second Gear)
This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy.
You can use “2” on
hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but
then you would also want to use your
brakes off and on.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in “2” (Second Gear)
for more than
5 miles (8 km), or at
speeds over
55 mph (88 kmh), or
you can damage your transmission.
Use
(EJ or “D” as much as possible.
Don’t shift into
“2” unless you
are going slower than
65 mph
( 105 km/h), or you can damage
your engine.
1 (First Gear)
This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
“2.” You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep
snow or mud. If the selector lever is put
in
“I,” the transmission won’t shift into
first gear until fhe vehicle is going slowly
enough.
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t
try to drive. This might happen if you
were stuck in very deep sand or mud
or were up against a solid object.
You
could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill,
don’t hold your vehicle there with
only the accelerator pedal. This could overheat and damage the transmission. Use your brakes or
shift into
“P” (Park) to hold your
vehicle in position on a hill.
Maximum engine speed is limited
to
protect driveline components from improper operation.
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1 3 5
2
4 R
Manual Transmission
We-Speed
’his is your shift pattern. Here’s how to
perate your transmission:
1 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 “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 to “Neutral.”
Neutral - Use this position when
you start or idle your engine.
R (Reverse) - To back up, press
down
the clutch pedal and shift into
“R.” Let up on the clutch pedal slowly
while pressing
the accelerator pedal.
I NOTICE:
Shift to “R” (Reverse) only after
your vehicle
is stopped. Shifting to
“R” (Reverse) while your vehicle
is moving could damage your
transmission.
Also, use Reverse, along with the parking
brake, for parking your vehicle.
11.. I. *i
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Features and Controls
Six-Speed ,-
This is your shift pattern. Here’s how to
operate your transmission:
0 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 (30 km/h). If
you’ve come to a complete stop and
it’s hard to shift into
“1,” put the shift
lever in “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.
3,4,5 and 6 (Third, Fourth, Fifth
and
Sixth Gears) - Shift into “3,”
“4,” “5” and “6” 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 to “Neutral.”
Neutral - Use this position when
you start or idle your engine.
R (Reverse) - To back up, press
down the clutch pedal and shift into
“R.” Let up on the clutch pedal slowly
while pressing the accelerator pedal.
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Your six-speed manual transmission
has a feature that allows you to safely
shift into
“R’ (Reverse) while the vehicle
is rolling (at less than 3 mph). You will be
“locked-out” if you try to shift into “R”
(Reverse) while your vehicle is’ moving
faster than
3 mph.
If you have turned your ignition off and
wish to park your vehicle in Reverse, you
will have to move the shift lever quickly
to the right, “crashing” through the high
load spring and then into gear.
SKIP
SHIFT
;kip Shift Light (5.7L LT1 Engine)
Yhen this light comes on, you can only
hift from
“1” (First) to “4” (Fourth) gear
nstead of “1” (First) to “2” (Second)
gar. This helps you to get
the best
lossible fuel economy.
’his light will come on under these
onditions:
The engine coolant temperature is greater than 170°F (77”C),
You are going
15-20 mph
(24-32
km/h), and
You are
at 35% throttle or less. When this
light
is on, the gear shift lever
will let you shift from
“1” (First) gear to
“4”(Fourth) gears only. Once you are
in
“4” (Fourth) gear, you can press the
clutch again and shift into another gear.
Follow the shift speeds in this chart when
the
“SKIP SHIFT” light is on.
Computer Aided Manual Transmission
Shift Speeds:
1st to 4th. . , . , . . 15 mph (24 km/h)
4th to 5th ...... 25 mph (40 km/h)*
5th
to 6th ...... 40 mph (64 km/h)**
Each time you come to
a stop, the
engine’s Electronic Control Module
(EGM) determines when to activate the
“SKIP SHIFT” upshift system. Use
“2”
(Second) gear only when you accelerate
very quickly from’a stop.
You can then
follow the full gear shift pattern.
*30 mph (48 km/h) when accelerating
to highway speeds.
**45 mph (72 km/h) when accelerating
to highway
speeds.
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Features and Controls
shift Speeds (MANUAL TRANSMISSION)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear for best fuel economy.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMMENDED SHIFT SPEEDS, IN MPH (km/h)
Acceleration Shift Speed
1 to2 5
to
6 4 to 5 3 to 4 2 to 3
Engine
3.4L L32
you should downshift to the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two or more
If
your speed drops below
20 mph (30 km/h), or if the engine is not running smoothly,
(80)
(72)
(64)
(40)
(24)
(Code P)
50 45 40
25 15 5.7L LTI NIA
(72-75)
(51-59)
(34-35)
(21-25)
(Code
S)
45-47
32-37
21 -28
13-1 6
gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
NOTICE:
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 transmission.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle
can give you additional traction on
snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works
like a standard axle most of the time,
but
when one of the rear wheels has
no traction and the other does, the limited-slip feature will allow the
wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
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Features and Controls
Shifting into P (Park)
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your
right foot and set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into T“ (Park)
position like this:
Hold in the button on the lever,
and push the lever all the way
toward the front of your vehicle.
3. Move the ignition key to “LOCK.”
4. Remove the key and take it with you.
If you can walk away from your
vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in
“P’ (Park).
Leaving Your Vehicle with the
Engine Running
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the
engine running, be sure your vehicle is
in
“P’ (Park) and your parking brake is
firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the
“P’
(Park) position, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from
“P’ (Park)
without first pushing the button. If you
can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t
fully locked into
“P” (Park).
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Torque Lock
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t
shift your transmission into “P” (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult
to pull the shift lever out of “P” (Park)
This is called “torque lock.” To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into “P’7 (Park) properly before
you leave the driver’s Seat. To find out
how, see “Shifting Into “P” (Park)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out of
“P” (Park) BEFORE you
release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur, you may
need to have another vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of the pressure
from the transmission,
so you can pull the
shift lever out of “P” (Park).
Shifting out of P (Park)
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
Your Pontiac has a brake-transmission
shift interlock. You have to fully apply
your regular brake before you can shift
from “P” (Park) when the ignition is in
the “Run” position. See “Automatic
Transmission” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of
“F”’ (Park), ease
pressure on the shift lever
- push the
shift lever all the way into
“P” (Park) and
release the shift lever button as you
maintain brake application. Then press
the shift lever button and move the shift
lever into the gear you wish.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but
still can’t shift out of
“P” (Park), try this:
1. Turn the key to “Off.”
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end
3. Shift to “N’ (Neutral).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the
drive gear you want.
of
Step
4.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you
can.
Parking Your Vehicle
(MANUAL TRANSMISSION)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put
your manual transmission in
“R’
(Reverse) and firmly apply the parking
brake.
If your vehicle is equipped
to tow a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the
Index.
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