1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE warning

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
280
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves
into
the red area, your
engine is too hot! On
vehicles
with the optional
DIC, the CHECK GAGES
light will go on and a
warning chime will sound.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
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 the section “Problems
on the Road,” this manual
explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light)
CHECK 0
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation)
and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The
CHECK ENGINE light comes on to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
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Oil Pressure Gage
The oil pressure gage
shows the engine oil
pressure in psi (pounds
per square inch) when the
engine
is running. Canadian
vehicles indicate pressure
in kPa (kiloPascals).
Oil pressure may
vary with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the red
warning zone indicate the normal operating
range.
A reading in the red zone may be caused by a
dangerously low oil level or other problem causing
low oil pressure. On vehicles with the optional
DIC,
the CHECK GAGES light will go on and a warning
chime will sound, if you have this option. Driving
your vehicle with low oil pressure can cause extensive
engine damage.
I A CAUTION:
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.
I NOTICE: I
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
2-71
. . ..

Check Oil Level Warning Light
The CHECK OIL LEVEL
light turns on for three
each time the ignition key is turned to the
RUN position.
If the light doesn’t turn on,
- have your vehicle serviced.
C H EC K 0 I L seconds as a bulb check
LEVEL
If the engine oil is more than one quart (0.95 L) low and
the engine has been shut off for at least eight minutes,
the CHECK OIL LEVEL light will turn on for about
one minute and will then remain off until the next time
you start the vehicle.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light turns on, the engine oil
level should be checked at the dipstick then brought up
to the proper level, if necessary. See “Engine Oil” in
the Index.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
- This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working
and the
one-third full.
WASH E R FLU I D fluid container is less than
Check Gages Warning Light (Option)
CHECK GAGES
This light will come on
briefly when you are
starting
the engine.
If
the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your gages for fuel, coolant temperature, oil
pressure
or voltage. This light will stay on if your engine
is not running with the ignition
on.
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Fuel Gage
UNLEADED
FUEL ONLY
UNLEADED
FUEL ONLY
Cluster with Gages Cluster with Compass
and Gages
When the ignition
is on, your fuel gage tells you about
how much
fuel you have left. When the gage reads in
the yellow band, a warning
chime will sound and the
CHECK GAGES warning light will go on, if you have
this option. Here are some things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
0
0
0
0
0
At
the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half
full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank's capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you
turn a comer,
speed up, or make a hard stop.
The gage doesn't go back to
EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
If you have the large span (220") gage, the
needle moves more for a given amount of fuel. This
does not indicate excessive fuel consumption, and
is normal.
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Boost Gage (Option) Head-Up Display (Option)
fXjST
Vehicles equipped with the supercharged engine have
this boost gage that indicates vacuum during light
to
moderate throttle and boost under heavier throttle. The
gage displays the air pressure level in psi going into the
engine’s combustion chamber.
The gage is automatically centered at zero psi every
time the engine is started. Actual vacuum or boost
is
displayed from this zero point. Changes in ambient
pressure, such as driving in mountains
and changing
weather, will slightly change the zero reading.
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.
If you have the optional Head-Up Display (HUD), you
can see some
of the driver information also available on
your instrument panel cluster. The information
may be
displayed in English or metric units and appears as a
reflection on the windshield. The
HUD shows:
0 Speedometer reading
0 Turn signal indicators
0 High-beam indicator symbol
CHECK GAGES message (for low oil pressure, high
coolant temperature, low oil level and low fuel)
Low fuel warning symbol
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CHECK GAGES 0
HUD shows these images when they are lighted on the
instrument panel. At
70 miles per hour (1 13 kmk), the speedometer may
display a variance
of 3 miles per hour (5 km/h) from the
HUD. This condition is normal. When you sit straight
in your seat, the HUD image will
appear slightly to the
right.
When the ignition key is turned to RUN, all possible
HUD images will come on, then the Head-Up Display
will operate normally.
If you never look at your instrument panel, you may
not see something important, such as a warning light.
So be sure to scan your displays and controls and the
driving environment just as you
would in a vehicle
without
HUD.
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.
2-75

FUNCTION MONITOR: This lets you know if you are
low on fluids or have a problem with a vehicle function:
0
0
0
0
CHECK OIL LEVEL: This message could mean
your oil level
is low. If it comes on for more than
three seconds, see “Check Oil
Level Warning Light”
in the Index.
WASHER FLUID: This message means your
washer fluid
tank is less than about 30 percent full.
The windshield portion
of the vehicle outline will
also glow,
If these come on, see “Windshield Washer
Fluid” in the Index.
LOW COOLANT: This message means your
coolant level has fallen to about half full. If it comes
on,
see “Engine Coolant” in the Index.
CHECK GAGES: If this light comes on and stays
on while you are driving, check your gages for fuel,
coolant temperature, oil pressure or battery voltage.
SECURITY: You’ll get a DOOR AJAR message if a
door is not fully closed. The vehicle outline will show
you which door
it is. You will also get a HOOD AJAR
or TRUNK AJAR message if the hood or the trunk isn’t
fully closed. The vehicle outline will
also show you
these are ajar.
LAMP MONITOR: Whenever you try to use one of
the following lamps, the LAMP MONITOR will tell you
if a bulb is out.
0 Headlamp (Low and High Beam)
0 Turn Signal/Parking/Stop
0 Parking Lamp/Sidemarker
Brake Lamp and Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
0 Back-up Lamp
0 Taillamp~rn/Sidemarker/License
If a bulb is out, you will see a message, such as PARK
LAMP, and you will also see where the problem is on
the vehicle outline.
The message stays on until the
problem
is fixed. See “Replacement Bulbs” in the
Index for bulb details.
2-78

If a bumed-out bulb is replaced, the warning light will
stay on until the bulb is used.
Message
Hi Beam Lamp . .
Head Lamp .......
Turn Signal .........
Back Up . .
Tail ......
.......
ParkLamp . .
Bulbs Monitored
. Both Headlamp High Beams
. , Both Headlamp Low Beams
.... 1 Front Left Turn/Park
1 Front Right Turn/Park
1 Rear Left Turn
1 Rear Right Turn
..... .2 Back-up Lamps
......... 4 Tail Only
4 Stop/Tail
2 License Plate
1 Right Rear Sidemarker
1 Left Rear Sidemarker
1 Center High-Mounted Stop
............ 2 Front Park
Right Sidemarker Left Sidemarker
Brake Lamp
............... 4 Rear Stop/Tail./Tbm
Electronic Compass (Option)
Some vehicles are equipped with an electronic compass.
As with all compasses, this unit senses the earth's
magnetic field to
show the direction the car is pointing.
2-79