1997 PONTIAC PONTIAC engine oil

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\[I,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
n
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
q4
AIR BAG p
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
PARKING LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
$0
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
~3
FAN
These symbols are used
on
warning and indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
h
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER m
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL la
V
ProCarManuals.com

Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
In very cold weather, 0°F (- 18 “C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better €uel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To Use tl Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord
as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things, Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your Pontiac dealer in the area where you’ll be parking
your vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for
that particular area.
2-18
ProCarManuals.com

Oil Warning Light
If you have a problem with
your oil pressure, this light
may stay on after you start
your engine, or come on
when you are driving.
This indicates that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it lubricated. The engine could
be low on oil or could have some other
oil problem.
Have it fixed right away.
The
oil light could also come on in two other situations:
0 When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
the light will come on as a test to show you it is
working, but the light will
go out when you turn the
ignition to
START. If it doesn’t come on with the
ignition
on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment.
This is normal.
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon
as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
2-73
ProCarManuals.com

Low Oil Level Light
Your engine is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key
is turned on, the LOW
OIL
LEVEL light will
briefly flash. If the light
does not flash, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s
a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Light
TEMP
This light tells you that your
engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
If the light stays on, stop th’e vehicle on a level surface
and
turn the engine off, Check the oil level using the
engine oil dipstick, (See “Engine Oil” in
the Index.)
The
oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key ‘on and engine
crank. It
does not monitor engine oil level when the
engine
is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed if the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time, allowing the oil normally in
circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
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.
2-74
ProCarManuals.com

Functions
CHANGE OIL SOON: This light will appear when the
system predicts that the oil’s remaining useful life
is
almost up. The system predicts remaining oil life using
inputs from length of drives, coolant temperature,
engine rpm, and vehicle speed. It alerts you to change
the oil on a schedule consistent with your vehicle’s driving conditions.
To reset your change oil soon system after an oil change,
turn the key to the
ON position, without the engine
running and pump the accelerator
3 times within
5 seconds.
LOW WASHER FLUID: This light will come on when
your ignition is on and the fluid container is low.
CHECK TIRE PRESS: This light alerts you that a tire
is low or flat. See “Check Tire Pressure Light” in
the Index.
TRUNK A JAR: This light alerts you that your trunk is
not fully closed.
DOOR AJAR: If one of your doors is left ajar, a light
will appear next to that door on the vehicle outline.
TRAC SWITCH: If your vehicle has the Trac System
(this is not available with the
3800 Supercharged
engine), you will have
a disable switch on the far right
side of your Driver Information Center.
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.
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.
2-79
ProCarManuals.com

Trip Computer (If Equipped)
/--
n ENGIMET -
RESET
r
1A
- FUEL USED -OIL LIFE
0 AVG ECON ORANGE TRAC OFF
3100 and 3800 Engines
2-80
ProCarManuals.com

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.
ProCarManuals.com

Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you
are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow
a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according
to your speedometer, not
to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may t’end to think you are
going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not
fresh -- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear Comfortable clothing and shoes you
can
easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to
go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in
Pontiac dealerships all across North America. They’ll be
ready and willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a
trip:
0
0
e
0
e
e
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free
trip. Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Furecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid
a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
4-22
ProCarManuals.com