1997 PONTIAC PONTIAC display

v Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Pontiac, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
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Important Information About Keys
Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry Battery Replacement for RKE
Preventing Theft
of Your Vehicle
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions
Tips on Starting Your Engine
Using the Engine Coolant Heater
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Parking Brake Guidelines
Important Information on Engine Exhaust
Operation of Your Windows
Adjusting the Tilt Steering Wheel 2-32
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Functions of the Multifunction Lever
How to Use the HighLow Beam
Headlamp Changer
Windshield Wipers and Fluid
Using Cruise Control
Exterior Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL)
Interior Lamps
Rearview Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Instrument Panel Overview
All About Your Warning Lights and Gages
Driver Information Center
Head-Up Display
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OFF (C): This position lets you turn off the engine but
still
turn the steering wheel. It doesn’t lock the steering
wheel like LOCK. Use OFF if you must have your
vehicle
pushed or towed.
RUN (D): This position is where the key returns
after
you start your vehicle. With the engine off, you
can use RUN to display some of your warning and
indicator lights.
START (E): This position starts your engine.
A warning chime will sound if you open the driver’s
door when the ignition is in OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY and the key is in the ignition,
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NOTICE:
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If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can’t
turn it, be sure your are using the correct key; if
so is it all the way in? If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while yon turn the
key hard.
But turn the key only with your hand.
Using
a tool to force it could break the key or the
ignition
switch. If none of this works, then your
vehicle needs service.
Starting Your Engine
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won’t start in any other position -- that’s a
safety feature. To restart when you’re already moving,
use NEUTRAL
(N) only.
NOTICE:
Don’t try to shift to PARK (P) if your Pontiac is
moving. If you do, you could, damage the
transaxle. Shift to
PARK (P) only when your
vehicle
is stopped.
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to
START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
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Speedometer/Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour
(km/h). Your
odometer shows how far your vehicle has been driven
in
either miles (used in the United States) or .in kilometers
(used in Canada).
Your Pontiac has a tamper-resistant odometer.
If you see
silver lines between the numbers, you’ll know someone
has probably tampered with it and the numbers may not
be correct.
Tachometer
You may wonder what happens if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If
the new one can be set to the
mileage total
of the old odometer, then that will be d’one.
If it can’t, then it will be set at zero and a label must be
put on the driver’s door to show the old mileage reading
when the new odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
Your trip odometer tells how far you have driven since
you last reset
it. To set it to zero, press the RESET
button on the right side of the instrument cluster.
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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.
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ENG/MET RESET
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0 AVG ECON ORANGE CHECK
PRESS
TRAC INFORMATION
3800 Supercharged Engine
When
you start your engine, the trip computer will display a mode. A lighted oval will appear to the left of the mode
currently being used.
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Control Buttons
The trip computer has three buttons that control
its functions.
ENG/MET: Press this button to change the display from
English to metric units
or metric t’o English.
RESET Press this button for two seconds to reset the
mode displayed.
MODE: Press this button to change the mode
being displayed.
Functions
FUEL USED: Shows the total amount of fuel used
since you last reset this mode. The amount can be
displayed in gallons or liters.
AVG ECON: Shows your average fuel economy since
you last reset this mode.
OIL LIFE: Shows a percentage of the oil’s remaining
useful life. The system predicts remaining
oil life using
inputs from length of drives, coolant temperature,
engine rpm and vehicle speed. Each time
you get an oil
change,
be sure to reset this function so that it will give
you an accurate percentage.
To reset the ail life indicator after the oil has been
changed, press the mode button until the light appears
next to
O’IL LIFE. Press and hold the reset button for
three seconds. The oil life percentage should change
to
100%.
RANGE: Shows how much farther you can travel with
the fuel you have before refueling.
CHECK TIRE PREISS: This light alerts you that a tire
is low or flat, See “Check Tire Pressure Light” in
the Index.
LOW WASHER FLUID: This light will come on when
your ignition is on and the fluid container
is low.
DOOR A JAR: If one of your ‘doors is left ajar, a light
will appear next to that
door on the vehicle outline.
PERFORMANCE SHIFT This light comes on when
you press the performance shift button (located on the
console shift)
to indicate that your vehicle is in
performance shifting mode, See “Performance Shifting”
in the Index.
BOOST GAGE: If you have the supercharged engine,
this gage will show the amount of boost your engine
is receiving.
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TRUNK A JAR: If your trunk is not fully closed or
open, a light will outline the trunk area on your
vehicle outline.
TRAC SWITCH: If yop vehicle has the Trac System
(this is not an available option with the 3800 Supercharged
engine),
you will have a disable switch on the far right
side
of your Trip Computer. Your Trac System is
automatically activated when you turn the ignition on. This
switch will activate/deactivate the Trac System. If you
need to disable
the system, such as when you are stuck
and are rocking your vehicle back and forth, push this
switch. See “Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in
the Index.
TRAC OFF: This light lets you know that your Trac
System has been disabled and will not limit wheel spin.
See “Trac System Warning Light” or “Low Traction
Light” in the Index.
LOW TRAC: This light will come on when your Trac
System is limiting wheel spin or when your anti-lock
brake system is active. See “Trac System” or “Low
Traction Light” in the Index.
Head-Up Display (If Equipped)
radio station or CD track,
displayed “through”
the windshield.
The
HUD also shows these lights when they are lit on
the instrument panel:
0 Turn Signal Indicators
0 High-Beam Indicator Symbol
0 Low Fuel Symbol
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The HUD will display the “Check Gage” when the
following are lit on the instrument panel:
Oil warning Symbol
0 Coolant Temperature Symbol
0 Charging System Symbol
When you sit straight in your seat, the HUD image will
appear straight ahead near the front bumper.
When
the ignition key is turned to RUN, the HUD
image will come on. Then the Head-Up Display will
operate normally.
NOTICE:
Although the HUD image appears to be near the
front
of the vehicle, do not use it as a parking aid.
The
HUD was not designed for that purpose.
If you try to use it that way, such as in a
parking lot, you may misjudge distance and
run into something.
When the HUD is on, the speedometer reading will be
displayed continually. The current radio station or
CD
track number will only be displayed for three seconds
after the radio or
CD track status changes. This will
happen whenever one
of the radio controls is pressed,
either on the radio itself or on the optional steering
wheel controls.
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To adjust the HUD so you can see it properly:
1. Start your engine and turn the DIM dial to the
desired HUD image brightness.
2. Adjust your seat, if necessary, to a Comfortable position.
3. Press the top of the UPDN switch until the HUD image
stops moving. Then press the bottom
of the switch until
~e image is as low as possible but in full view.
brighter than necessary.
To turn the HUD off, turn
the DIM dial all the way down.
4. Turn the DIM dial down until the HUD image is no
If the sun comes out, it becomes cloudy, or if you turn
on your headlamps, you may need
to adjust the HUD
brightness again. Polarizing sunglasses could make the
HUD image harder to see.
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your field
of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it’s dark outside.
Be sure to keep the
HUD image dim and placed
low in your field
of view.
Push the ENG/MET button
on
the trip calculator to
switch the HUD speed
display from English to
metric or metric to English.
If you don’t have the trip
calculator,
you can’t change
the display.
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