1996 PONTIAC FIREBIRD clutch

Manual transmission
The gear selector should be in NEUTRAL (N).’Hold the
clutch pedal to the floor and start the engine. Your
vehicle won’t start
if the clutch pedal is not all the way
down
-- that’s a safety feature.
Starting Your 3800 Engine
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets
warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner.
And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START for about three to five seconds at a time until
your engine starts. Wait about
15 seconds between
each try to help avoid draining your battery.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and holding
it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the same thing, but
this time keep the’ pedal down for five or six seconds.
This clears the extra gasoline
from the engine.
After waiting about
15 seconds, repeat the normal
starting procedure.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics
in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the
way
the engine operates. Before .adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging
your vehicle. I See c6To~g
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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Second-Gear Start
TRANSMISSION
2NDGEARQ START
Your vehicle may be equipped with a second-gear start
feature. Press 2ND GEAR START to provide more
traction when you are starting on ice or other slippery
surfaces. The transmission will be in SECOND
(2) gear
when the vehicle begins to move. After starting
in
SECOND (2) gear, the vehicle will upshift normally.
This feature is only for improved traction only when the
road surface is slippery
and is not intended for continuous
use
or when the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice, snow
or gravel. Always use NORMAL for normal road conditions.
You may press
2ND GEAR START again to
turn off this feature. Whenever you start your vehicle, the
transmission is in the NORMAL mode.
Manual Transmission
5-Speed
1 3 5
2 4 R
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
km/h). If you’ve come to a complete
stop
and it’s hard to shift into FIRST (l), put the shift
lever
in NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into
FIRST (1).
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SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal to the floor as
you let up on the accelerator pedal and shift into
SECOND
(2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal
as you press the accelerator pedal.
THIRD(3),FOURTH(4)andF'IFTH(5): Shift into
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5) 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
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and
shift to
NEUTRAL (N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when ym start or
idle your engine.
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.
L ~~ ~
NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle is moving could damage your
transmission.
Also, use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake,
for parking your vehicle.
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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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Skip Shift Light (5.7L LT1 Engine)
SKIP
SHIFT
When this light comes on,
you can only shift from
FIRST (1) to
FOURTH (4)
gear instead of FIRST (1) to
SECOND (2) gear. This
helps you to get the best
possible fuel economy.
This light will come on under these conditions:
0 The engine coolant temperature is greater than
You are going 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 kdh), ana
You are at 35 percent throttle or less.
When this light is on, the gear shift lever will let
you
shift from FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) only. Once you
are in
FOURTH (4) , you can press the clutch again and
shift into another gear.
Follow the shift speeds in this chart when the SKIP
SHIFT light is on.
170°F (77°C)’
Computer Aided Manual Transmission Shift Speeds
1st to4th ...... 15 mph (24 km/h)
4th to 5th ...... 25 mph (40 km/h)*
5th to 6th ...... 40 mph (64 M)**
Each time you come to a stop, the engine’s Powertrain
Control Module (PCM) determines when to activate the
SKIP
SHIFT upshift system. Use SECOND (2) gear
only when you accelerate very quickly from a stop. You
can then follow the full gear shift pattern.
*30 mph (48 km/h) when accelerating to
highway speeds.
**45 mph (72 km/h) when accelerating to
highway speeds.
Shift Speeds
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, you could lose control of your vehicle.
And you could injure yourself or others.
Don’t
shift from SIXTH (6) to THIRD (3), or FIFTH (5)
to SECOND (2) or FOURTH (4) to FIRST (1).
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This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear for
best fuel economy.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMVENDED SHIFT SPEEDS, IN MPH (kdh)
Acceleration Shift Speed
1to2 I 2to3 t 3to4 I 4to5 I St06 Engine
3800 L36 13-16 21-28 32-37 45-47 (Code K) (21-25) (34-35) (51-59) (72-75) WA
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, or if you race the engine when you
downshift,
you can damage the clutch or
transmission.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle can give you
additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It
works like a standard axle most
of the time, but when
one
of the rew wheels has no traction and the other does,
the limited-slip feature will allow the wheel with'
traction to move the vehicle.
If your speed drops below 20 mph (30 km/h), or if the
engine is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear.
You may have to downshift two or
more gears
to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
.~
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When you apply your brakes, or push the clutch pedal, If
your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
if you have a manual transmission, the cruise control traction control system
begins to
limit wheel spin, the
shuts off. cruise control will automatically disengage. (See
“Traction Control System’’ in the Index.) When road
conditions allow you to safely use
it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
Setting Cruise Control
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous on If you leave your cruise control switch on when
yodre not using
cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don’t want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch
OFF until you want to use it.
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1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the lever and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal. I
Resuming Set Speed
Suppose you set your crui,se control at a desired speed
and then apply
.the brake or clutch pedal. This, of course,
shuts off the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset
it. Once you’re going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch from ON to
WA (ResumdAccelerate) for about half a second.
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
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