1997 PONTIAC PONTIAC open hood

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.
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Exit Lighting Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery
in case you accidentally leave the
interior, trunk or underhood lamps on.
If YOU leave any
of these lamps on while the ignition
is in LOCK or
OFF position, they will automatically turn off after
10 minutes. The lamps won’t come back on again until
you do one of the following:
So that you can see to exit the vehicle at wight, your
vehicle
is equipped with the Exit Lighting feature. The
interior lamps will illuminate for up to 25 seconds when
you remove your
key from the ignition. After 25 seconds
have elapsed, the interior lamps will slowly fade out. The
lamps will fade out before
the 25 seconds have elapsed
if you:
Turn the ignition to the RUN or
ACCESSORY position.
(if equipped).
Lock all doors using your key chain transmitter
0 Lock the doors using the power door lo’ck switch.
When any door is opened, Exit Lighting is canceled.
The
interior lamps will stay on while any ‘door is opened and
will slowly fade out when all the
doors are closed. The
interior lamps may stay on €or
up to 25 seconds after all
the doors have been closed if they have not been locked.
See“De1ayed Illumination” earlier in this section.
To turn the Exit Lighting feature
off or on, see “Locks
and Lighting Choices” in the Index.
Turn the ignition to the RUN or
ACCESSORY position;
Turn the interior lamp dial all the way to the right,
then back slightly to the left;
Open (or close and reopen) a door that is closed.
Note that if your vehicle has less than
15 miles (25 Pun)
on the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Retained Accessory Power
With retained accessory power, your power windows,
audio system and sunroof will continue to
work up to
10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to the OFF
position and 4, of the doors are opened.
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Attach a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end
of both lateral arms.
Please take care not to
damage speed sensor
wires or brake
hoses
when attaching chains
l.1 and T-hooks. -
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a warning
light about
a hot engine on your instrument panel. See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Engine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the Index.
You
also have a low coolant light on your instrument panel.
Sed‘Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
CAUTION: (Continued)
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tnere is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is overheated,
the
liquids in it can catch fire. You or others could be
badly burned. Stop your engine if it overheats, and
get out
of the vehicle until the engine is cool.
I NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving
with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not
be
covered by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little
too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving. Idle for long
periods in traffic.
* Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
e- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can dnve.
Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes. If the
warning doesn’t come back on, you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out
of the vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label),
it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet California
specifications. If such fuels
are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels
meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp
on
your instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Pontiac dealer for diagnosis to determine
the
cause of failure. In the event it is determined that the
cause of
the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that
are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadlenyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT); ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains
MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your ernissicrn
control
system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp
on your instrument panel
may
turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
Pontiac dealer
€or service.
To provide cleaner ais, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits
from forming in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add
anything to the
fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reforrnulate'd gasolines may
be available in your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines
if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
~~
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don't use it. It
can corrode
metal parts in
your fuel system and also damage
plastic and
rubber parts. That damage wouldn't
be covered under
your warranty.
_____~~
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Hood Release
To open the hood,
first pull the handle inside
the vehicle. It
is located
at
the lower left side
of the vehicle, near the
parking brake.
Next go to the front of the vehicle and release the
secondary hood release. Lift the hood.
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When you open the hood of the 3 100 engine, you’ll see:
A. Windshield Washer Fluid
B. Radiator Fill Cap
C. Remote Positive Terminal
D. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
E. Engine Oil Fill Cap
E Engine Oil Dipstick
G. Automatic Transaxle Dipstick
H. Brake Fluid Reservoir
I. Engine Coolant Reservoir
J. Air Cleaner
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When you open the hood of the 3800 engine, you’ll see:
A. Windshield Washer Fluid E Engine Oil Fill Cap
€3. Radiator Fill Cap G. Automatic Transaxle Dipstick
C. Remote Positive Battery Terminal H. Brake Fluid Reservoir
D. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir I. Engine Coolant Reservoir
E. Engine Oil Dipstick J. Air Cleaner
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