1995 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual - Page 121

The CHECK ENGINE light should come on,as a check to show you it is working, when the ignition is on and the engine isnot running. This light will also come on during a malfunction in one of two ways: 0 These following conditions also may cause the CHECK ENGINE light to comeon: Low Fuel/Out of Fuel: As the vehicle starts to run out of fuel, theCHECK ENGINE light may come on as a result of an engine misfire. Filling your fuel tank should correct this condition. Make sure to install the gas capfully. It will require a few driving trips to turn the light off. Poor Quality Fuel: Be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. Your engine may not run efficiently on poor fuel. Poor fuel may cause stalling, hesitation or misfire. These conditions may go away when the engine is warmed-up. However, poor quality fuel may cause theCHECK ENGINE light to come on. Have a dealer check the vehicle. If no problems are found, you may want to change to another brand of fuel. Driving Through Standing Water: Driving your vehicle through puddles of deep standing water may result in a temporary misfire condition. This condition will usually correct itself shortly after the electrical system dries out. It will require a few driving trips to turn the light off. Light on steady: This indicates a system malfunction has been detected. Drive the vehicle to the dealer for service at your firstopportunity. Light Flashing: This indicates a misfire has been detected which may damage the emission control system. The damage may be reducedby lowering the vehicle speed, reducing the amount cargo being of hauled or trailered, avoiding hard acceleration, or by avoiding steepuphill grades. If these actions are effective, the light will stop flashing and remain on steady. Drive the vehicle to a dealer for service.If the light continues to flash, stop the vehicle. Wait for a steady light to come on, then drive the vehicle to a dealer for service. 2-68