1996 PONTIAC FIREBIRD warning

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 modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information on the air bag system, sed “Air
Bag” in the Index.
AIR
BAG
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition to
RUN
or START. 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.
Voltmeter
I p4
You can read battery
voltage on
your voltmeter.
If it reads less than 11 volts
or more than 16 volts while
your engine
is running,
and it stays there, you may
have
a problem with the
electrical charging system.
Have it checked right away. Driving with the voltmeter
reading in a warning zone could drain your battery.
If you idle your engine for a while, the voltmeter
reading might move into the yellow zone, If the reading
stays in the yellow zone while you are driving, you may
have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have it checked. While the voltmeter reads in the
yellow
zone, your battery may not be able to power certain
electrical accessories,
like ABS. (If this happens, your
ABS INOP light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in this
part.)
If you must drive a short distance with the voltmeter
reading in a warning zone,
turn off all your accessories,
including your comfort control and audio system.
ProCarManuals.com

Brake System Warming Light
Your Pontiac’s hydraulic 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.
BRAKE
This light should come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition key
to RUN. 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.
11 may take longer to stop. IE 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.)
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 or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
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 brake doesn’t release
fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released,
it means .;.; -< . . you have a brake problem. ?>- ?-L,- .‘ ., : . . <, ., > .> . , . , :. - > , ._”
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2-79
ProCarManuals.com

Traction Control System Warning Light (Option)
T’CS
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.
I. . . -,.L-,-
If it stays on, or comes‘0n’’when you’re driving, there
may be a problem with
your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is
OW, the system will not lifnit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
If your brakes begin to overheat, the brake portion of the
traction control system will shut down, but the throttle
and engine spark control wiil continue to work. The
warning light will not
come on when this happens.
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 of the console behind the shift
lever (Automatic Transmission) or in front of the
shiftboot (Manual Transmission), 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.)
If the temperature of the throttle control begins
to rise, the system will turn off and the warning
light will come on until the system cools down.
The system,does this
to prevent damage from
overheating.
If the tmchan CQII~XQ~ system warning light comes on
and stays on
for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
ProCarManuals.com

Low Coolant Light (V8 Engine)
LOW
COOLANT
I
This warning light should
come on while
you are
starting your engine. If the
light doesn’t come on, have
it repaired.
Your Firebird
is equipped with a LOW COOLANT
indicator which is designed to detect when the coolant
level
drops below set limits. If the low coolant level
sensor (on the radiator)
drops while the engine is
running, ‘the LOW COOLANT indicator will light
and remain lit until the ignition switch is turned to
the
OFF position. Check coolant level and add coolant
as needed. The LOW COOLANT light might stay on
after filling the radiator., Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF position, then restart the engine to verify that the
LOW COOLANT light goes out. See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index.
~
NOTICE:
Driving with the LOW COOLANT light on could
cause your Pontiac to overheat. See “Engine
Overheating’’
in the^ Index. Your Pontiac could be
damaged md it wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty.
2-82
ProCarManuals.com

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).
2-87
ProCarManuals.com

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.
4-6
ProCarManuals.com

abrupt upshift or downshft. Also, when the compact spare
tire is on the rear axle,
the traction control system will
cycle and limit acceleration for about
the first 15 seconds
of driving after each engine start.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the Index.)
TCS
OFF
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on to let you know
if
there’s a problem with your
traction control system.
See “Traction Control
System Warning Light”
in the Index.
When this warning light is
on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions,
you should
always leave the system on. But you
can turn the
traction control system
off if you ever need to.
(You should turn the system off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow. See “Rocking
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
Automatic Transmission Manual Transmission
To turn the system off, press the button located on
the center
of the console behind the shift lever
(Automatic Transmission) or in front
of the shift
boot (Manual Transmission).
The light on the button will go off, and the traction
control system warning light will come on and stay on.
4-9
ProCarManuals.com