1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD check engine

Making &rns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike
soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other
objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal
well in advance.
lbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Pontiac dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,\
change lanes
or stop. When towing
a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you
are seeing your signal when they are not.
It’s important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs
are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have an automatic
transmission with overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
THIRD
(D) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE @
(or, as you need to, a lower gear). Or, if you have a
manual transmission with FIFTH
(5) (or SIXTH (6) )
gear and you are towing a trailer. Just drive in
FOURTH
(4) gear (or drive in FIFTH (5) if you have a
six-speed manual transmission) or, as
you need
to, a lower gear.
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0 Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached,
on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a
hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet, or into gear for a manual transmission.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes, Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift to
PARK (P) for an
automatic transmission, or
REVERSE (R) for a
manual transmission.
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while
you:
0 Start your engine;
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on
this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation
are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, drive belts, cooling
system and brake adjustment. Each of these is covered
in
this manual, and the Index will help you find them
quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
this information before you start your trip.
Check periodically to
see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
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1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
I
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
2.
3.
Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter.
Turn off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios.
This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. In addition, it could save your radio!
I Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered
by
your warranty.
I
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
A CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not
running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools
away from any underhood
electric fan.
Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
5-4

A CAUTION:
-
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to add water to the ACDelco Freedom@ battery installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if
a battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take
care of that first.
If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged,
too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative (-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts, too.
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away &om moving parts
once the engine is running. I
5-5

If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine cooling fans
are running. If the
engine is overheating, both fans should be running.
If
they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at
FULL COLD add a 50150 mixture of clean water
(preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL@ engine coolant
at the coolant recovery tank. (See “Engine Coolant” in
the Index for more information.)
a CAUTION:
-1
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water,
or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will. Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
your engine could get too hot but you wouldn’t
get the overheat warning. Your engine could
catch
fire and you or others could be burned.
Use
a 50/50 mixture of clean water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
5-19

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about
your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
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6-33
Service
Fuel
Fuels
in Foreign Countries
Filling
Your Tank
Filling a Portable Fuel Container Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Air Filter Replacement
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Manual Transmission Fluid Hydraulic Clutch
Engine Coolant
Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid Brakes 6-37
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6-68
6-70 Battery
Bulb
Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Care of Safety Belts
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Cleaning the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Cleaning Aluminum
or Chrome Wheels
(If Equipped)
Underbody Maintenance
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants

You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you
try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
0
0
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and ‘5netric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the
airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your dealer before adding equipment to the outside
of
your vehicle.
Fuel
The 8th digit of your vehicle identification number
(VIN) shows the code letter for your engine. You will
find the VIN at the top left of your instrument panel.
(See “Vehicle Identification Number” in the Index.)
If you have the 3800 engine (VIN Code K), use regular
unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher.
If you have the
5.7L engine (VIN Code G), use
premium unleaded gasoline rated at
91 octane or
higher for best performance. You may use middle
grade or regular unleaded gasolines, but your vehicle
may not accelerate as well.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use should meet specifications ASTM
D48 14 in the United States
and CGSB
3.5-M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting the AAMA specification could
provide improved driveability
and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
6-3

Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least 91 (at
least
89 for middle grade and 87 for regular). If the
octane
is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive. If it's bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
If you're using fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service. But don't
worry if you hear a little pinging
noise when you're accelerating or driving up a
hill.
That's normal, and you don't have to buy a higher
octane
fuel to get rid of pinging. It's the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
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
methylcyclopentadienyl 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 "'I' are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
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 for service.
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