1996 PONTIAC FIREBIRD stop start

6-Speed
1 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.
You can shift into FIRST
(1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 M). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard to shift into FIRST
(1) put, the shift
THIRD(3),FOURTH(4),FIFTH(5),and SIXTH
(6): 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.
To Stop: Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
$rake 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
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
ITl3UTRAL (N) position
centered between
SECOND (2) and THIRD (3) prior to
shifting into REVERSE (R).
Your six-speed manual transmission has a feature that
’ ’ idle your engine.
lever in NEUTRAL
(N) and let up on the clutch. Press allows
you to safely shift into REVERSE (R) while the
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1). vehicle is rolling (at less than 5 mph). You will: be
locked-out if you try to shift into REVERSE (R) while
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on your vehicle is moving faster than 5 mph (8 km/h).
the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND (2). Then,
slowly
let up on the clutch pedal as you press the If you have turned your ignition to the OFF position
accelerator pedal.
and wish to park your vehicle in, REVERSE (a), you will have to move the shift lever quickly to the right,
“crashing”through the high load spring and then into gear.
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Windshield Wipers You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow.
Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer to LO, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away
from you to the
LO position. For high-speed wiping,
turn the band further, to HI. To stop the wipers, move
the band to
OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely.
To avoid damage, be sure to
clear ice and snow from the wipers blades before using
them. If they're frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it. breaker will stop them
until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or
ice to prevent an overload.
For
it: single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle.
If you want more cycles, .hold the
band on MIST longer.
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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.
,4 :._ :< If he fight flashes when driving, fbu ~~$~~~~e
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
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing
Your
Vehicle” in the Index.)
, may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly
if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead
to an accident. After you’ve pulled
off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
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 turn
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.
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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If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your s&ide:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled
as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, whenit 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 Steaay
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by 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
dow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your el’ectrical 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.
Are you low on fuel?
As your engine
starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not bun 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.
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NOTICE:
The oil level monitoring system only checks the oil level when you are starting your engine. It does not
keep monitoring the level once your
engine is running.
Also, the oil level check only
works when the engine has been turned
off long
enough for the oil to drain back into the oil pan.
Check Gages Light
CHECK GAGES
This warning light will
come on briefly when you
are starting the engine. If
the light comes on and stays
on while you are driving,
check your gages to see if
they are
in the warning
areas.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about
how much fuel is in your
tank. The gage works only
when the ignition switch is
in the RUN position.
I I
When the gage pointer first indicates EMPTY (E), you
still have a little fuel left (about one to two gallons), but
you need
to get more right away.
Here are four concerns some owners have had about the
fuel gage. All these situations are normal and do not
indicate that anything is wrong with the fuel gage.
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
gage
reads
FULL (F).
reads. For example, the gage reads half full, but it took
more (or less) than half of the tank’s capacity to fill it.
a The gage moves a little when you turn, stop or speed up.
When you turn the engine off, the gage doesn’t go
back to EMPTY (E).
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NEXT (2): Press this button or the SEEK up arrow to
go to the start of the next track if more than eight
seconds have played.
If you hold the button or press it
more than once, the player will continue moving
forward through the disc.
RDM (3): Press this button to hear the tracks in a
random order. It will change tracks in a random, rather
than sequential order. Press
RDM again to turn off
random play.
REV (5): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track (song). Release it to play the passage. YOU
will hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will
show elapsed time.
FWD (6): Press and held this button to quickly advance
within a track (song). You will hear sound at a reduced
volume. The display will show elapsed time.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is playing. The disc will stop but remain in the player.
CDPLAY. Press this button to change to the disc
function when the radio is
on.
EJECT Press this button to remove the disc or stop the
disc and switch to the radio. EJECT will work with
the
radio off.
AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player
and Equalizer
Playing the Radio
VOL: Push this knob to turn the system on or off. Turn
it clockwise to increase volume and counterclockwise to
decrease volume.
RECALL: Press this button briefly to recall the station
being played or
to display the clock. If you press the
knob when the ignition is off, the clock will show for a
few seconds.
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If you’re driving on a very rough road or if it’s very hot,
the disc may not play and E (error) and a number may
appear on the radio display. If the disc comes out, it
could be that:
The disc is upside down.
It is dirty, scratched or wet.
The air is very humid. (If so, wait about an hour
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be
corrected, please contact your dealer.
If your radio
displays
an error number, write it down and provide it to
your dealer when reporting the problem.
RECALL: Press this button to see what track is playing.
Press it again within five seconds to see how long
it has
been playing (elapsed time). The track number also
appears when the disc is inserted, the volume is changed
or when a new track starts playing.
PREV (1): Press this button or the SEEK down arrow to
go to the start of the current track if more than eight
seconds have played.
If you hold the button or press it
more than once, the player
will continue moving back
through the disc.
’ NEXT (2): Press this button or the SEEK up arrow to
go
to the start of the next track if more than eight
and
try again.) seconds
have played. If you hold the button or press it
more than once, the player will continue moving
forward through the disc.
RDM (3): Press this button t’o hear the tracks in a
random order. It will change tracks
in a random, rather
than sequential order. Press
RDM again to turn off
random play. The radio will play during this operation.
REV (5): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track (song). Release it to play the passage. You
will hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will
show elapsed time.
FWD (6): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track (song). You will hear sound at
a reduced
volume. The
display will show elapsed time.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is playing. The disc will stop but remain in the player.
CDPLAY Press this button to change to the disc
function when the radio is on.
EJECT Press this button to remove the disc or stop the
disc and switch to’ the radio. EJECT will work with the
radio
off.
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Avoid needless heavy bralung. Some people drive in
spurts --.heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool b’etween
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate
a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake
life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops,
you will still. have some power brake assist. But
you will use
it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, It may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder
to push. , ,.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will
help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your
anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test
is going on, and you ,may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little.
This is normal.
ABS
INOP
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on or
flash, See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light”
in the Index.
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