1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE wheel

Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your Pontiac. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3-2 3-2
3-3
3-6 3-6
3-6
3-8
3-9
3-10 3-10
3-10 Comfort Controls
Standard Climate Control System
Electronic Climate Control System Air Conditioning
Heating
Ventilation System
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Setting the Clock for AM-FM Stereo
Setting the Clock for All Systems Except
AM-FM Stereo
AM-FM Stereo 3-16
3-19 3-22
3-25 3-27
3-28
3-28 3-29 3-29
3-30 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape Player
and Equalizer
AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player
and Equalizer
Theft-Deterrent Feature Steering Wheel Controls
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Fixed Mast Antenna
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Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering wheel.
SEEK: Press the up arrow
to tune to the next radio
station and the down arrow
to tune to the previous radio
station.
If a cassette tape or
compact disc is playing, the
player will advance with the
up arrow and rewind with
the down arrow.
AM-FM: Press this button to select AM, FMl or FM2.
The band selected will show on the digital screen. The
frequency will also be displayed and, if the station is in
stereo, the stereo indicator will also be displayed.
If a
cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the tape or disc
will stop playing and the radio will play.
PRESET Press this button to hear the radio stations
that are set on your pushbuttons.
VOLUME: Press the up or
down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
PLAY Press this button to play a cassette tape or
compact disc when the radio is playing.
MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn on the sound.
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Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately
work the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than
any driver could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire
and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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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 suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
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.
Traction Control System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only
if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the front brakes and reduces engine power
to limit wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
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.)
L
When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s a
problem with your traction
TRACT1 0 N control system.
OFF
-
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.)
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To turn the system off, press
the
TRACTION
CONTROL button located
on the console next to the
gear shift selector.
The traction control system warning light will come
on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button, the warning light will come
on -- but the system won’t turn off right away. It
will wait until there’s no longer a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can
hm the system back on at my time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should
go off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering ~
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system
is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Magnasteer TM
Your vehicle is equipped with GM Magnasteer TM ? a
steering system that continuously
adjusts the effort you
feel when steering at
all vehicle speeds. It provides ease
when parking, yet a firm, solid feel at highway speeds.
Your steering can be adjusted for an easier or more firm
setting. See your dealer for information.
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Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels.
If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction.
If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve
is banked, and your speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed
is the one factor you can control. Suppose you’re steering through
a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much of those places. You can lose control. Refer to
“Traction Control” in the Index.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try
to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until
you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from b’etween
parked cars
and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems
by braking -- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes
you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action -- steering around
the problem.
Your Pontiac can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove
as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But
you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a
good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge
of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then,
if there is nothing in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your
steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway
is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that might affect your passing
patterns.
If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making
a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it’s
all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never
cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.
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