Page 242 of 340

Service & Appearance Care
Bulb Replacement
240
Baffery
Every new Oldsmobile has a Delco
Freedom@ battery. You never have to
add water to one of these. When it’s
time for a new battery,,+we recommend a
Delco Freedom@ battery. Get one that
has the catalog number shown on the
original battery’s label.
Jump Starting
For jump starting instructions, see the
Index under lump Starting.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle
for
25 days or more, take off the black
negative
(-) cable from the battery. This
will help keep your battery
from
running down. In
this section you’ll find directions for
changing the light bulbs in some of the
lights on your Oldsmobile. You’ll also
find directions for adjusting the
alignment of the mini-quad headlights,
if you have this type.
Be sure to read the directions before
you begin to replace or adjust any lights
See the
Index under Replacement
Bulbs to find the type of bulb you need
to use.
Batteries have acid that can
burn you and gas that can
explode. You can be badly hurt
if
you aren’t careful. See the Index
under Jump Starting for tips on
working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your deakr to
learn how to
prepare your vehicle for .longer storage
periods.
Halogen Bulbs ~~
Page 248 of 340

Service & Appearance Care
246
To Replace a Headlight (CONT.)
To check the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle must have all four tires on
a perfectly level surface.
The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice or mud attached to it.
There should not be any cargo or
loading of vehicle, except it should
have a full tank
of gas and one person
or
160 pounds (75 kg) on the driver's
seat.
Tires should be properly inflated.
The horizontal indicator should read
0 (zero). If
your vehicle is damaged in
an
accident and the headlight aim seems to
be affected, see your Oldsmobile dealer.
Headlights on damaged vehicles may
require recalibration of the horizontal
aim by your Oldsmobile dealer.
Headlight Replacement
(4-DOOR MODELS)
See the Index under Replacement
Bulbs to check the type of bulb to use.
To Replace a Bulb:
1. Turn the L-shaped bulb assembly
counterclockwise
*I6 turn until the
flanges align with the slots in the
retainer ring. You may need to twist
it back and forth slightly to loosen it.
Page 256 of 340
Service & Appearance Care
254
Tire Inspection and Rotation
To make your tires last longer, have
them inspected and rotated at the
mileages recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule. See the
Index
under Scheduled Maintenance
Services.
Use this rotation pattern. After
the tires have been rotated, adjust
the front and rear inflation pressure as
shown on the Tire-Loading Information
label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See the
Index
under Wheel Nut Torque.
A
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on
the parts to which it is
fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The
wheel could come
off and cause an
accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to
the vehicle. In an emergency, you
can use a cloth or a paper towel to
do this; but be sure to use a scraper
or wire brush later, if you need to,
to get all the rust or dirt
off. (See
the
Index under Changing a Flat
Tire. 1
Page 258 of 340

Sewice & Appearance Care
256
1 Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature
performance. (This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States.)
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and a half (1%)
times as well on the government course
as a tire graded
100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions
of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations
in driving habits,
service practices and dif€erences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction-A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest are:
A, B, and C. They represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked
C may have poor traction
performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned
to this tire is based on braking (straight-
ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature-A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest),
B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of
the tire to degenerate and reduce tire
life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade
C
corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No.
109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of performance
on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Page 262 of 340

Service & Appearance Care
I
I
260
Cleaning the Inside of Your
Oldsmobile
Use a vacuum cleaner often to get rid of
dust and loose dirt. Wipe vinyl with a
clean, damp cloth.
Your Oldsmobile dealer has two
GM
cleaners-a solvent-type spot lifter and
a foam-type powdered cleaner. They
will clean normal spots and stains very
well.
Here are some cleaning tips:
Always read the instructions on the
Clean up stains as soon as you can-
cleaner label.
before they set.
Use a clean cloth or sponge, and
change to a clean area often. A
soft
brush may be used if stains are
stubborn.
Use solvent-type cleaners in a well-
ventilated area only. If you use them,
don’t saturate the stained area.
If a ring forms after spot cleaning,
clean the entire area immediately
or it
will set.
Using Foam-Type Cleaner on
Fabric
Vacuum and brush the area to remove
Always clean a whole trim panel or
any
loose dirt.
section. Mask surrounding trim along
stitch
or welt lines.
Mix Multi-Purpose Powdered Cleaner
following the directions on the
container label.
Use suds only and apply with a clean
sponge.
Page 270 of 340
Service & Appearance Care
268
Fiberglass Springs Chemical Paint Spotting
Some weather
and atmospheric
conditions can create a chemical fallout.
Airborne pollutants can fall upon and
attack painted surfaces on your vehicle.
This damage can take two forms:
blotchy, ringlet-shaped discolorations,
and small irregular dark spots etched
into the paint surface.
Although
no defect in the paint job
causes this, Oldsmobile will repair, at
no charge to the owner, the surfaces of
new vehicles damaged by this fallout
condition within 12 months or 12,000
miles
(20 000 km) of purchase,
whichever comes first.
Vehicle Identification Number
0
This is the legal identifier for your
Oldsmobile.
It appears on a plate in the
front corner of the instrument panel, on
the driver’s side. You can see it if you
look through the windshield from
outside your vehicle. The
VIN also
appears on the Vehicle Certification and
Service
Parts labels and the certificates
of title and registration.
Page 271 of 340
Engine Identification
The eighth character in your VIN is the
engine code for your
GM engine. This
code
will help you identify your engine,
specifications, and replacement parts in
this section.
Service Parts ldentification Label
You'll find this label on your spare tire
cover. It's very helpful
if you ever need
to order parts. On this label is:
Your VIN.
Its model designation.
Paint information.
A list of all production options and
special equipment.
Be sure that this label is not removed
from the vehicle.
Add-on Electrical Equipment
I
Page 272 of 340

Service & Appearance Care
270
Fuses & Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are
protected from short circuits by
a
combination of fuses, circuit breakers,
and fusible thermal links in the wiring
itself. This greatly reduces the chance of
fires caused by electrical problems.
Some fuses are located in a fuse block
in the glove box as shown above.
To
locate the fuse block, lift out the storage
bin inside the glove box. See the
diagram later in this section.
Another set of fuses is located in the
component center, under the
instrument panel.
Additional fuses are located in the
underhood electrical centers on the
right and left sides of the engine
compartment. Spare fuses
and a fuse puller are located
in the glove box lid. To remove the
cover, press in on both ends
of the
cover and pull it
off.
Place the wide end of the fuse puller
over the plastic end of the fuse. Squeeze
the ends over the fuse and pull it out.
To identify and check fuses, refer to the
charts on the following pages. Look
at the silver-colored band inside
the fuse. If the band is broken or
melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you
replace a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating.