1996 PONTIAC PONTIAC key

Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
You cm brighten or dim the instrument panel lights by
moving the
PANEL dial. If you turn the dial all the way
up, your courtesy or interior lamps will come on.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on. lltllese
lamps are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for you
to
enter and leave your vehicle. You can also tun these
lamps on by moving the
PANEL dial all the way up.
Some of the lamps have switches
so you can turn them
on, even when the doors are closed. These lamps are
reading lamps. To avoid dtaining your battery, be sure to
turn
off all reading lamps when leaving your vehicle.
Sustained Interior Illumination
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever
you:
Open a door.
Press UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control
transmitter (if equipped).
transmitter (if equipped).
Press DOOR on the Remote Lock, Control
If you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn off automatically about 18 seconds after
you close
it. If you don”t open a door, the lamps will
turn
off after about 18 seconds, unless you pressed
UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control transmitter.
If
you pressed UNLOCK and don’t open a door, the lamps
will turn
off after about 55 seconds.
Sustained interior illumination includes a feature called
theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps
don’t just
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead,
they slowly
dim during the delay time until they go out.
The delay tirne is cancelled if you turn the ignition key to
the
RUN or START position, so the lamps will go out
right away.
When the ignition is
on, sustained interior illumination is
inactive, which means the courtesy lamps won’t come on.
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Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface
is curved so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
A CAUi ION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles)
look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
codd hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
Storage and COrr7artments
Glove Box
Use the door key to lock and unlock the glove box. To
open it, lift the latch.
To use the storage area, fold down the armrest. Press
the latch on the front edge and pull up. To use the
cupholder,
flip it forward. ;.
You may also have an armrest in the rear. It has a
storage area for small items.
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Wslrr!ing Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part des’cribes 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 QT 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.
I!;.. ’ ’
I.
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.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless
the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light
will also come on and
, .!
stay on until the driver3
belt
is buckled.
,.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your Pontiac's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two pats. If one part isn't working, the other pa;t.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.
It may take longer to stop. If 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.)
A CAUTION: -
~ ~~~~ ~ ~ ~~
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 fdly
released,
it means you have a brake problem.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light (Option)
(@)
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 flashes when you’re ( ving, you don’t have
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
may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See ‘Towing Your
Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
A CAUTION:
I
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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Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
(Option)
Men your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brake system
active light will come on.
Engine Coolant Temperature Light
h E- -
c. TEMP
This light tells you that your
engine coolant,
has
overheated or your radiator
c-ooling €an
is not working.
.. . ..
' .. 5
.. . .
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay un for a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
If you have been operatmg your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In "Problems on the Road," this manual shows what to
do. See "Engine Overheating" in the Index.
The anti-lock brake system active light also come,s 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
there to tell you when the system is active.
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If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
If the Light Is On Steady
0 Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
0 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, when it 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.
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
allow
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 electrical 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 run 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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0 If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment. This is normal.
A CAUTION:
-
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.
I NOTICE: I
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Level Light
LOW OIL
LEVEL
Your engine is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key is turned on, the LOW
‘OIL LEVEL light will
briefly flash. If the light
does not, flash, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and turn the engine
off. Check the oil level using the
engine oil dipstick. (See “Engine Oil” in the Index.)
If the light does not flash, have the low oil level sensor
system repaired
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
,
The oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key on and engine

crank. It does not monitor engine oil level when the “ .
engine is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed if the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time, allowing the oil normally in
circulation to drain back into the
oil pan.
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