1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme trailer

Do not tow a trailer if you have a
convertible with the 3.4L VIN Code X
engine.
Your Oldsmobile can tow a trailer. To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you should
read the information in
Weight of the
Trailer that appears later in this section.
But trailering is different than just
driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering
means changes in handling, durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe
trailering takes correct equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it
are many time-tested, important
trailering tips and safety rules. Many of
these are important for your safety and that
of your passengers.
So please read
this section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transaxle, wheel assemblies, and
tires are forced to work harder against
the drag of the added weight. The
engine
is required to operate at
relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat.
What’s more, the trailer adds
considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
All of that means changes in:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make sure your
rig
will be legal, not oplly where you
live but also where you’ll be driving.
A
good source for this information can
be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first
500 miles (800 km) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or other parts could be damaged.
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Your Driving and the Road
1 78
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
(CONT.)
Then, during the first 500 miles
(800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 lun/h) and
don’t make starts
at full throttle. This
helps your engine and other parts of
your vehicle wear in at the heavier
loads.
Three important considerations have
to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 1,000
pounds
(450 kg), unless you have a
3.1L
V6 with the heavy-duty cooling
package. Then your vehicle can tow
up to
2,000 pounds (900 kg). But
even that can
be too heavy. It depends
on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades,
outside temperature and how much
your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. And, it can also
depend on any special equipment that
you have on your vehicle. You can ask
your dealer for our trailering
information or advice, or you can
write us at: Oldsmobile Customer Assistance
P.O. Box 30095
Lansing, MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
Network
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8P7

Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
an important weight to measure
because it affects the total capacity
weight of your vehicle. The capacity
weight includes the curb weight of the
vehicle, any cargo you may carry in it,
and the people who
will be riding in
the vehicle. And
if you will tow a
trailer, you must subtract the tongue
load
from your vehicle’s capacity
weight because your vehicle
will be
carrying that -weight, too. See the
Index under Loading Your Vehicle for
more information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity. The
trailer tongue
(A) should weigh
10% of the total loaded trailer weight
(B) . After you’ve loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see
if the weights are
proper.
If they aren’t, you may be able
to get them right simply by moving
some items around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s
Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated
to the limit for cold tires.
You will find
these numbers
on the Certification
label at the rear edge of the driver’s
door or on the inside
of the trunk lid.
See the
Index under Tire L0adin.g.
Then be sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit for your vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch
equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few
reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
Here are some rules to follow:
Will you have to make any holes in
the body of your vehicle when
you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, then
be sure to seal the holes later when
you remove the hitch.
If you don’t
seal them, deadly carbon monoxide
(CO)
from your exhaust can get into
your vehicle. (See the
Index under
Carbon Monoxide in Exhaust. Dirt
and water can, too.
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Your Driving and the Road
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
(CONT.)
The bumpers on your vehicle are not
intended for hitches.
Do not attach
rental hitches or other bumper-type
hitches to them. Use only a frame-
mounted hitch that does not attach to
the bumper.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue
will not drop to the road
if it becomes
separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by
the hitch manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer. Follow the manufacturer’s
recommendation for attaching safety
chains. Always leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And,
never allow safety chains to drag on the
ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000
pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs
its
own brakes-and they must be
adequate.
Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes,
do not try to tap into your vehicle’s
brake system. If you do, both brake
systems won’t work well, or at all.
Even if your vehicle doesn’t have anti-
lock brakes, don’t tap into your
vehicle’s brake system if the trailer’s
brake system will use more than
0.02
cubic inch (0.3 cc) of fluid from your

Your Driving and the Road
Driving with a Trailer (CONT.)
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal.
Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have
a different turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows
on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change
lanes or stop. When towing a
trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your
signal when they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the
trailer bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade.
If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes
so much
that they would get hot and
no longer
work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 lm/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have
an automatic transaxle with Overdrive,
you may want to drive in
D instead of
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).

Probkms on the Road
Engine Overheating (CONTJ
If No Steam is Coming from Your
Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see
or hear no steam, the problem may not
be too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
198
If you get the overheat warning with no
sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the
highest fan speed and open the
window as necessary.
3. Try to keep your engine under load
(in
a drive gear where the engine
runs slower).
If you no longer have the overheat
warning, you can drive. Just to be safe,
drive slower for ab& ten minutes. If
the warning doesn't come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and, park your vehicle right away.
f there's still no sign of steam, you can
dle the engine for two or three minutes
vhile you're parked, to see if the
varning stops.
3ut then,
if you still have the warning,
KJRJNOFFTHEENGINEANDGET
WERYONE OUT OF THE VEHICLE
Inti1 it cools
down.
(ou may decide not to lift the hood but
o get service help right away.

Automatic Transaxle Fluid (CONT.)
Wait at least 30 minutes before
checking the transaxle fluid level
if you
have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above
At high speed for quite awhile.
In heavy traffic-especially in hot
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid
should be at normal operating
temperature, which is
180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving
about
15 miles (24 lm) when outside
temperatures are above 50°F
(10°C). If
it's colder than 50°F
(lO"C), you may
have to drive longer.
90°F (32°C).
weather.
To Check the Fluid Level:
Park your vehicle on a level place.
Place the shift lever in P (Park) with
With your foot on the brake pedal,
the
parking brake applied.
move the shift lever through each gear
range, pausing for about three
seconds in each range. Then, position
the shift lever in
P (Park).
Let the engine run at idle for three to
five minutes.
Then, Without Shutting off the
Engine, Follow These Steps:
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
a clean rag or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three
seconds and then pull it back out
must be in the crosshatched area.
4. If the fluid level is where it should be,
push the dipstick back in all the way.
-

Schedule I
Is any of these true for your vehicle?
Most trips are less than 4 miles (6 km).
Most trips are less than 10 miles (16 km) when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
The engine is at low speed most of the time (as in door-to-
door delivery, or in stop-and-go traffic).
You operate your vehicle in dusty areas.
You tow a trailer. (With some models, you shouldn’t ever
If
any one (or more) of these is true for your driving, follow
Schedule
I.
tow a trailer. See the Index under Towing a Trailer.)
Schedule I1
Follow Schedule I1 only if none of the above conditions is
true.
291