2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Owners Manual

Climate Controls
Climate Control System
Manual Climate Control System
The climate control system allows you to manually
control the heating, cooling and ventilation for the vehicle.
Fan
9
(Fan):Turn the knob by this symbol, located on
the left side of the climate control panel, clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or decrease the fan speed.During the highest fan speed selections, the fan speed
will be temporarily reduced between the transition to a
new mode. The fan will resume the original speed when
the transition to the new mode is complete.
9(Off):Turn the knob to this position to turn the
fan off.
Mode
Turn the middle knob to select the following modes:
H(Vent) Outside Air:This mode directs outside air
to the instrument panel outlets. If you are in city traffic,
and the vehicle is stopped and idling, or the weather is
hot, you may switch from this mode to the recirculation
mode. To prevent the air inside the vehicle from
becoming stale, be sure to return to the vent mode
periodically.
)(Bi-Level):This mode directs half of the air to the
instrument panel outlets, and then directs the remaining
air to the ¯oor outlets. Some air may be directed toward
the windshield. Slightly cooler air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets and warmer air is directed to
the ¯oor outlets.
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6(Floor):This mode directs most of the air to the ¯oor
outlets with some air directed toward the side window
outlets and a little air directed to the windshield.
In this mode, the system will automatically use outside
air. The air conditioning compressor will be engaged
unless the outside temperature is 40É F (4ÉC) or below.
Recirculation cannot be selected when in this mode.
The middle knob on the climate control panel can also
be used to select the defog or defrost mode.
Defogging and Defrosting
Fog on the inside of the vehicle is a result of high
humidity (moisture) condensing on the cool window
glass. This can be minimized if the climate control
system is used properly. There are two modes to clear
frost or fog from the windshield. Use the defog mode
to clear the windows of condensation and to warm the
vehicle's occupants. Use the defrost mode to remove
frost or condensation from the windshield quickly.
See ªRear Window Defoggerº later in this section for
information on clearing the rear window of fog or ice.There are two modes to clear fog from your windshield.
Recirculation cannot be selected when in these modes.
.(Floor/Defog):Use the ¯oor/defog mode to clear the
windows of fog or moisture and warm the passengers.
This mode directs the air equally between the
windshield and the ¯oor outlets, along with some
directed to the side window outlets.
This mode will automatically use outside air. The air
conditioning compressor will be engaged unless
the outside temperature is 40É F (4ÉC) or below.
1FRONT (Defrost):Use the front/defrost mode to
remove fog or frost from the windshield more quickly.
This mode directs most of the air to the windshield and
the side window outlets, with some air directed to
the ¯oor outlets. This mode has a timer and will shut off
after ®ve minutes.
This mode will automatically use outside air. The air
conditioning compressor will be engaged unless
the outside temperature is 40É F (4ÉC) or below.
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Temperature
The knob on the right of the climate control panel is the
temperature adjustment that can be used with any of
the climate control modes.
Turn the knob clockwise for warmer settings and
counterclockwise for colder settings.
Air Conditioning
#
(Air Conditioner):Press this button on the climate
control panel to turn the air-conditioning system on
or off. When A/C is pressed, an indicator light to the right
of the button will come on to let you know that A/C is
active. The instrument brightness control may have to be
adjusted to the highest setting during the daytime in
order to see the indicator lamp.
On hot days during initial start-up, open the windows to
let hot inside air escape; then close them. This helps
to reduce the time it takes for your vehicle to cool down.
It also helps the system to operate more efficiently.For quicker cool down on hot days, do the following:
1. Select the vent/outside air mode.
2. Select the recirculation mode.
3. Select the air conditioner.
4. Select the coolest temperature.
5. Select the highest fan speed.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside your vehicle to become too dry.
To prevent this from happening, select the vent mode
once the interior of the vehicle is cooled.
The air-conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling
or after turning off the engine. This is normal.
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Recirculation
h
(Recirculation):Press this button on the climate
control panel to activate the recirculation mode. With
this selection inside air is recirculated into the vehicle
along with some outside air. This mode reduces outside
air and odors from entering your vehicle. It may also
help to heat or cool the air inside your vehicle more
quickly.
When this button is pressed an indicator lamp to the
right of the button will come on to indicate that the
recirculation mode is on. An adjustment to the
instrument panel brightness control to the highest
setting may be required to see the indicator lamp.
The recirculation mode has a timer. After ®ve minutes,
the system's air inlet door will move slightly to allow
for ten percent fresh outside air to maintain interior air
quality. The only way to reset the system to full
recirculation is to restart the ®ve minute timer by
selecting vent/outside air and recirculation again.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog or frost from the rear window. Be sure to
clear as much snow from the rear window as possible.
Notice:Don't use a razor blade or something
else sharp on the inside of the rear window. If you
do, you could cut or damage the defogger and
the repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Do not attach a temporary vehicle license, tape,
a decal or anything similar to the defogger grid.
=(REAR):Press this button to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
When this button is pressed an indicator light to the right
of the button will come on to show that the rear window
defogger is active. The instrument brightness control may
have to be adjusted to the highest setting during the
daytime in order to see the indicator light.
The rear window defogger will turn off approximately
20 minutes after the button is pressed. If reselected,
it will run another 20 minutes. The defogger can
be turned off by pressing the button again or by turning
off the engine.
Do not drive the vehicle until all windows are clear.
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Outlet Adjustment
Rotate and turn the air
outlets, located in the
middle and at each
outboard side of the
instrument panel,
to adjust the direction
of the air¯ow.
See
Instrument Panel Overview on page 3-2for
additional information on location.
Operation Tips
·
Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets at the base of the windshield that may
block the ¯ow of air into your vehicle.
·Use of non-GM approved hood de¯ectors may
adversely affect the performance of the system.
·Keep the path under the front seats clear of objects
to help circulate the air inside of your vehicle more
effectively.
·If the air¯ow seems low when the fan is at the
highest setting, the passenger compartment air ®lter
may need to be replaced. See ªPassenger
Compartment Air Filterº following, for more
information on this ®lter.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The passenger compartment air ®lter is located
underneath the inlet grille, which is located under
the passenger side windshield wiper arm.
The ®lter traps most of the pollen from entering the
climate control system. Similar to the engine's air ®lter,
it may need to be changed periodically to insure
system performance. See
Part A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services on page 6-4for information
on scheduled changes for this ®lter.
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To change the passenger compartment air ®lter,
do the following:
1. Put the ignition in ACCESSORY and turn the
windshield wipers on.
2. Turn the ignition to off when the windshield wipers
are in the upright position.
3. Raise the hood.
4. Disconnect the windshield washer pump hose from
the fender rail and the air inlet grille.
5. Remove the hood weather-strip from the passenger's
side of the vehicle, peeling it back halfway to the
center.
6. Remove the air inlet grille retainers.
7. Remove the air inlet grille.8. Remove the passenger compartment air ®lter by
pulling up on the tab.
9. Install a new passenger compartment air ®lter.
Make sure it slides under the compartment
retainers.
10. Reverse steps 1 through 7.
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Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
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 brie¯y 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. 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.
Your vehicle also has a Driver Information Center (DIC)
that works along with the warning lights and gages.
See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-45for
more information.
3-31

Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You'll know how fast
you're going, about how much fuel is in your tank and many other things you need to drive safely and economically.
Your vehicle is equipped with this cluster or one very similar to it. It has indicator warning lights that are explained on
the following pages. Be sure to read about them.United States version shown, Canada similar
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