1996 PONTIAC FIREBIRD engine

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
conditijons may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause
the light
to turn 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 Gage
This gage tells you if there
could be
a problem with
your engine oil pressure.
The engine oil pressure gage shows the engine oil
pressure in psi (pounds per square inch) in the United
States, or Wa (kilopascals)
in Canada, when the engine
is running. Oil pressure should be 20 to 80 psi (140 to
550 kPa). On the 3800 engine the oil pressure should be
between
20 and 120 psi (140 to 827 kPa). It may vary
with engine speed, outside temperature and oil viscosity,
but readings above the red area show the normal
operating range. Readings in the red area tell
you that
the engine is low on oil, or that you might have some
other oil problem. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
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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.
NOTICE:
I
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems
can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Light
LOW OIL
Your vehicle is equipped with an oil level monitoring
system. When
you start your engine, the waning light
will come
on briefly. If the light doesn’t come on, have
it repaired.
If the light stays on after starting your engine, your
engine oil Level may be too
low. You may need to add
oil.
See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
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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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The air conditioner compressor operates in MAX, A/C,
BI-LEVEL, BLEND and DEFROST when the outside
temperature is above freezing. When the air conditioner
is on, you may sometimes notice slight changes
in your
vehicle’s engine speed and power. This is normal because
the system .is designed to cycle the compressor on and off
to keep
the desired cooling and help fuel economy.
Cooling
The air conditioner works best if you keep your
windows closed.
On very hot days, open the windows
just long enough for the hot air to escape.
1. Turn the air control knob to A/C for normal cooling.
2. Turn the temperature control knob to a
3. Move the fan control knob to the desired speed. For faster cooling, move
the knob to
MAX.
comfortable setting. During initial start-up
only, if your vehicle
is equipped
with an optional engine coolant heater, you can use it in
cold weather (around
+20 O F/-8 O C or lower) to improve
heater performance on start up. Because an engine
coolant heater warms the engine coolant, your vehicle’s
‘heating system can more efficiently provide heat for the
passenger area
of your vehicle. See “Engine Coolant
Heater” in the Index.
Bi-Level Heating
You may want to use bi-level heating on cool, but sunny
days. This setting directs cool air toward your body and
warmer air toward your feet.
1. Turn the air control knob to BI-LEVEL.
2. Turn the temperature control knob to a
comfortable setting.
3. Turn the fan control knob to the desired speed.
Heating
The heater works best if you keep your windows closed
while using it.
1. Turn the air control knob to HEATER.
2. Turn the fan control knob to the desired speed.
3. Turn the temperature control knob to a
comfortable setting.
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Audio Systems
Your Delco@ audio system has been designed to operate
easily and give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself
with
it first. Find out what your Delco system can do
and how to operate all its controls, to be sure you’re
getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that
went into it.
If you have power door locks, your vehicle has a feature
called Retained Accessory Power
(RAP). With RAP you
can play your audio system even after the ignition is
off.
See “Retained Accessory Power” in the Index.
Setting the Clock for All Systems Except
AM-FM Stereo
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold
MIN until the correct minute appears. There
will
be a two-second delay before the clock goes into
time-set mode, and the colon
on the display will blink
while in this mode.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
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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Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes
of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions
by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
Increase volume slowly until you hear Comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone
or two-way radio -- be sure you can add
what you want. If you .can, it’s very important to
do
it properly.. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation
of your vehicle’s
engine, Delco radio or other systems, and even
with the operation
of sound equipment that has
been added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
~ damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may interfere
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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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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance.
If you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle sudd’enly slows or stops. Alwayssleave
enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down and let anti-lock work for you.
You may feel
the system working,
or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come
on.
See ‘‘L’ow Traction Light”
in the
Index
naction Control, System
(Option: LTl VS Engine) I
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially usefulin slippery
road conditions.
The system operates only if it senses that
one or both of
the rear wheels are spinning or beginning
to lose traction. When
this happens, the system works the
rear brakes and reduces engine, power (by closing the
throttle and managing engine spark) to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when YQLU traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin. See “Low Traction
Light”
in the Index. You
may feel or hear the system
working, but this is normal.
The traction control system may operate on dry roads
under some conditions, and you may notice a reduction in
acceleration when this happen,€, This is normal and doesn’t
mean there’s
a problem with your vehicle. Examples of
fhese conditions include a hard acceleration in a turn, or an
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