1995 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE brakes

PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use when
you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily. Ensure the shift lever is fully in
PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Pontiac has a brake-transaxle
shift interlock.
You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK when the ignition
key is in the
ON position. If you cannot shift out of
PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever -- push t2ze
shift lever all the way into 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 PARK (P)” later
in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE
(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 “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
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DRIVE (D): This is like @, but you never go into
OVERDRIVE.
Here are some times you might choose DRIVE (D)
instead of
a:
- When driving on hilly, winding roads
- When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears
- When going down a steep hill
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can
use SECOND (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 SECOND (2) for more than 5
miles (8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h),
or you can damage your transaxle. Use
@ or
DRIVE (D) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 kd), or you can
damage your engine. FIRST
(1): This
position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the
selector lever is put in FIRST (l), the transaxle won’t
shift into first gear until
the vehicle is going slowly
enough.
NOTICE:
If your front 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 transaxle.
Also,
if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.
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Parking Brake
A
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking brake
pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
If you start to drive away with the parking brake set, a
chime
will sound after the vehicle has traveled 46 feet
(14 meters). To
release the parking brake, use the
PUSH TO
RELEASE park brake pedal. Hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push
the park brake
pedal with your left foot. This will unlock the pedal.
When you lift your left foot, the park brake pedal
will
follow it to the release position.
If you try to drive away with the parking brake on, the
brake light stays on and a chime sounds until you
release
the parking brake or recycle the ignition.
I NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake,on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking. on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer
from moving.
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Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can
maintain
a speed of about
25 mph (40 kmh) or more
without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can
really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not
work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
tractison control system begins to limit wheel spin,
the
cruise control will automatically disengage. (See
“Traction Control
System” in the Index. When road
conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
E
ANTILOCK (@I)
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several 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.
Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option)
This warning light
should come on briefly
as you start the engine.
r TRACTION OFF
If the light stays on, turn the ignition off. Or, if the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible
and turn the ignition off. Then
start the engine again to
reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on
again while you’re driving, your Pontiac needs service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you
still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning light is also on, you
don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with
your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier in this part.
If the warning light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem. If it
stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there may be
a problem with your traction control system
and your
vehicle may need service. When this warning light is on,
the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
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The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the center console, the warning light will
come on and stay on.
To turn the system back on,
press the button again. The warning light should go
off. (See “Traction Control System” in the Index for
more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light
will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn
off and the warning light will come
on until
your brakes cool down.
engine-related problem, the system will turn
off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system is affected by an
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning
Light
1
This light tells you that your
engine coolant has
overheated
or your radiator 4
cooling fans are 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.
In the section “Problems on the Road”, this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating” in the
Index.
Some clusters with gages
do not have a coolant
temperature warning light. In those clusters a
CHECK
GAGES warning light will alert you of a possible
coolant heating problem.
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showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden actian, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about
drinking and driving that
many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart.
This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle g~ where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination,
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition of your brakes. Avoid needless heavy
bralung. Some people drive
in spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down.
If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up,
it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
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