Pontiac 1979 Firebird User manual

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A WORD TO PONTIAC OWNERS ...
This manual has been prepared to acquaint you with the operation and
maintenance of your 1979 Firebird, Esprit, Formula or Trans Am, and to
provide
important safety information. It is supplemented by a
Maintenance Schedule and Warranty Information folder. We urge you
to read these
three publications carefully. Follow the recommendations
to help assure the most enjoyable, safe, and troublefree operation of your
car .
While reading this
manual, you will notice that some specifications are
given in both metric and customary units. Where precise accuracy is not
needed, some conversions have been rounded to even
numbers for your
handy use.
When it comes to service,
remember that your Pontiac dealer knows your
car best and is interested in your complete satisfaction. Return to your
dealer for Guardian Maintenance Service and any other repairs your car
may require.
To help dealers handle your needs, Pontiac maintains a number of Zone
Offices throughout the country. If you have a problem that has not been
handled to your satisfaction, follow the procedure in Section 6, "Owner
Assistance".
We thank you for choosing a Pontiac product, and want tc1 assure you of
our continuing interest in your motoring pleasure and satisfaction.
Pontiac
Motor Division
FOR CONTINUING SATISFACTION, KEEP YOUR GM CAR
ALL GM. GENERAL MOTORS PARTS ARE IDENTIFIED BY
ONE OFTHESE TRADEMARKS:
NOTE TO CANADIAN OWNERS:
If preferred, a French Owner's Manual can be obtained
from
either your Dealer or by writing to General Motors
of Canada Limited, Technical Publications Department,
Oshawa, Ontario. L1J 5Z6."
Aux proprietaires canadiens:
On peut se procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en fran<;ais
aupres du concessionnaire Oll lIu service des publications
techniques, General Motors du Canada Limitee, Oshawa,
Ontario L IJ 5Z6 .

1979 PONTIAC OWNER'S MANUAL
THIS MANUAL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A PERMANENT
PART OF THIS CAR. IT SHOULD REMAIN WITH THE CAR
WHEN SOLD, 1'0 PROVIDE THE NEXT OWNER WITH
IMPORTANT OPERATING, SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE
INFORMATION.
Pontiac Motor Division
General MotorsCorporation
Pontiac, Michigan 48053
All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manual
are based on the latest product information available
at the time of
printing. The right
is reserved to make changes at any time without
notice.
For vehicles sold
in Canada, substitute the name General Motors of
Canada
Limit~d wherever the name Pontiac Motor Division appears in
this manual.
Table of Contents
BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR 1
STARTING AND OPERATING
STEERING COLUMN CONTROLS
FLOOR CONTROLS
INSTRUMENT PANEL
OTHER CONTROLS AND FEATURES
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 3
APPEARANCE CARE 4
SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE 5
OWNER ASSISTANCE 6
SPECIFICATIONS
SERVICE MANUALS
INDEX
SERVICE STATION INFORMATION

BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR 1-1
DRIVER DAILY CHECKLIST
BEFORE ENTERING CAR
Be sure you know your car and itsequipment and how to use itsafely.
1. See that windows, mirrors, and lights areclean andunobstructed.
2. Check whether any tire is low or flat. (If any tire appears different
than normal, we recommend you check it with a tirepressuregage.)
3. Check that all lights work.
4. Look for fluid leaks.
5. Be sureeverything is properly stowed.
6. Checkarea behind car if about to backup.
BEFORE DRIVING OFF
1. Lock all doors.
2. Adjust seatand head restraints.
3. Adjust inside andoutside mirrors.
4. Fasten seat belts.
5. Check that warning lights work as key is turned to "Start."
6. Check all gages (including fuel).
7. Release parking brake (andsee that "Brake" light turns off).
GUARD AGAINST THEFT
For tips on how to protect your car and its contents, see the "Steering
Column Controls"section of this manual.
KEYS
Two different keys are provided
for the locks on your car. The key
code is stamped on the "knock
out" plug in each key head.
• Key witb square bead (letter
"A")-for ignition lockonly.
• Key witb oval bead (letter
"R")-for all other locks.
For vehicle security:
• Record key code numbers;
then knock plugs out of
keys.
• Keep the key codes in a safe place such as your wallet, not in tbe car.
If the original keys are lost, duplicates can be made using the key codes.
Contactany GM dealer or a locksmith.
II

1-2
BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
If you park in an attended lot, separate and leave your square-head
ignition key only. Lock your glove box and take the oval-head key with!
you. This will help prevent any illegal entry into the glove box and
trunk
compartments.
STOWING THINGS IN (OR ON) THE CAR
INSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR
The mirror can be adjusted up, down, or
sideways to obtain the best view to the
front and rear. Move the mirror lever to
the night position to reduce glare from
headlights
of vehicles behind you.

BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
REMOTE CONTROL OUTSIDE MIRROR
The remote control lever for the left-hand
outside reaniew mirror is located on the
forward section
of the left interior door
trim panel. Simply move the lever in the
desired direction to adjust the pOsition of
the mirror.
Adjust the .outside mirror so you can
just
see the side of your car in the side of the
mirror closest to the car. This helps you
determine your relation to
objects seen in
the mirror.
CONVEX MIRROR
1-3
Your car may have an optiorialconvex outside right hand rearview
mirror. (A convex mirror has a curved surface.) Adjust
the convex mirror
so you can
just see the side of your car iii the portion of the mirror closest
to the vehicle. This type
of mirror is designed to give a much wider view
to the rear and especially of the lane next to your car. However, cars and
other objects seen
in a cOnvex mirror will look smaller and farther away
than those seen
in a flat mirror. Therefore, use care when judging the size
or distance
of a car or object seen in this convex mirror. Use your inside
mirror to determine the size and distance
of objects seen in the convex
mirror.
MANUAL BUCKET SEAT ADJUSTMENT
The front seats may be adjusted forward
or rearward by moving the control lever
at
the front of the seat. Release the locking
mechanism; then exert slight body pressure
to move seat to desired position. Release
control lever to lock seat in desired
position.
NOTICE: Do not adjust a manually
operated driver's seat while the
.. car is
moving. The seat could move suddenly and
unexpectedly and could cause the driver to
lose control
of the car .
After adjusting a manually operated seat,
push forward and backward
on the seat to
be sure the seat adjusters have latched. Take the car to your dealer for
service ifyou find
that your seat adjusters do not latch.

1-4 BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
FRONT SEATBACK LATCHES
This car has front seatback latches
designed to hold the seatback upright
when properly latched. The release
le ver is
located at the bottom, on the outboard side
ofeach front seatback. To tilt the seatback
forward, lift the latch release lever. When
th~ seat is returned to the upright po sition,
the seatback
is designed.to latch by itself.
Keep seat belt webbing and hardware clear
of seat parts when you tilt folding seats
forward or backward. This helps prevent
damage to these belt systems.
SEAT BELTS
To help lessen the chance of injury and/or the severity of injury in
accidents or sudden stops, General Motors
urge s that people riding in the
car be properly restrained at all times, using the seat belts provided. This
includes women who
are pregnant, and children of all ages. See following
pages for use
of restraints by children and pregnant women.
FRONT SEAT LAP-SHOULDER BELT
• Adjust the front seat as needed and sit up straight and well back in
the seat.
• There are a number of ways the lap-shoulder belt may be put on
easily. For example.
..
• The lap-shoulder belt may be put on using one hand by: {l)
Holding the latch plate and pulling the belt as far as it will reach
across your waist (see illustration). (2) Then, hold the latch
plate
at a right angle to thewebbing. At the same time slide it up
the belt
by raising it toward the upper outside corner of the
windshield. (3) Finally, pull
the latch plate down across the body
and push it into the buckle until it
dicks .
.• One easy two-handed method is to hold the webbing just behind
the latch plate using the nearest hand. Then bring it down across
your body. While holding the webbing
taut with one hand, slide
the latch plate up the belt with the other hand. Finally, hold the
latch plate and push it into the buckle until it clicks.
• Position the "lap" portion of the belt across the lap as low on the
hips as possible. Then adjust to a snug fit by holding the "shoulder"
portion of belt and pulling it UPWARD through the latch plate,
until the lap portion
is snug across the lap. This reduces the risk of
sliding under the belt during an accident.

BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
LATCH
PLATE
1-5
• The shoulder portion of the front seat belt is designed to lock only
during a sudden stop or impact.
At other times it is designed to
move freely with the person.
KEEP BELOW
HIP BONE
• For those who find the shoulder belt too snug, belt pressure against
the chest can be reduced by using the tension reliever built into the
retractor. To use this feature: (A)
Start by pulling the shoulder belt
outward far
enough so that when you let go, it returns to the chest
(Step
"A" in the figure). (8) Then adjust the belt tension by
pulling down slightly on the shoulder portion of the belt and letting
go (Step
"8" in the figure). The least amount of belt possible should
be pulled from the retractor (about one inch) to minimize belt
pressure.
• To release the tension reliever and get rid of slack, pull the shoulder
belt out and let it retract.
Or lean far forward and then back.

1-6 BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
• To unfastenthe belt, push in the button in the center of the buckle.
• The retractor is designed to rewind the belt when the shoulder belt
is pulled outward about six inches. Pulling on the belt is necessary
to cause it to retract. Hold the latch plate as it retracts to keep it
from possibly striking people or things nearby.
Ifneeded, slide the
latch plate down the webbing to let the belt retract fully.
RESTRAINT OF PREGNANT WOMEN
General Motors urges that pregnant women use a lap-shoulder belt
whenever one
is present. This will help lessen the chance of a pregnant
woman and her unborn child being injured
and/or will help reduce the
severity of
theirinjury in an accident. The lapbelt should be used alone if
a shoulder belt
is not present. In either case, the lap belt should be worn
as
low and snug over the hips as possible, as advised for regular seat belt
use (see the preceding instructions).
SEAT BELT LIGHT IBUZZER REMINDER
• When the key is turned to "Run"or "Start", a reminder light is
designed to come on for four to eight seconds. It is to remind riders
to fasten their seat belts.
• If the driver's seat belt has not been buckled before turning the key
to
"Run" or "Start", a buzzer is designed to sound forfour to eight
seconds (or until buckled) as a reminder.
If the seat belt or reminder system does not work as described, see your
dealer for service.
LAP BELTS FOR REAR SEATPASSENGERS
• Rear seat lap belts have retractors which are designed to take up
extra webbing automatically.
• In a single motion, pull the rear seat outboard lap belt across the
lap far enough to push the latch plate into the buckle, until it clicks.
If the belt
is not pulled out far enough to reach the buckle, let the
lap belt rewind fully into its retractor. This unlocks it so the belt can
be pulled out to the proper length.
• These belts .should be positioned, worn, and released as described
above under
"Front Seat Lap-Shoulder Belt". After fastening,
check that the belt
is snug by pulling the belt firmly across the lap
toward the lap belt retractor. This will allow the retractor to take
up slack.

BEFORE DRIVING-YOUR 'CAR
ADDITIONAL REAR SEAT SHOULDER BELTS
Offered as an accessory at your dealer.
1-7
• When properly worn with a lap belt, a rear seat shoulder belt can
give riders added protection. It can prevent or reduce impact with
the insides of the car by restraining the upper body in a collision.
This is especially true in a frontal impact.
• To use the detachable shoulder belt, place the knob on the shoulder
belt end in the "keyhole" on the lap belt latch plate ( before the lap
belt is fastened). Tilt the knob as needed to pass it through the slot.
-Pull the knob firmly upward to seat it at the narrow end of the
keyhole. Then fasten the lap belL Do this in reverse when taking off
the shoulder belt and puttingit away.
• Detachable shoulder belts can be made shorter by pulling on the
endofthe belt coming from the adjustable latch plate.
• To make a detachable shoulder belt longer, place the adjustable
latch plate at a right angle to thebeltw~bbing and pull on the latch
plate. The belt should then slide easily.
• The detachable shoulder belt should have enough slack to put a
fist's width between your chest and the belt. This can be checked by
putting a clenched fist between the belt and __ your chest. (Place
thumb side of fist against chest with back of hand up.)
SEAT BELTINSPECTION
• Now and then check that belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors,
reminder systems, guide loops, and anchors work properly. Also
check for damage that could keep the restraint system from doing
its job.
• Keep sharp edges and damaging objects away from the belts and
other parts of the restraint system.
• Replace belts if cut, weakened, or frayed. Also have belts replaced
ifthey have been worn in a collision.
• Ifthere is any question, have parts replaced.
• Keep belts clean and dry.
• Clean only with mild soap and lukewarm water.
• Do not bleach or dye belts since this may badly weaken them.
CHILD RESTRAINT
Children in cars should be restrained to help lessen the chance and/or

