1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme light

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
Jump Starting (CONT.)
190
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the
jumper cables can reach, but be sure
the vehicles aren’t touching each
other. If they are,
it could cause a
ground connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to start
your
Oldsmobile, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured
if the
vehicles roll. Set the parking
brake firmly on each vehicle. Put
an
automatic transaxle in P (Park) or
a manual transaxle in
N (Neutral).
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn
off all lights that aren’t
needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the
batteries.
I
~~~~
I 2 /i An even electric when the f- engine is not
I running and can injure you. Keep
hands, clothing and tools away
I from any underhood electric fan.
Find the positive
(+) and negative (-)
terminals on each battery. Your
Oldsmobile has a remote positive
(+)
jump starting terrninal. The terminal is
on the same side
of the engine
compartment as your battery.
You should always use the remote
positive
(+) terminal instead of the
positive
(+) terminal on your battery.
To uncover the remote positive
(+)
terminal, lift the red plastic cap.

Using a match near a batteq
can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you need
more light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water.
You don’t need to add water to the
Delco Freedoms battery installed in
every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the
right amount
of fluid is there. If it is
low, add water to take care of that
first. If you don’t, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can
burn you. Don’t get it
on you. If
you accidentally get it in your eyes
or
on your skin, flush the place
with water and get medical help
immediately.
I
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t
have loose or missing insulation.
If
they do, you could get a shock. The
vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are
some things you should
know. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+) and negative
(-) will go to negative (-) or a metal
engine part. Don’t connect
(+) to (-) or
you’ll get
a short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts, too.
I I
6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to
the positive
(+) terminal of the
vehicle with the dead battery.
Use a remote positive
(+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
191

3. Attach a separate safety chain around
the outboard end of each lower
control
arm.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature
gage or the warning light about a hot
engine
on your Oldsmobile’s instrument
panel.
You also have a low coolant
warning light on your instrument panel.
See the
Index under Coolant
Temperature Gage for the gage cluster.
r
If Steam is Coming from Your Engine:
CAUTION
A
Steam from an overheated
engine can burn you badly,
even if you just open the hood. Stay
away
from the engine if you see or
hear steam coming
from it. Just
turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down.
Wait until there is no sign of steam
or coolant before opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your
engine is overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fire.
You or others
could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it overheats, and get out of
the vehicle until the engine is cool.
197

CAUTION I
A
If you let your tires spin at
high speed, they can explode
and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That
could cause an engine compartment
fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels
above
35 mph (56 lun/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clez the area around
your front wheels. Then shift back and
forth between
R (Reverse) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as
little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal when the
transaxle
is in gear. If that doesn’t get
you
out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If you do need to be
towed out, see the
Index under Towing
Your Oldsmobile.
213

226
Sewice & Appearance Care
Retractable Underhood Light
(OPTION)
To Use:
Pull the light away from the base and
attach it to the area
of the vehicle where
you
may be working. A magnet on the
back will hold it in place.
To Retract:
1. Turn the crank clockwise.
2. Slide the light back into its base.
Engine Oil
It’s a good idea to check your engine oil
level every time you get fuel. In order to
get
an accurate reading, the oil must be
warm and the vehicle must be
on level
ground.
Turn off the engine and give the oil a
few minutes to drain back into the oil
pan. If you don’t, the oil dipstick might
not show the actual level.
To Check Engine Oil:
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a
paper towel or cloth, then push it back
in all the way. Remove it again, keeping
the tip lower.
3.1 L V6: Checking Engine Oil
Twin
Dual Cam 3.4L V6 : Checking
Engine
Oil

Adding Coolant
To Check Coolant:
When your engine is cold, the coolant
level should be between
the COLD
and HOT marks or a little higher.
When your
engine is warm, the level
should be u.p to HOT, or a little
higher.
If this light comes on, it means you’re
low
on engine coolant.
To Add Coolant:
If you need more coolant, add the
proper
mix at the coolant recovery
tank.
Turning the radiator pressure I
cap when the engine and
radiator are hot can allow steam
and scalding liquids to blow out
and burn you badly. With the
coolant recovery tank, you will
almost never have to add coolant at
the radiator. Never turn the
radiator pressure cap-even a
little-when the engine and
radia
I are hot.
I I
n

If you have too much brake
fluid, it can spill on the
engine. The fluid will burn
if the
engine is hot enough. You or others
could be burned, and your vehicle
could be damaged. Add brake fluid
only when work is done on the
brake hydraulic system.
? I
When your brake fluid falls to a low
level,
your brake warning light will
come on. See the Index under Brake
System Warning Light.
What to Add
When you do need brake fluid, use only
DOT-3 brake fluid-such as Deko
Supreme
11* (GM Part No. 1052535).
Use new brake fluid from a sealed
container
only.