1995 PONTIAC FIREBIRD engine

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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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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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
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Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked (Automatic Transmission)
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
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in either miles (used in the U.S.) or kilometers (used in
Canada).
Your Pontiac’s odometer is tamper-resistant. If you can
see silver lines between the numbers, probably someone
has tried to
turn it back. The numbers may not be true.
You may wonder what happens if your Pontiac needs a
new odometer installed.
If possible, the new one has to be
set to the same reading the old one had.
If it can’t be, then
it’s set at zero, but a label on the driver’s door must show
the old reading and when the new one was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far your car has been
driven since you last set the trip odometer to zero.
To set the trip odometer to zero, press the knob.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in thousands
of revolutions per minute (rpm).
I NOTICE:
I
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in
the red area, or engine damage may occur.
Warning Lights, Gauges and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gauges that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gauges can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gauges could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be or is, a problem
with one of your car’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.
Gauges can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your car’s functions. Often gauges and
warning lights work together to let you know ,when
there’s a problem with your car.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gauges 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 gauges. They’re a big help.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ABS
INOP
With the anti-lock brake system, this light will come 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 flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with your
regular brakes. Pull
off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Car” in the Index.)
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and
tum
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
light
is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
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Low Traction Light Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure to
help avoid a braking skid, the
LOW TRAC light will
appear
on your instrument cluster. If you have the traction
control system,
this light will also come on when the
system is limiting wheel spin. Slippery road conditions
may
exist if this light comes on, so adjust your driving
accordingly. The light will stay on for a few seconds after
the
anti-lock system stops adjusting brake pressure or the
traction control system stops limiting wheel spin.
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too
hot! It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,”this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
The LOW TRAC light also comes on briefly, as a bulb
check, when the engine is started.
If the light doesn’t
come
on then, have it fixed so it will be there to tell you
when the anti-lock brake system or traction control
system
is active.
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