2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Owners Manual

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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Oil Pressure Light
United States
kPa
I I
Canada
the ignition to RUN. If it doesn’t come on with the
ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
0 If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for
a moment. This is normal.
If you have a problem with your oil pressure, this light
may stay on after you start your engine, or come
on when you are driving.
This indicates that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it lubricated. The engine
could be low on oil or could have some other oil
problem. Have it fixed right away.
The oil light could also come on in two other situations:
0 While the ignition is on but the engine is not
running, the light
will come on as a test to show you
it’s working. The light will go out when you turn
.
Do keep driving if the oi , ressure 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.
Notice: Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
3-35

Low Oil Level Light
LOW OIL
LEVEL
The engine is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the
ignition key is turned to
RUN, the LOW
OIL LEVEL
light will briefly flash.
If the light does not flash, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and turn the engine
off. Check the oil level using the
engine oil dipstick. See Engine
Oil on page 5-18.
The oil level monitoring system only checks the oil
level during the brief period when the ignition key is
between
RUN and START. It does not monitor engine
oil level while the engine is running. Additionally,
an oil level check is only performed
if the engine has
been turned
off for a considerable period of time,
allowing the oil normally in circulation to drain back
into the oil pan.
Security Light
This message is
displayed to monitor
the PASS-Key@
Ill
system. SECURITY
If the SECURITY message is displayed continuously
while driving, there may be a problem with the
PASS-Key@
Ill system. Your vehicle will not be protected
by PASS-Key@
Ill, and you should see your dealer for
service. For more information see
PASS-Key 111
on page 2- 16.
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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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Driver Information Center (DIC)
c
I
SHANGE OIL SOON
3100 V6 or 3800 V6 Engine Vehicles Equipped with the ABS Brake System
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The Driver Information Center (DIC) gives you important
safety and maintenance facts. When you turn the
ignition on, all of the DIC lights illuminate for a few
seconds. After this, the DIC will begin working.
Functions
__ (Door Ajar): If one of the doors is ajar, this light
will appear next to that door on the vehicle outline.
CHANGE OIL SOON: This light will appear when the
system indicates that it’s time for an oil change. The
system predicts remaining oil life using data from length
of drives, coolant temperature, engine rpm and
vehicle speed. It alerts you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with the vehicle’s driving conditions.
After changing the oil, the system must be reset. See
How to Reset the GM
Oil Life SystemTM under
Engine
Oil on page 5- 18.
e LOW: This light will come on when the ignition is
on and the fluid in the washer fluid container is low.
AJAR: This light alerts you that the trunk is not
fully closed.
LOW TRAC (Low Traction): If your vehicle is equipped
with anti-lock brakes, this light will come on when the
enhanced traction system is limiting wheel spin. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-
I I or
Low Traction Light on page 3-30.
TRAC OFF (Traction Off): If your vehicle is equipped
with anti-lock brakes, this light lets you know that
the enhanced traction system has been disabled and
will not limit wheel spin. See Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
on page 3-30 or Low Traction Light on
page 3-30.
TRAC (Traction): If the vehicle has anti-lock brakes
and the enhanced traction system, you will have a
disable button on the far right side of the DIC.
The enhanced traction system is automatically activated
when you turn the ignition on. This button will
activate/deactivate the system. If you need to disable
the system, such
as when you are stuck and are rocking
the vehicle back and forth, push this button. See If
You Are Stuck: in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
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