1997 PONTIAC FIREBIRD check engine light

Clean and dry the key. Wait about three minutes and try
again. The SECURITY light may remain on during this
time. If the starter still won’t work, and the key appears
to be clean and dry, wait about three minutes and try
another ignition key. At this time, you may also want to
check the fuses (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the
Index). If the starter won’t work with the other key, your
vehicle needs service.
If your vehicle do’es start, the first
ignition key may be faulty. See your Pontiac dealer or a
locksmith who can service the PASS-Key
11.
If you accidentally use a key that has a damaged or
missing resistor pellet, the starter won’t work, and the
SECURITY light will flash. But you don’t have to wait
three minutes before trying another ignition key.
See your Pontiac dealer or
a locksmith who can service
the PASS-Key
I1 to have a new key made.
If you’re ever driving and the SECUFUTY light comes on and
stays on, you will be able to restart your engine if you
turn it
off. Your PASS-Key II system, however, is not working
properly and must be serviced by your Pontiac dealer. Your
vehicle is not protected by the PASS-Key
II system.
If
you lose or damage a PASS-Key I1 ignition key, see
your Pontiac dealer or a locksmith who can service
PASS-Key
I1 to have a new key made. In an emergency,
call the Pontiac Roadside Assistance Program at
1-800-ROADSIm or 1-800-762-3743.
Feature Customization (If Equipped)
Your Pontiac’s locks and lighting systems can be
programmed with several different features. The
features you can program depend upon the options that
came with your vehicle. The following list
tells you the
features that can be programmed. Listed next to each
feature is the option you need to have
on your vehicle in
order to be able to program that particular feature.
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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Exit Lighting (available for all)
Delayed Illumination (available for all)
Last Door Closed Locking (if equipped with power
door locks)
Lockout Prevention
(if equipped with power door locks)
Remote Lock Control Verification (if equipped with
Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System)
Theft-Deterrent Arming Method
(if equipped with
Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System)
Theft-Deterrent Arming Verification
(if equipped
with Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System)
Driver’s Door Alarm Delay (if equipped with
Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System)
Shock Sensor Enable (if equipped with Vehicle and
Content Theft-Deterrent System)

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (kmk). Your
odometer shows how far your vehicle has been driven,
in either miles (used in the United States)
or kilometers
(used in Canada).
You may wonder what happens if your Pontiac needs a
new odometer installed.
If possible, the new one has to be
set
to the same reading the old one had. If it can’t be, then
it’s set at zero, but a label on
the driver’s door must show
the old reading and when the new one was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far your vehicle has
been driven since you last set the trip odometer
to zero.
To set the trip odometer to zero, press the knob.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in thousands
of revolutions per minute (rpm).
NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in
the red area, or engine damage may occur.
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes 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 or
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.
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.
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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.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come
on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information
on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index. This light
will come on
when you start your engine,
and
it will flash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system
is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds 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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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

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:
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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.
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If the Light Is On Steady Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently 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. A loose or
missing fuel cap will allow fuel
to evaporate into the
atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed 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. If
so, be sure to fuel your
vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine
not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may
go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience one or more
of these conditions,
change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none
of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment
and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that
may have developed.
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Low Oil Light
LOW
OIL
Your vehicle is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When you start
your engine, the warning
light will come on briefly. If
the light doesn’t come on,
have it repaired.
If the light stays on after starting your engine, your
engine
oil level may be too low. You may need to add
oil. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
NOTICE:
The oil level monitoring system only checks the
oil level when
you are starting your engine. It
does not keep monitoring the level once
your
engine is running. Also, the oil level check only
works when the engine has been turned off long
enough for the oil to drain back into the oil pan.
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