1-8
BEFORE DRIVING YOUR·CAR
severity of injury in accidents or sudden stops. General Motors dealers
offer restraint systems designed by
GM for use with infants and small
children. For babies
up to 20 pounds, General Motors recommends uSe of
the GM
"Infant Love Seat." For children weighing 20 to 40 pounds, up
to 3 feet-4 inches in height, and who
are able to sit up alone, General
Motors recommends use
of the GM "Child Love Seat."
In using any infant or child restraint system, be sure to read and follow
all instructions on installation and use
that come with the restraint
system.
I
f a child isriding in a car without a General Motors (or other) infant or
child restraint system, take careas follows:
I. Infants who cannot sit up by themselves should be restrained by
placing them
in a bassinet, preferably covered and padded. Place it
crossways
in the car (widthwise) on the rear seat. The bassinet
should be securely restrained with the car's regular seat belts.
Another method
is to place the bassinet so that it rests against the
back of the driver's seat, again crossways in the car.
2. Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat. Children who can sit up
by themselves should be placed on a seat and re.strained with the
seat belts provided. When children ride
in a rear seat, they should
be restrained with a lap belt. When children
ride in the front seat,
both lap and shoulder belt should be worn.
If the shoulder belt
irritates neck or face due to
thechild ' ssize, this may be reduced by

8EFOREbRIVING YOUR CAR
1-9
placing the child closer to the center of the car. If irritation- is not
reduced, place the child in the rear seat.
3. General Motors advises that children should be restrained properly
when riding. However, unusual conditions may prevent use of
restraints, and require thatasmall child stand. If that happens,the
child should stand on the floor behind thedriver's seat. This will help
reduce the chance of being hurt by a frontal force impact in case of
an accident.
DOOR LOCKS
• Lock doors from inside 'by depressing door lock buttons on upper
door panels.
• Lock doors from outside by first depressing lock button then closing
door.
• Doors can also be locked from outside by using key.
All models have as a standard safety feature overriding door locks. When
the doors are locked, both the inside and outside door latch mechanisms
are inoperative, thus preventing inadvertent opening of the door by
movement of the inside handle.

1-10 BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS
All doors may be locked or unlocked by
operating the switch marked
"LOCK,"
located on door trim pad on cars equipped
with electric door locks.
The automatic locking mechanism does
not
at any time interfere with manual
operation
of any door lock button. The
doors· will not unlock or open with the
inside door handle when the lock button is
depressed, but can be unlocked
individually by lifting the lock button.
SUN VISOR ADJUSTMENT .
• Grasp visor by the top edge and pull downward to position in upper
portion
of windshield.
• Remove visor from it's retainer (if equipped), pull top edge down,
and swing visor to one side to position
at side window.
• Adjustment of screw at pivot point will·loosen or tighten visor on its
shaft.

BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
POWER WINDOWS
Optional power windows will
operate only when ignition switch
is in the "RUN" position. A
master control
is provided at the
driver's position, and will operate
all door windows. An individual
switch
is provided under each door
window for passenger use.
TRAILER TOWING
1-11
This car is designed and intended to be used mainly to carry people.
Towing a trailer will affect handling, durability and economy.
Your
safety and satisfaction depend upon proper use of correct equipment.
Also, you should avoid overloads and
other abusive use.
Tires
When towing trailers, tires should be inflated to the "Cold Tire Pressure"
for "Max. Load" shown on theTire Placard on the left front door.
The allowable passenger and cargo load for this car, also shown on the
same placard, is reduced b'y the trailer tongue weight whenever the trailer
is attached to the car.
Maintenance
More frequent service is required when using your car to .pull a trailer.
Refer to Section A of the Maintenance Schedule folder for Automatic
Transmission Fluid, Engine Oil, and Rear Axle Lubricant change
requirements for trailering.
Now and then check that all trailer hitch bolts and nuts are tight. Also,
see the Index in this manual and the Maintenance 'Schedule folder for
important facts on belts, cooling system care and brake adjustment.

