1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD brake

Raising Your Convertible Top
1. Park on a level surface. Set the parking brake firrnly.
If you have an automatic transmission, shift into
PARK
(P). If you have a manual transmission, shift
into REVERSE (R). The ignition must be in the ACC
or RUN position or RAP must be on. Lower both sun
visors. Lower both windows at least
3 inches (8 cm). If
the boot cover is in place, it must be removed first.
3. Remove the two side pieces of the boot cover
by lifting the rear cover and sliding them out
of
their slots.
2. Open the trunk. Remove the middle piece of the
cover by pushing in on the latch and lifting up on
the cover.

A. Fog Lamp Switch (If Equipped)
B. Main Lamp Control
C. Air Vent
D. Instrument Cluster
E.
Horn
E Audio System
G. Glove Box
H. Comfort Controls
I. Cupholder
J. Parking Brake Lever
K.
Storage Console
L. Rear Window Defogger Switch
M. Convertible Top Switch (Automatic) (If Equipped)
N. Traction Control System Switch or Second Gear
0. Cigarette Lighter
P. Shift Lever
Q. Ashtray (Automatic Transmission)
R. Convertible Top Switch (Manual) (If Equipped)
S. Steering Wheel Controls
T. Remote Hatch Release
Start
Switch (If Equipped)

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

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.
2-80

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.

The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the switch
located at the front
of the console the warning light
will come on and stay on and the light on the switch
will
go out. To turn the system back on, press the
switch again. The warning light should go off.
(See “Traction Control System” in the Index
for more information.)
If the temperature of the throttle control b’egins to
rise, the system will turn off and the warning light
will come
on until the system cools down. The
system does this to prevent damage from
overheating.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period
of time when the
system
is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Low Traction Light
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid
a braking skid,
this light will come on.
LOW
TRAC
If you have the traction control system, this light will
also come
on when the system is limiting wheel spin.
Slippery road conditions may exist if the low traction
light comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The
light will stay on for a few seconds after the anti-lock
system stops a’djusting brake pressure or the traction
control system stops limiting wheel spin.
The low traction
light also comes 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 anti-lock brake system or traction control system
is active.
2-82

Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Pontiac: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means
“be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or
freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready €or their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about
the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they
are common. Allow enough following
distance. It’s
the best defensive driving maneuver, in both
city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle in
front
of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with dnnking and dnving is a
national tragedy. It’s
the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol affects
four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 MUSGU~W Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records
show that almost half of all motor
vehiclle-related deaths involve alcohol. In
most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone
who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, some
17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with
the use
of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.

Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with
a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in
a cab; or if
you’re with
a group, designate a driver who will
not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes,
as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means
you can lose control
of your vehicle.