Page 73 of 386

NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND for more than 5 miles
(8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h), or
you can damage your transmission. Use
OVERDRIVE or
THIRD as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 km/h), 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 transmission
won’t shift into
first gear until the 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 acceleratw
pedal.
This could overheat and damage the
transmission.
Use your brakes or shift into
BARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on.‘
a hill.
.- e 1Y .,
Maximum engine speed is limited to protect driveline
Lomponents from improper operation.
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Manual Tradsmission
Five-Speed
1 3 5
2 4 R
This is your shift pattern. Here’s how to operate your
transmission:
0
0
0
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shi€t into
FIRST
(1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST (1) whed you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 M). If you’ve cowe to a
compiete stop and it’s hard to‘shift into FIRST
(1)
put the shift lever in NEUTkAL and let up on the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back down. Then
shift
into FIRST (1).
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal 10 fhe floor as
you let up on the accelerator pedal and
s&ft into
SECOND
(2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch
pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH (3,4,5, Gears): Shift
into THIRD
(3)’ FOURTH t4) and FIFTH (5) the
same way you do for SECOND
(2). Slowly let up on
the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
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Page 75 of 386
0 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 (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal
and shift ipto REVERSE (R). Let up on the
clutch pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator
pedal.
F
NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE
(R) while your
vehicle is moving could damage your
transmission.
Also, use Reverse, along with the parking brake, for
parking your vehicle.
I
2-28
Six-Speed
3 5 R
2 4 6
This is your shift pattern. Here’s how to operate your
transmission:
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
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You can shift into FIRST (1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 kmk). If you’ve come to a
complete stop and it’s hard to shift into FIRST
(1)
put the shift lever in NEUTRAL and let up on the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back down. Then shift
into FIRST
(1).
0 SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up
on the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND (2).
Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press
the accelerator pedal.
THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, and SIXTH (3,4,5,
and 6 Gears): Shift into THIRD (3), FOURTH (4),
FIFTH (5) and SIXTH (6) the same way you do for
SECOND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
0 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“Neutra1.”
0
0
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE (R). Let up on the
clutch pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator
pedal. If you
shift from SIXTH (6) into REVERSE
(R) the shift lever must be first placed in the
NEUTRAL position centered between SECOND
(2)
and THIRD (3) prior to shfting into REVERSE (R).
Your six-speed manual transmission has a feature that
allows you to safely shift into REVERSE (R) while the
vehicle is rolling (at less than
5 mph). You will be
locked-out if you try to shift into REVERSE (FQ while
your vehicle is moving faster than
5 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.
I
/ I
I I 2-29
f
1
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Skip Shift Light (5.7L LTl Engine)
When this light comes on, you can only shift from
FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) gear instead
of FIRST (1) to
SECOND (2) gear. This helps you to get the best
possible fuel economy.
This light will come on under these conditions:
0 The engine coolant temperature is greater than
170°F (77"C),
0 You are going 15-20 mph (24-32.'km/h), and
0 You are at 35% throttle or less.
When this light is on, the gear shift lever will let you
shift from
FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) gears only. Once
you are in FOURTH (4) 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 (ECM) determines when to activate the
SKIP SHIFT upshift system. Use SECOND (2) 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 krn/h) when accelerating to highway
speeds.
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Shift Speeds (Manual Transmission)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
.for best fuel economy.
I MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMMENDED SHIFT SPEEDS, IN MPH (kmh) I
Engine Acceleration Shifi Speed
1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4t0 5 5 to 6 r
(Code S) 3.4L L32 13-16 21-28 32-37 (21-25) (34-35) (51-59) (72-75) 45-47 NIA
If your speed drops below 20 mph (30 kmk), or if the
engine
is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear.
You may have to downshift two or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
NOTICE: I
If you skip more than one gear when you)
downshift, or if you race the engine wheaiyou
downshift, you can
damage the clutch or"
transmission.
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Page 82 of 386

2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like
this:
Hold in the button on the lever, and push the
lever all the way toward the front of your car.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from your car with the ignition key in
your hand, your car
is in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission Models
Only)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK
(P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) 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 PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
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 PARK (P).
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Shiftiqg out of PARK (P)
(Authmatic .. .. Transmission)
Parking Your Vehicle
(Manual Transmission)
Your Pontic has a brake-transmission shift interlock. Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual
You hqve to hlly apply your regular brake before you transmission in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the
ca~ shjft from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the parking brake.
RUN position. See “Automatic Transmission” in the
Index.
If yov cmot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever - push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) 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 per hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn @e key to OFF.
If your vehicle is equipped to tow a trailer, see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index.
2, Apply and hold the brake.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. St& the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can,
ww!.
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