1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD arm

Starting Your Engine
Automatic Transmission
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
transmission. Shift to
PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
Manual Transmission
The gear selector should be in NEUTRAL (N) and the
parking brake engaged. Hold the clutch pedal to the
floor and
start the engine. Your vehicle won’t start if
the clutch pedal
is not all the way down -- that’s a
safety feature.
Starting Your 3800 Series I1 Engine
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.
I NOTICE:
~~
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START for about three to five seconds at a time until
your engine starts. Wait about 15 seconds between
each
try to help avoid draining your battery or
damaging your starter.

3. If your enpe still won’t start (or starts but then stops),
it could be flooded with too much gasoline. Try
pushing your accelerator pedal
all the way to the floor
and holding it there as you hold the key in START for
about three seconds. If the vehicle
starts briefly but
then stops again, do the same
thing, but this time keep
the pedal down for five
or six seconds. This clears the
extra gasoline
from the engine. After waiting about
15 seconds, repeat the normal starting procedure.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
1 equipment, check with your dealer. If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
~ Your Vehicle” in the Index.
Starting Your 5.7 Liter LS1 Engine
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
I
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start within 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor, while you
hold the ignition key in START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key and let up on the accelerator
pedal. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to
help avoid draining your battery
or damaging
your starter.
2-27

Engine Coolant Heater
(Canada Only)
In very cold weather, 0 OF (- 1 8 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting
and
better fuel 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 the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord is attached to the outside
of the underhood
fuse
box.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
A CAUTION:
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.
2-29

If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Windows
Manual Windows
Turn the window crank handle to open and close each
door window.
Power Windows (If Equipped)
Switches on the driver’s door control each window
when the ignition is on or when
RAP is present.
(See “Retained Accessory Power” in the Index.)
You can open the passenger’s window any amount by
pressing the switch and releasing it when the window
has lowered to the position you want.
The driver’s window has an auto-down feature. This
switch is labeled AUTO. Tap the bottom of the switch
and the driver’s window will open a small amount.
If the
rear of the switch is pressed all the way down and
released, the window will
go all the way down.
To stop the window while
it is lowering, press the top of
the switch.
To raise the window, press and hold the top
of the switch.
Horn
To sound the horn, press either horn symbol on your
steering wheel.
If your horn sounds two or three chirps when unlocking
your vehicle
with the optional remote keyless entry
transmitter, the
alarm was triggered while you were
away. Check the vehicle before entering.
2-45

Windshield Washer
There is a paddle with the word PUSH on it at the top of
the
turn signal lever. To spray washer fluid on the
windshield, just push the paddle for less than a second.
The washer will continue to spray until you release the
paddle. The wipers will clear the window and wipe
a
few more times before stopping or returning to the
previous setting. See “Windshield Washer Fluid” in
the Index.
A CAUTION:
I
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can
form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can
maintain
a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more
without keeping
your foot
on the accelerator.
This can really help on long trips. Cruise control does
not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
2-49

Front Map Lamps
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Your inside rearview mirror includes two map lamps.
Each lamp has its own switch. Use the switch closest to
the lamp to turn it on. The
lamps will also go on when a
door
is opened.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
Your vehicle is equipped with a Retained Accessory
Power
(RAP) feature which will allow certain features
of your vehicle to continue to work up to
10 minutes
after the ignition key is turned to
OFF.
Your convertible top, power windows and audio system
will work when the ignition key
is in RUN or ACC.
Once the key is turned from RUN to OFF, these features
will continue to work for up to
10 minutes or until either
door is opened.
Your power door unlock and remote hatch release
features will work when the ignition key is in
RUN or
ACC or if either door is open. Once the key is turned to
OFF, these features will continue to work for up to
10 minutes. If either door is open and the ignition key is
off, these features will continue to work until both doors
have been closed
for about 30 seconds or until the
theft-deterrent system
arms. At that time, both the
power door unlock and remote hatch release features
will be disabled to enhance the security of the vehicle.
The power door lock function will work at all times
except when Lockout Prevention is enabled. See
“Lockout Prevention” in the Index.

Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one
of your vehicle’s functions. As you
will see in the details
on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly
when you start the
engine just to let you know they’re working.
If you are
familiar with this section,
you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages
can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to
let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to
do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to
do repairs can be costly -- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or STMT, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
’ nor the light will
come on.
buckled, neither
the chime \I
2-80

Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Pressure Gage
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3800 V6 Engine 5.7L VS Engine
One of these gages may tell you there could be a
problem with
your engine oil pressure.
The engine oil pressure gage shows the engine oil pressure
in psi (pounds per square inch) in the United States, or kpa
(kilopascals)
in Canada, when the engine is running. On
the 5.7L V8 engine, oil pressure should be 20 to 80 psi
(140 to 550 Pa). On the 3800 V6 engine, the oil pressure
should be between 20 and 120 psi (140 to 827 Wa). It
may vary with engine
speed, outside temperature and oil
viscosity, but readings above the red area show the normal
operating range. Readings
in the red area tell you that the
engine is low
on oil, or that you might have some other oil
problem. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.