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Parking Brake
To set the parking
brake hold the regular
brake pedal down with
your right foot. Push
down the parking
brake pedal with your
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come on.
To release the parking
brake hold the regular
brake pedal down. Pull the
BRAKE
RELEASE lever.
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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Lamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door while leaving the lamps on
and the ignition
off, you will hear a warning chime.
Headlamp High-Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps
from low beam to high or
high to low, pull the turn
signal lever all the way
toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on,
this blue light on the
instrument panel
also will
be on.
Flash-To-Pass (Except Canada)
Flash-to-pass lets you use your high beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front
of you that you want to pass.
To use it, pull the turn signaVmultifunction lever toward
you.
If your headlamps are off your high beam headlamps
will
turn on. They’ll stay on as long as you hold the
lever there. Release the lever to turn them
off.
If your headlamps are on, the flash-to-pass function will
not work. Use the lever
to change between high and low
beams.
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i
The main components of your instrument panel are:
1. Fog Lamp Switch
2. Instrument Panel Intensity Control/ Interior Lamps
Switch
3. Side Vent
4. Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
5. Hazard Warning Flashers Switch
6. Instrument Cluster
7. Windshield WipersNasher Stalk
8. Center Vent
9. Audio System
10. Side Vent
11. Side Window Defogger Vent
12. Glove Box
13. Climate Control System
14. AshtrayLighter
15. Gear Shift Lever
16. Rear Window Defogger (Option)
17. Ignition Switch
18. SRS - Supplemental Restraint System (Air Bag)
19. Horns
20. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever (Option)
21. Parking Brake Release Lever
22. Hood Release Handle
23. Fuse Panel
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Instrument Panel Clusters
Your Pontiac is equipped with one of these instrument
panel clusters, which includes indicator warning lights
and gages that are explained on the following pages.
Standard Cluster
Be sure to read about those that apply to the instrument
panel cluster for
your vehicle.
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Tachometer (Option)
e--
@ -*
5
4
RPM
XlOOO
The tachometer shows your engine speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
NOTICE:
Do not run your engine at speeds in the red area,
or engine damage may occur.
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part 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 repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come 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
start the engine 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 know 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 this 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.
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Safety Belt Warning Light
When the key is turned to
RUN or START a chime
will come on for about
eight seconds to remind
people to fasten their
safety belts, unless the
driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will also come on and stay on for
about
20 seconds, then it will flash for about 55 seconds.
If the driver’s belt is already buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
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Voltmeter (Option)
U
W
[-I
When your engine is not running, this gage shows the
condition
of your charging system.
When your engine is not running, but the ignition is on
(in the
RUN position), the gage shows your battery’s
state of charge in
DC volts. Readings between the red
warning zones indicate the normal operating range.
Readings in either red warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have your vehicle
serviced immediately.
Shift Light (Manual Transaxle)
0
SHIFT
L
This light comes on when you need to shift to the next
higher gear. See “Manual
Transaxle” in the Index.
Brake System Warning Light
BRAKE
Your Pontiac .’s hyc h-au llic
brake system is divided into
two parts.
If one part isn’t
working, the other
part can
still work
and stop you. For
good braking, though, you
need both parts working
well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
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This light should come on briefly as you start the
vehicle. If it doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, 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. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when
you set your parking brake, and it will stay
on if your
parking brake doesn’t release fully. If it stays on after
your parking brake is fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1
With the anti-lock brake
svstem. this lirrht will
8 u
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 w-ith 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
Vehicle” in the Index.)
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