2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX fuel

Malfunction indicator Lamp
Service Engine Soon Light in the
United States or Check Engine Light
in Canada
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
United States
~~
Canada
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 SERVICE ENGINE SOON
or 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.
Notice: If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light
on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
Notice: Modifications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with
other than those
of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result
in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
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This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing - A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center
diagnosis and service may be required.
0 Light On Steady - An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reducing vehicle speed.
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible. If
the light stops flashing and remains on steady,
see “If the Light
Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key
off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is
On Steady” following. If the light is still flashing, follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle
to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See Filling
Your Tank on page 5-7. The
diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel cap has
been left
off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel
to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light
off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light
off.
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Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine
may not run as efficiently as designed since small
amounts of air are sucked into the fuel line causing
misfire. The system can detect this. Adding fuel should
correct this condition. Make sure to install the fuel
cap properly. See filling
Your Tank on page 5-7. It will
take a few driving trips to turn the light
off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Ocfane on page
5-5. 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.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE light is on or not
working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection
if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving.
If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of
OBD
system readiness, see your dealer or qualified service
center to prepare the vehicle for inspection.
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Fuel Gage
United States Canada
The fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left while the ignition is on. When the indicator nears
empty, you still have a little fuel left, but you should get
more soon.
Here are four things owners usually ask about the fuel
gage.
All these situations are normal and do not
indicate a problem with the fuel gage:
At the gas station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads full.
It takes more (or less) fuel to fill up than the gage
indicates. For example, the gage reads half full,
but it took more (or less) than half the tank‘s
capacity to
fill it.
0 The gage pointer may move while cornering,
braking or speeding up.
0 The gage may not indicate full when the ignition i?
turned off.
Low Fuel Warning Light
If your fuel is low,
the warning light near
the fuel gage will
go on.
LOW
FUEL
It will also come on for a few seconds when you
first turn on the ignition as a check to show you it’s
working properly.
If it doesn’t come on then, see your
dealer for service.
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Control Buttons
The trip computer has three buttons that control its
functions.
ENG/MET (English/Metric): Press this button to
change the display from English
to metric units or metric
to English.
RESET: Press this button for two seconds to reset the
mode displayed.
MODE: Press this button to change the function mode,
(Fuel Used, AVG ECON, OIL LIFE, RANGE) being
displayed.
OIL LIFE: This shows a percentage of the engine’s oil
remaining useful life. The system predicts remaining
oil life using data from length of drives, coolant
temperature, engine rpm and vehicle speed. Each time
you get an oil change, be sure to reset this function
so that it will give you an accurate percentage. See
“How to Reset the GM Oil Life System” under Engine
Oil on page
5-18.
RANGE: This mode shows how much farther you can
travel with the fuel you have remaining in the gas
tank before refueling. When the range displays
L, for
40 to
50 miles (64.36 to 80.45 km), the display will flash
LOW continuously. The range is calculated from the
AVG ECON value multiplied by the fuel remaining in
the tank.
Functions
LOW: This light will come on the vehicle outline when
FUEL USED: This mode shows the total amount of fuel the ignition is on and the fluid in the washer fluid
used since you last reset it. The amount can be container is low.
displayed in gallons or liters.
AVG ECON (Average Economy): This mode shows
the average fuel economy since you last reset
it.
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Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance.
Expect to move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the
proper lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit, do
not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed
according to your speedometer, not to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance at higher
speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower
than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
- such as after a day’s
work
- don’t plan to make too many miles that first
part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes
you can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to
go. If it
needs service, have it done before starting out.
Of course, you’ll find experienced and able service
experts in dealerships all across North America. They’ll
be ready and willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid:
Is the reservior full?
Are all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps:
Do you have up-to-date maps?
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vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see
it or
smell
it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base
of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will
help keep
CO out. I
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get
and it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or
so
until help comes.
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Loading Your Vehicle
.
1 TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
1 OCCUPANTS VEHiCLE 6
OT, ADD 28KPA(4PSI)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label is
on the inside of the trunk lid. The label tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It also give you
important information about the number of people
that can be in your vehicle and the total weight you can
carry. This weight is called the vehicle capacity
weight and includes the weigh of all occupants, cargo
and all non-factory installed options. The
other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle, called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
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