1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid liard accelerations.
~ .I.<.’.) . .e ,,- .I - ..
L:‘:’r’ j. , 0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
0 If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of wgo being
hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “E
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash,, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P), Turn the
key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On
Steady” following. If the light is still flashing follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction b’y considering the following:
Did
you just put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the
cap. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap
has been left off or improperly installed. This will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips should turn the light off.
Rid you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
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Are you low on fuel?
As your engme starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as’ efficiently as designed since small- amounts
of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly. It
will take a few driving ,trips
to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel”
in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may
notice
this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or
stumbling on acceleration. (These ’
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to
Imn on.
If you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel
to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment.
and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Engine Oil Pressure 1,ig.ht
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may
stay
on after you start your
engine,
or come on when
you are driving.
This may indicate that oil is not going through your
engine quickly enough to keep it cool. the engine could
be low on oil, or could have some other oil problem.
If you are driving, carefully pull over to a safe location
and stop to check the oil level. See “Checking Engine
Oil” in the Index.
If the engine oil is low, add oil as required. See “Adding
Engine
Oil” in the Index.
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I /r CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do,. your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your oil
as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE: Ir
r
~ ~~
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
- '
Check Oil Level Warning Light
CHECK OIL
LEVEL
This light indicates when
the engine
oil level is 1 to
1 1/2 quarts (0.95 L to
1.4 L) low. It will go on for
one to three seconds when
the ignition
is turned to the
RUN position, as a bulb
check to show you that the
system
is working.
If the light doesn't come on, have your oil level warning
svstem serviced.
:? ' .C. .:
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Even if you have a low oil level, the light will go off for
15 to 20 seconds. Then, if the oil level is low, and it has
been at least eight minutes
since your engine was last
running, the
CHECK OIL LEVEL light will come on
for
20 to 40 seconds. The eight-minute delay allows the
majority of the oil to drain back into the oil pan and
prevent a false low condition.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL warning comes on, the oil
level should be checked at the oil dipstick. If the level is
low, the engine
oil should be brought up to the proper
level. See “Engine Oil” in the Index. After restoring the\

proper level and waiting for the eight-minute drainback,
the key can be turned to the
RUN position and the
CHECK OIL LEVEL warning light should only come
on as a bulb check.
Oil Pressure Gage
The oil pressure gage shows
the engine
oil pressure in psi
(pounds per square inch)
when
the engine is rwmhg.
Canadian vehicles indicate
pressure in kPa (kiloPascals).
Oil pressure may vary with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the red
warning zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the red zone may be caused by a,’
dangerously low
oil level or other problem causing low
oil pressure.
The CHECK GAGES light will go on and. a
warning ch@e
will sound, if you have this option.
Driving your
vehicle with low oil pressure can cause
extensive ,engine, damage.
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Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
WASHER FLUID
This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working 'and the
fluid container is less
than
one-third full.
Check Gages Warning ,, Light (Option)
CHECK GAG.ES
This light will come on
briefly when you are
starting the engine.
Driving without washer fluid canbe dangerous.
A bad
mud splash can block
your vision. You could collide
with another vehicle. Check your washer
fluid often,
and add only the proper fluid. See "Windshield Washer
Fluid" in
the Index.
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your gages for fuel, coolant temperature, okl
pressure or voltage. This light will stay on if your engine
is not running.
... . - ._
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Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left, when the ignition is on. When the gage reads in the
yellow band, a warning chime will sound and the
CHECK GAGES warning light will go on, if you have
this option.
Here
are some things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
the
gage reads
FULL (F).
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank's capacity to fill
the tank.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner,
The gage doesn't go back to EMPTY (E) when you
If you have the large span (220") gage, the needle
speed up, or make a hard stop.
turn off the ignition.
moves more
for a given amount of fuel. This does not
indicate excessive
fuel consumption, and is normal.
Boost Gage (Option)
OST
Vehicles equipped with the supercharged engine have
this boost gage that indicates vacuum during light to.
moderate throttle and boost under heavier throttle. The
gage displays the air pressure level in psi going into the
engine's combustion chamber.
The gage
is automatically centered at zero psi every
time the engine is started. Actual vacuum or boost is
displayed from this zero point. Changes
in ambient
pressure, such as driving in mountains and changing
weather, will slightly change the zero reading.
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Head-Up. Display (Opth)
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
.your field
of view, it may take you more time to
see things
you need to see when it's dark outside.
Be sure to keep
the HUD image dim and placed
low
in your field of view.
If you have the optional Head-Up Display (HUD), you
can see some
of the driver information also mailable on
your instrument panel cluster. The infomation may be
displayed in English or metric units and appears
as a
reflection on the wjndshield. The
HUD shows:
Speedometer reading
Turn signal indicators
High-beam indicator symbol
CHECK GAGES message (for law oil pressure, high
coolant temperature,
low oil level and low fuel)
0 Low fuel warning symbol.
Q CHECK GAGES
I
I
km/h
MPH
HWD shows these images when they are lighted on the
instrument
panel.
When you sit straight in your seat, the HUD image will
appear slightly to the right.
When
the ignition key is turned to RUN, all possible
HUD images will come on, then the Head-Up Display
will operate
normally,,
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If you never look at your instrument panel, you may not
see something important, such as
a warning light. So
be sure to scan your displays and controls and the
driving environment just as you would
in a vehicle
without
HUD.
NOTICE:
Although the HUD image appears to be near the
front
of the vehicle, do not use it as a parking aid. ’
The HUD was not designed for that purpose. If you
try to use it that way, such as in a parking lot, you
may misjudge distance and run into something.
The HUD controls are located to the left of the
steering
column.
1. Start your engine and slide the HUD dimmer control
all the way
up.
The brightness of the HUD image is determined by
whether the headlamp switch is on or off, and where
you have set the HUD dimmer control.
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