1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Cruise Control
on the accelerator. This can
really help
on long trips.
Cruise control
does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.
I A CAUTION:
0 Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads.
On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning,
and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. (See “Traction Control System” in the Index.) When road
conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
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Setting Cruise Control
‘
A CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don’t want to. You
could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the
cruise control switch
off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the lever and
release
it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake.
This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset it.
Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch from
ON to
R/A (resume/accelerate) briefly.
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and stay there. Remember that
if you hold the switch at WA
longer than half a second, the vehicle will keep going
faster until you release the switch or apply the brake.
So unless you want to go faster, don’t hold the
switch at
WA.
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Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed.
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push in the button at the end
of the lever, then
release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll
now
cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to WA. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed
you want, and
then release the switch.
To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to
RfA briefly
and then release it. Each time
you do this, your
vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you have set
the cruise control speed by pushing the
SET button. 0
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
0 Push in the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed
you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button briefly. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 kmk) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness
of the hills.
When going
up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator
pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or
shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down.
Of course, applying the brake
takes you out
of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; or
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory
is erased.
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Exterior Lamps
Headlamps
Pull the switch to the first
stop to turn on the:
Parking Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
Pull the switch out all the way to turn on the:
Headlamps
0 Parking Lamps
0 Sidemarker Lamps
0 Taillamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
Push the switch
in all the way to turn all the lamps and
lights
off.
Lamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door while leaving the headlamps
or parking lamps switch on and the key is removed
from
the ignition, you will hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DIU) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel monitors
the exterior light level for the operation
of DRL and
twilight sentinel,
so be sure it isn’t covered. The DRL
system
will make your low-beam headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when:
0 The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off and
The transaxle is not in PARK (P).
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When the DRL are on, only your low-beam headlamps
will be on. The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps
won’t be
on. Your instrument panel won’t be
lighted either.
When it’s
dark enough outside, your low-beam
headlamps will change to
full brightness. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will
also come
on. When it’s bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will go
off, and your low-beam headlamps change to the
reduced brightness
of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle
into PARK (P). The DIU will stay off until
you shift out of
PARK (P).
At night, you can turn off
all exterior lamps when you
are in
PARK (P) by moving
the twilight sentinel
control
all the way to MIN.
If it was on MIN, move the control to the right to turn it
on, then back
to MIN. The lamps will come back on
when you put the transaxle in gear.
Nlight sentinel
will keep your headlamps on for up to three
minutes, to light your way when you leave your vehicle.
See Tvilight Sentinel” later
in this section to learn how
to operate
this feature.
As with
any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
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Fog Lamps
The fog lamps switch is
in the front
of the front
reading lamps.
An indicator light in the switch will glow when the
fog
lamps are on. Your low-beam headlamps or parking
lamps must be
on for your fog lamps to work.
If your fog lamps are on when you use your
flash-to-pass feature, the fog lamps will be disabled
while the flash-to-pass feature is being used.
Twilight Sentinel
Push in the headlamp switch
to turn your headlamps
off.
Turn the twilight sentinel
knob located behind
the headlamp switch
toward
MAX.
At night, you can turn off all exterior lamps when you are
in PARK (P) by moving the twilight sentinel control all
the way to MIN. If it was on MIN, move the control to the
right to
turn it on, then back to MIN. The lamps will come
back on when you
turn the knob toward MAX.
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Twilight sentinel will keep your headlamps on for
up to three minutes, to light your way when you leave
your vehicle.
To operate twilight sentinel, turn the control to MAX for
the three minute delay.
Turn it the other way to reduce
the delay.
Turn the control to MIN to turn twilight
sentinel
off.
Also, it’s possible that your headlamps may go out if
you drive fiom a dark area into a bright area like a
lighted parking
lot. If this happens, turn on your
headlamps with the regular headlamp switch.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel IntensityBrightness
Control
You can brighten or dim your instrument cluster lights
by
turning the headlamp switch. Turn the switch to the
right to brighten the instrument cluster lights and
displays. Turn the switch to the right all the way to turn
on the interior courtesy lamps. Turn the switch to the
left to dim the instrument cluster lights and displays
and
to turn off the courtesy lamps.
Delayed Illumination
When you open the door to enter your vehicle, the
interior lamps
will come on. When you close the door
with the ignition off, the interior lamps will stay on for
25 seconds or until the ignition is turned to an on
position. Please note that locking the doors with the
power door lock switch
will override the delayed
illumination feature
and the lamps will turn off
right away.

Theater Dimming
This feature allows for a three to five-second fade out of
the courtesy lamps instead of immediate turn off.
Exit Lighting
With this feature, the interior lamps will come on for
25 seconds after you remove the key from the ignition.
This will give you time to find the door pull handle or
lock switches as you exit the vehicle.
Illuminated Entry (Option)
When you press the unlock button on the optional
remote keyless entry transmitter, the lamps inside your
vehicle will
go on. These lamps will go off after about
25 seconds, or when you start your engine. Pressing the
lock button on your remote keyless entry transmitter
will turn the lights immediately
off.
If a door is left ajar, your interior lamps will turn off
after 10 minutes to save your battery.
Front Reading Lamps
These front reading lamps
and the interior courtesy
lamps will come on when
you open the doors.
To turn on a reading lamp when the doors are closed,
press either switch. Press it again to turn the lamp
off.
To avoid draining your vehicle’s battery, be sure to turn
off the reading lamps when leaving your vehicle.
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