1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD battery

Accessory Plug
This plug is located inside the front section ahead of the
shift lever
in the console. The plug can be used to
connect electrical equipment such as a cellular phone
or
CB radio. Be sure to follow the installation instructions
included with the equipment.
The plug has three separate wires:
The orange wire connects to the battery.
The pink wire connects to the ignition. Power is only
The black wire connects to the ground.
available
in
RUN.
NOTICE:
When using the accessory plug:
The maximum load of any electrical
equipment should not exceed
3 amps.
0 Be sure to turn off any electrical equipment
when not in use. Leaving electrical
equipment on for extended periods can
drain your battery.
We recornend that you see a qualified technician or your
dealer for the proper installation of your equipment.
Floor Mats
Your Firebird's floor mats are custom fitted to the floor
wells. Be sure the driver's floor mat is in place. If it isn't,
it could interfere with the accelerator or brake pedal.
Twin Lift-off Roof Panels
(If Ecvir-ed)
Don't try try to remove the T-top panels while
the vehicle
is moving. Trying to remove the T-toy
panel while the vehicle
is moving could cause an
accident. The panel could fall into the vehicle anc
cause you to lose control, or it could
fly off and
strike another vehicle.
You or others could be
injured. Remove T-top panels only when the
vehicle
is parked.

6. Pull down on the center opening and align the hooks
with the holes.
Push forward on the larger part of the
latch until it clicks.
Do not force the latch. If it is
hard to lock, the top is not properly aligned.
If your vehicle suffers a power loss, such as a dead
battery, you can still raise
or lower the top manually by
rotating the valve in the left side
of the trunk. Open
the trunk and find the tab along the left side trim
panel.
Lift up the tab and turn the valve clockwise to
release the hydraulic pressure. Turn the ignition key to
the
LOCK position. You can now raise or lower your top
manually. Be sure to close the valve after installing your
top
so you can raise or lower it electrically later.
2-73

Voltmeter
You can read battery
voltage on your voltmeter.
If it reads less than 11 volts
or more than
16 volts while
your engine is running, and
it stays there, you may have
a problem with the
electrical charging system.
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 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 or the brake fluid level could
be low. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
Have it checked right away. Driving with the voltmeter
reading in a warning zone could drain your battery.
If you idle your engine for a while, the voltmeter
reading might move into the yellow zone.
If the reading
stays in the yellow zone while you are driving, you may
have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have
it checked. While the voltmeter reads in the yellow
zone, your battery may not be able to power certain
electrical accessories, like
ABS. (If this happens, your
ABS INOP light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in this part.)
If you must drive a short distance with
the voltmeter
reading in
a warning zone, turn off all your accessories,
including your air conditioning and audio system.
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

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK" is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using
a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed.
The THEFTLOCK feature for the radio may be used or
ignored.
If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by the feature. If THEFTLOCK
is activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen.
When
THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code
before it will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow explain how to enter your
secret code to activate the THEFTLOCK system. It is
recommended that you read through all nine steps
before starting the procedure.
NOTE:
If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time and you must start the procedure over at Step 4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Write down any three or four-digit number from
000 to 1999 and keep it in a safe place separate from
the vehicle.
Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
Turn the radio
off.
Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
--- shows on the display. Next you will use the
secret code number which you have written down.
Press MIN and
000 will appear on the display.
Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show REP to let you know that you
need to repeat Steps
5 through 7 to confirm your
secret code.
Press AM-FM and this time the display will show
SEC to let you know that your radio is secure.
Note that with the ignition
off, the THEFTLOCK
indicator will flash, indicating a secured radio.
3-19

Unlocking the Theft-Deterrent Feature After a
Power Loss
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1.
2.
3.
4,
5.
LOC appears when the ignition is on.
Press MIN and
000 will appear can the display.
Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press
HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
SEC, indicating the radio is
now operable and secure.
If you enter the wrong code eight times, INOP will appear
on the display. You will have to wait
an hour with the
ignition on before you can try again. When you try again,
you will only have three more chances (eight tries per
chance)
to enter the correct code before INOP appears.
If you lose or forget your code, contact your dealer.
Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
Turn the radio off.
Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
SEC shows on the display.
Press MIN and
000 will appear on the display.
Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press
HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press
AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches
the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
---, indicating that the radio is
no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect, SEC will appear on the
display. The ra’dio will remain secured until the correct
code
is entered.
When battery power is removed and later applied
to a
secured radio, the radio won’t turn
on and LOC will
appear on
the display.
To unlock
a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier in
this section.

A CAUTION: ..
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see
it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that
is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle
that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make
it go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later
on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do
it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or so until help comes.
4-29

To turn off the flashers, pull
out on the collar.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, your turn
signals won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If YOU carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
Pontiac. But please use the following steps to do
it safely.
JA NTION:
I
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your Pontiac by pushing
or
pulling it could damage your vehicle, even if you
have a manual transmission. And if you have an
automatic transmission,
it won’t start that way.
5-3

1.. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
~~
battery with a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
~~~ damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be
sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each oth’er.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection
you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Pontiac, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
unnecessary accessories plugged into
the cigarette
lighter. Turn
off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios.
This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries.
In addition, it could save your radio!
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
I
An electric fan can start up even WLA the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing
and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
5-4