2002 PONTIAC FIREBIRD change time

2-52 Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
When the high beams are
on, this light located on the
instrument panel cluster
also will be on.
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or
from high beam to low, pull the turn signal lever all the
way toward you. Then release it.
Windshield Wipers
You can control the windshield wipers by turning the
band with the wiper symbol on it, located on the turn
signal/multifunction lever.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST.
Hold it there until the wipers start, then let go.
The wipers will stop after one cycle. If you want
more cycles, hold the band on MIST longer.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful in light rain
or snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time.
The closer to LO, the shorter the delay.For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away
from you to the LO position. For high
-speed wiping,
turn the band further, to HI. To stop the wipers,
turn the band to OFF.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing
well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage, be sure to
clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If they're frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit breaker will stop them until the motor cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
There is a paddle with the word PUSH on it at the top of
the turn signal/multifunction lever. To spray washer fluid
on the windshield, push the paddle briefly. 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 ªWindshield Washer Fluidº in the Index.

3-2
Comfort Controls
With this system, you can control the heating,
air conditioning and ventilation in your vehicle.
Your vehicle also has the flow
-through ventilation
system described later in this section.
Fan Knob
Use the knob on the left of the control panel to select
the force of air you want. Turn the knob clockwise to
increase fan speed and counterclockwise to decrease
fan speed.Temperature Knob
Turn the center knob to change the temperature of the
air flowing from the system. Turn it toward the red
(clockwise) for warmer air and toward the blue
(counterclockwise) for cooler air.
Mode Knob
OFF: In this setting the system is off.
MAX (Maximum): This setting provides maximum
cooling or quick cool
-down on very hot days. It
recirculates most of the air inside your vehicle. If it is
used for long periods of time the air may become dry.
This setting directs air through the upper air vents.
A/C (Air Conditioning): Use A/C for normal cooling
on hot days. This setting cools outside air and directs it
through the upper air vents.
The air conditioner compressor operates in MAX, A/C,
bi
-level, blend and defrost when the outside temperature
is above freezing. When the air conditioner is on,
you may sometimes notice slight changes in your
vehicle's engine speed and power due to the operation
of the compressor.

3-12
Whenever a CD magazine with discs is loaded in the
changer, the compact disc symbol will appear on the
radio display. If the CD changer is checking the
magazine for CDs, the compact disc symbol will flash
on the display until the changer is ready to play.
When a CD begins playing, CD will appear in the
bottom left corner and a disc and track number will be
displayed. The disc numbers are listed on the front of
the magazine.
All of the CD functions are controlled by the radio
pushbuttons except for ejecting the magazine.
Playing a Compact Disc
If an error appears on the display, see ªCompact Disc
Messagesº later in this section.
The following pushbuttons are used for the
trunk
-mounted CD changer.
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go back to
the start of the current track if more than eight seconds
have played. Press this pushbutton again to go to the
previous track on the disc.
2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to advance to the next
track on the disc.3 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to play the
compact discs in random, rather than sequential order.
RDM will appear on the display. If you press SEEK
while in the random mode, discs and tracks will go to
the next random selection. Press this button again to turn
off the random feature and return to normal operation.
4: Press this pushbutton to select the next disc in
the magazine. If a CD cannot be played, its number
will be skipped when selecting discs while using
this pushbutton.
5 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
quickly reverse within a track. As the CD reverses,
elapsed time will be displayed to help you find the
correct passage.
6 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to
quickly advance within a track. As the CD advances,
elapsed time will be displayed to help you find the
correct passage.
RECALL: Press this button to see what track is
currently playing. Press it again within five seconds to
see how long the track has been playing. When a new
track starts to play, the track number will also appear.
Press it a third time and the time of day will be displayed.

4-9
Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
See ªLow Traction Lightº
in the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (Option)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the rear wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power (and works the rear
brakes on V8 engine vehicles) to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin. See ªLow Traction
Lightº in the Index. You
may feel or hear the system
working, but this is normal.
The traction control system may operate on dry roads
under some conditions, and you may notice a reduction
in acceleration when this happens. This is normal and
doesn't mean there's a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard acceleration
in a turn, or an abrupt upshift or downshift.

4-14

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want
to pass while you're awaiting an opportunity.
For one thing, following too closely reduces your
area of vision, especially if you're following a larger
vehicle. Also, you won't have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back
a reasonable distance.

When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don't get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have
a ªrunning startº that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.

If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)

Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two
-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.

Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing,
it may be slowing down or starting to turn.

If you're being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you can ease a little to the right.

4-33
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in ªWeight of the Trailerº
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That's the reason for this part. In it are many
time
-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load
-pulling components such as the engine,
transmission, rear axle, wheel assemblies and tires are
forced to work harder against the drag of the added
weight. The engine is required to operate at relatively
higher speeds and under greater loads, generating extra
heat. What's more, the trailer adds considerably to wind
resistance, increasing the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:

There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you'll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.

Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.

Don't tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.

Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don't drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and
don't make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.

Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don't drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers, or no more than 55 mph (90 km/h),
to save wear on your vehicle's parts.

5-29
3. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to fit underneath the wheel well.
4. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.

6-16
NOTICE:
Use only engine oil with the American
Petroleum Institute Certified For Gasoline
Engines starburst symbol. Failure to use the
recommended oil can result in engine damage
not covered by your warranty.
GM Goodwrench
oil meets all the requirements for
your vehicle.
If you are in an area where the temperature falls below
-20F (-29C), consider using either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil or an SAE 0W
-30 oil. Both will provide
easier cold starting and better protection for your engine
at extremely low temperatures.
Engine Oil Additives
Don't add anything to your oil. The recommended oils
with the starburst symbol are all you will need for good
performance and engine protection.
When to Change Engine Oil
(GM Oil Life System)
Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know
when to change the engine oil and filter. This is based
on engine revolutions and engine temperature, and not
on mileage. Based on driving conditions, the mileage
at which an oil change will be indicated can vary
considerably. For the oil life system to work properly,
you must reset the system every time the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has
been diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is
necessary. A OIL CHANGE light will come on.
Change your oil as soon as possible within the next
two times you stop for fuel. It is possible that, if you
are driving under the best conditions, the oil life system
may not indicate that an oil change is necessary for
over a year. However, your engine oil and filter must be
changed at least once a year and at this time the system
must be reset. It is also important to check your oil
regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must change
your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your last oil
change. Remember to reset the oil life system whenever
the oil is changed.