1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Tachometer (Option)
The tachometer shows your
engine speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Do not
run your engine at speeds
in
the red area.
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.
Waming 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 &so save YOU or
others from iniurv.
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.
Your vehicle may also have a driver information center
that works along with the
w,arning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information Center’’
in the Index.
2-62
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Safety Belt Reminder 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.
’
The safety belt light will
also come
on and stay on
for about 70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt
is already
buckled, neither the chime nor the light will come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you
if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the
air bag sensors, the air bag moduIes,
the wiring and the crash sensing ahd diagnostic module.
For more infomation on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
BAG 4
AIR @a
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition to ,RUN
or STmT. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays on, or comes on when you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
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Battery Light Voltmeter
This light will come on
briefly When you start the
vehicle: as a check'to show
you it is working; thenlit
should
go .out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you axe driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical ,chatging system.
It could indicate that you have
a generator problem or
another electrical system problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while
this light is on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
oertain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and, climate control system;
Some clusters with gages
do not have a battery warning
light. They have a CHECK GAGES warning to indicate
a problem. Vehicles with- the supercharged enginealso
have
a similar battery warning light.
<-fi 18
You may have a voltmeter
unless you have the
supercharged engine.
When the engine is
running, the gage shows the
coqdition of the charging system. Readings outside the '
red warning zone indicate the normal operating range.
Readings
in the red warning zone indicate a pos'sible
problem
in the electrical system. The CHECK GAGES
light will also come on, and a warning chime will sound.
Have your vehicle serviced immediately.
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.
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Brake System Warning Light
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have
your brake system inspected right away.
,BRAKE (a)
This light should come on
when
you turn the ignition
key to START.
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 and chime come 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, have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing
You Vehicle” in the Index.)
A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light
is still on after you’ve
pulled
off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brike doesn’t release
fully. If you try to drive off with the parking brake set,
a chime will also come on until you release the parking
brake.
If the light and chime stay on after your
parking brake is fully released,
it means you have a
brake problem.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warhing Light If the light stays on, turn the ignition off. Or, if the light I comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
With the anti-lock
brake and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to
system, &is fight will come reset the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on
ANTILOCK (@)
1
on when you start your I again while you’re driving, your Pontiac needs service.
,engine
and may stay on for If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you
several seconds. That’s still have brakes, but YOU don’t have anti-lock brakes.
normal.
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.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t
come on then, have‘it fixed so it will be
ready
to warn you if there is a problem.
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Traction Control System Warning Light (Option)
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine.
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 mvmg, 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. The
traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
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.)
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
an until your brakes cool down.
0 If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will
turn off and
the warning light
will come on.
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.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
LOW
COOLANT
If you have this light and it
comes on, your system may
be low on coolant and the
engine may overheat.
Check to see
if the level is low at the recovery tank, and
add coolant if necessary. If the level is not low, have
your low
coolant warning system serviced. See “Engine
Coolant”
in the Index.
The
LOW COOLANT warning light will also come on
when you
turn on the ignition, but your engine is not
running, as a check to show you it is working. If it
doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed right away.
After the buIb check, the light will go out for 20 seconds.
If the light comes back on after 20 seconds, the system
may
be low on ,coolant. See “Engine Coolant’’ in
the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves
into the red
,area, your
engine
is too hot! The
CHECK GAGES light
will
go on and a warning
chime
will sound, if you
have this option.
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 the section “Problems on the Road,” this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in
the Index.
, .-; ’.
. . -.
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Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light)
CHECK
Your Pontiac is
equipped with.a
, ' .
computer which
monitors operation of
the fuel, ignition and
emission control systems.
This system is called OBD 11 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment.
(In Canada, OBD 11 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The CHECK ENGINE light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent, which may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle.
This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE: 1.
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run
as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running.
If ,the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
0
0
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and service is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
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