1-12 BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
Break-In Schedule
See the new car break-in instructions in this manual. Also, we
recommend you drive your new car for 500 miles (800 kilometres) before
trailer towing. At the end of this 500 mile break-in period, speeds over 50
mph (80km/h) and full throttle starts should be avoided during the first
500 miles (800 kilometres) of trailer towing. If a · new engine"
transmission or axle is installed in your car, the same car should be
observed.
NOTICE: Use only trailer hitches which permit normal operation of the
Energy Absorbing Bumper system, if so equipped. For example, a rigid
fore and aft connection between the bumper and any other part
of the car
may increase damage in the event of a collision.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
Getting Started
Before entering traffic with ,a trailer equipped with electric brakes, start
the car and trailer moving and apply the trailer brakes by hand to be sure
the trailer brakes are working and the trailer electrical system
is
connected.
Engine Cooling
In case your engine overheats, see "Engine ~oolant" in the "In Case of
Emergency" section of this manual.

BEFORE DRIVING YOU~ CAR 1-13
Long UphillG .. ades
When going up long grades, you can reduce the chance of engine
overheating by down-shifting the transmission to a lower gear and
reducing speed to 45 mph (70
kmjh) or below.
Transmission
See the method for checking transmission fluid level in the "Service and
Maintenance" section ofthisrnanual.
Parking
You should not park cars with trailers on a grade (hill). However,if you
must park on a grade, these steps must be followed:
I. Apply regular brakes.
2. Have someone place wheel chocks under trailer wheels.
3. When wheel chocks
are in place, release regular brakes until chocks
absorb load. .
4. Apply parking brake.
5. Place transmission in "Park".
If the car is parked on a grade, don't shift the transmission lever to
"Park j' until the trailer wheels are chocked and the parking brake is set.
Ifyou do, the weight
of the car and trailer may exert so much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission that it may be hard to get the shift lever
out of
"Park".
When starting, after being parked on a grade:
I. Apply regular brakes and hold until steps 2 and 3 below are
completed.
2. Start engine in "Park ".
3. Shift into gear and release parking brake.
4. Release regular brakes and drive until the chocks are free.
5. Apply regular brakes and have helper remove chocks.
OPERATION IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Your engine is designed to run on unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating ofabout 91, Research method.
If you plan to drive your Firebird, Esprit, Formula or Trans Am outside
the U.S. and its jurisdictions or
Canada , there is a chance the gasolines
available
in some countries will not meet the needs of your engine. Low
octane rated gasolines may cause engine knocking or serious engine
damage, for which Pontiac Motor Divisionis not responsible.
Using leaded gasoline
in a car with a catalytic converter may cause the
converter to lo se its effectiveness as an emission control. It could also .
affect the emission warranty. If you must use leaded gasoline in a car
designed for unleaded fuel, converter modification and different
maintenance intervals will be required.
To obtain gasoline information

BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR
and a maintenance schedule for the countries in which you plan to travel,
write to: Pontiac Motor Division, Customer Services Department,
One
Pontiac Plaza, Pontiac, Michigan 48053. (In Canada, write to General
Motors
of Canada Limited, Customer Services Department, Oshawa,
Ontario LIJ 5Z6.)
When writing, please include:
• the Vehicle Identification Number and
• the countries in which you plan to travel.
Tires
If you plan to use your car in countries where speeds over 75 mph (120
km/h) are permitted, see "Inflation Pressure" under "TIRES" in
Section 5 ofthis manual.

STARTING AND OPERATING 2-1

2-2
STARTING AND OPERATING
NEW CAR "BREAK-IN" PERIOD
You can drive your new car from its very first mile/kilometre without
following a formal "breakcin" schedule. However, there are things you
can do during the first
few hundred miles/kilometres of driving that will
add to
the future performance and economy ofyour car.
We .recommend you limit
your speed during the first 500 miles (800
kilometres) to a maximum of 55 mph (90 km/h); but do not drive for
long periods
at any one constant speed, either fast or slow. During this
time, avoid full throttle starts and,
if possible, avoid hard stops especially
during the first 200 miles (320kilometre,s) ofdriving.
Always drive
atmodetate speed until the engine has completely warmed
up.
If you plan to use your new car for trailer towing, see additional
information under
"Trailer Towing" inSection I.
STEERING COLUMN AND SHIFT CONTROLS
ANTI .. THEFT STEERING COLUMN LOCK
The anti~theft lock on the right side of the steering column has five
positions: