1996 PONTIAC GRAND-AM warning

Tachometer
The tachometer shows your
engine speed
in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
I NOTICE:
Do not run your engine at speeds in the red area,
or engine damage may occur.
Warning ,Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them. Warning
lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair
or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or
is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you
will see
in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just to let
you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or
is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights
work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells
you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting
to do repairs can be costly -- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a
big help.
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Charging System Indicator Light
The charging system
indicator light will come on
briefly when
you turn on the
ignition, but the engine
is
not running, as a check to
show you it is working.
Then it should go out. .. 1.
. I -1
If it stays on when your engine is running, OF comes on
while you are driving, you may have a problem with the
electrical charging system. It could indicate that you
have a loose generator drive belt or another electrical
problem. Have it checked right away. Driving while this
light
is on could drain your battery.
If you mast drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as themdio
and
air conditioner,
Brake System Warning Light
Your Pontiac’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still w’ork and
stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both
parts workmg 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 ow
briefly when you turn the
ignitibn 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,
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed €or
service, (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning lighlt on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on 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 parlung brake doesn’t release
fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released,
it means you have a brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
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.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition off. Or, if the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible
and turn the ignition off. &. 1
Then start the engine again to reset the system. If the .I ‘I
light still stays on, or comes on again while you’re
driving, your Pontiac needs service.
If the regular brake
system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier
in .this part.
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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.
Enhanced,T’raction Syst’em Warning Light
(Option)
!
ETS
OFF
With the Enhanced Traction
System
(ETS), 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.
If it stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there
may
be a problem with your Enhanced Traction System
and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning
light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly. The Enhanced Traction
System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the button on
the shift lever
knob, the warning light will come on
and stay an. To turn the system back on, press the
button
again. The warning light should go off. (See
“Enhanced Traction System” in the Index for more
information.)
The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running,
and it will
stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release fully. If :‘.
the system is turned on and the warning light stays
on after your parking brake is fully released, it
means there’s a problem with the system.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light comes
on and stays on
for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on and the paking brake is fully
released, your vehicle needs service.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
; I’ ,.
If this light comes on and
stays on, the vehicle should
be promptly pulled
off the
road and the coolant level
checked.
See “Engine
Coolant”
in the Index.
Malfunctilon Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) ~ ..
0
CHECK
Your Pontiac is equipped
with a computer
which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
If there are visible signs of steam see “Engine
Overheating” in the
Index before opening the hood. , . ’? --+ -- This system is called OBD I1 (On-Board .>. ’ I .;: . , Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
.-. . assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment.
(In! Canada, OBD 11 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The CHECK ENGINE light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required, Malfunctions often will
be indicated by the
system before
any problem is apparent, which may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is
also designed to assist your service technician
d . in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
.. .? ’. .. .- . .. i - ,, , c < -. , ,. t :. . ‘7 -n. 9’ .! , . ‘i :- -:x: :, -’ ::;.- . b- .. ,- , . .. .. . : .. -. I. . :. ‘1 .’ ’ E -, . - . r_ :. .. . I. , I -.. . I .C . .. . . .. . .-..-‘ >: =: , , ‘. .. -; T‘.
’ ““2-60
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Passlock Warning Light Fuel Gage
THEFT
SYS
This light will come on
briefly when you turn the
key towards the START
position. The light will stay
on until the engine starts.
W
(3
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left, when
the ignition is
on. When the indicator nears
EMPTY (E), you still have a
little fuel left, but you should
get more soon.
An amber
light
will come on below the
gage when the fuel
tank is
near
EMPTY (E).
If the light flashes,. the Passlock system has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, see "Passlock"
in the Index.
If the light comes on continuously while driving and
stays on, there may
be a problem with the Passlock
system. Your vehicle will not be protecteil
by Passlock,
and you should see your dealer.
J
Here are four 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 b'efore
the gage reads
FULL (F). ' I
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the 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.
The gage moves a little when you turn a, corner or
The gage doesn't go back to EMPTY (E) when you
speed up.
turn
off the ignition.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. 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 between
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
hut 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 m’ay take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
5: , ‘
AntbLsck 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.
(e)
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system,
this
warning light will stay on.’
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light”
in
the Index.
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ETS
OFF
~~~
When this warning light is When the system
is on and
the
parking brake is fully
released, this warning light
will come
on to let you
know if there’s a problem
with the system. See
“Enhanced Traction System
on, the system will not limit
To turn the system on or off,
press the button on the shift
lever knob.
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly. When you turn ‘the system off, the Enhanced Traction
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road System warning light will come on and stay on. If the
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when
Traction System
on. But YOU Can turn the system Off if . you press the button to turn the system off, the warning
you ever need to. (YOU should turn the system
Off if your
light will come on -_ but the system won’t turn off right
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow. See
away. It will wait until there’s no longer a current need
“Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.) to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time
by pressing
’ the button again. The Enhanced Traction System
warning light should go off.
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