Pontiac 1998 Sunfire Owner's Manual page 93

THIRD ( 3 ) : This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D). Here
are some times you might choose THIRD (3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(D):
0
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
NOTICE:
Don't drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25
miles (41 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 k d ) , or you can damage your transaxle.
Use AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or
THIRD (3) as much as possible. Don't shift into
SECOND
(2)
unless you are going slower than
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can damage
your engine.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND (2). You
can use it on very steep hills, or
in
deep snow or mud.
If th'e selector lever is put in FIRST (1)' the transaxle
won't shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can't rotate, don't try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck
in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle. Also,
if you stop when going uphill, don't hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal.
This
could overheat and damage the transaxle. Use
your brakes or shift into PARK (P) to hold your
vehicle in position on
a
hill.
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