1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD stop start

Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with the wiper
symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until
the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop
after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
band
on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The
closer to LO, the shorter the delay.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the
band away
from
you to the LO position, For high-speed wiping,
turn the band further, to
HI, To stop the wipers, move
the band
to OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely.
To avoid damage, be sure to
clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them.
If they’re frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen
or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades
or blade inserts,
Heavy
snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will
stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in Anti-Lock 1- System Warning Eight
the Index.)
Your braKe s cem 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 pulle’d of€ the road and stopped
~
!
ABS
INOP
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.
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service. If the light flashes when you’re driving, 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
When the ignition is on* the brake system warning light may notice that the pedal is harder to push. or, the pedal
on when YOu set Your Parking brake* The may go closer to the floor, It may take longer to stop,
light will stay
on if your parking brake doesn’t release Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully Vehicle” in the Index.)
released, it means you have
a brake problem.
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Traction Control System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
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.
TCS
OFF
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 traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
If your brakes begin to overheat, the brake portion of the
traction control system will shut down, but the throttle
and engine spark control will continue
to work. The
warning light will not come on when this happens.

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is too
hot! It means that your
engine coolant has
overheated.
Low Coolant Light (VS Engine)
This warning light should
come on while you are
starting your engine.
If the
light doesn’t
come on, have
it repaired.
If you have been operating 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. Your
Firebird is equipped with
a LOW COOLANT
indicator which is designed to detect when the coolant
level drops below set limits. If the low coolant level
sensor (on the radiator) drops while the engine is
running,
the LOW COOLANT indicator will light and
remain lit until the ignition switch
is turned to the OFF
position. Check coolant level and add coolant as needed.
The LOW COOLANT light might stay on after filling
the radiator. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF
position, then restart the engine to verify that the LOW
COOLANT light goes out. See “Engine Coolant” in
the Index.
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This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
0
0
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service
is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reducing vehicle speed.
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are 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. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
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.
2-85

Check Gages Light When the gage pointer first indicates EMPTY (E) you
need to get more right away.
CHECK
GAGES
Fuel Gage
I
This warning light will
come on briefly when
YOU
are starting the engine. If
the light comes on and
stays on while you are
driving, check your gages
to see if they are in the
warning areas.
Your fuel gage shows about
how much fuel is in
your
tank. The gage works only
when the ignition switch is
in the RUN position. Here are four concerns some owners have had
about the
fuel gage. All these situations are normal and do not
indicate that anything
is wrong with the fuel gage.
0
0
0
0
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads FULL
(F).
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
reads. For example, the gage reads
1/2 full, but it
took more (or less) than half
of the tank's capacity to
fill it.
The gage moves
a little when you turn, stop or
speed up.
When you turn the engine off, the gage doesn't go
back to
EMPTY (E).

RDM (3): Press this button to hear the tracks in random,
rather than sequential, order. The display will show
RDM. Pres,s RDM again to turn off random play.
REV (5): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track. Release it to play the passage.
You will
hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will show
elapsed time.
FWD (6): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track.
You will hear sound at a reduced volume.
The display will show elapsed time.
RECALL: Press this button to see what track is
currently playing. Press RECALL again within five
seconds to
see how long the track has been playing.
When
a new track starts to play, the track number will
also appear. Press RECALL a third time and the time of
day will be displayed.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is playing. The disc will stop but remain in the player.
CDPLAY: Press this button to change to the disc
Function when the radio is on.
EJECT: Press this button to remove the dis'c or stop the
disc and switch to the radio. EJECT will work with the
radio
off. If you leave a compact disc in the player while
listening
to the radio, it may become warm.
Trunk Mounted CD Changer (If Equipped)
With the optional compact disc changer, you can play up
to 12 discs continuously. Normal size discs may be
played using the trays supplied in the magazine.
The small discs
(8 cm) can be played only with specially
designed trays.
You must first load the magazine with discs before you
can play a compact disc. Each of the
12 trays holds one
disc. Press the button
on the back of the magazine and
pull gently on one
of the trays. Load the trays from
bottom to top, placing a disc on the tray label side down.
If you. load a disc label side up, the disc will not play
and an error will occur, Gently push the tray
back into
the magazine slot. Repeat this procedure
for loading up
to 12 discs in the magazine.
Once you have loaded the
discs in the magazine, slide
open the door
of th'e compact disc (CD) changer. Push
the magazine into the changer in the direction of the
arrow marked on top of the magazine.
Close the door
by sliding it all the way to the left. If the
door is left partially open, the changer will not operate
and an error will occur. When the
door is closed, the
changer will begin checking for discs in the magazine,
This will continue for up to two minutes depending on
the number of discs loaded.

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:
0
0
“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
(praviding 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.
0 Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity.
For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area
of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back
a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don’t get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane.
If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember
to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
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