A Cruise control can be
L dangerous where you can’t
I drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on
winding roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause needless wheel spinning,
and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery
roads.
7 TO Set Cruise Control
~ 1. Move the cruise control switch to
ON.
GAU I ION
If you leave your cruise
control switch
ON when
you’re not using cruise, you might
hit a button and
go into cruise
when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch
OFF
until you want to use it.
-- --
2 Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of
4. Take your foot off the accelerator
the
lever
and release it.
pedal.
71
Comfort Controls &Audio Systems
132
CD Player Anti-Theft Feature
(CONT.)
To Disable the Anti-Theft System:
Enter your secret code by following
these steps (you will have only
15
seconds between each step).
1. Turn the ignition to Accessory or
Run and the radio off, then press the
PREV and FF buttons of the station
presets.
SEC will appear, showing the
radio is secure.
2. Press SET and 000 appears on the
display.
3. Press and hold SEEK until the first
digit of your secret code appears.
4. Press and hold SCAN until the
second and third digits of your code
appear.
the display).
5. Press AM-FM (000 will appear on
6. Press and hold SEEK until the fourth
digit of your code appears.
7. Press and hold SCAN until the fifth
and sixth digits of your code appear.
8. Press AM/FM. If the display shows
--- ” the radio is unsecured and
will play again. If the display shows
SEC, the steps were not successful
and the numbers did not match the
secret code.
If you lose or forget your code, see your
dealer.
If you lose battery power, when the
battery is reconnected, the system will
not turn on and
LOC will appear.
Follow steps
1-8 for disabling your
system (the time will appear if you are
successful). If
SEC appears, the
numbers did not match and your unit is
still locked.
((
Steering Wheel Touch Controls
for Audio System (OPTION)
Some audio system functions described
in the previous pages can also be
operated with the Steering Wheel
Touch Controls option. These touch controls
also operate some climate
controls. See the
Index under Steering
Wheel
Touch Controls for Climate
Control.
PROG (Program): Press the top of
this button to hear stations which you
have preset on your radio.
AM/FM: Press the bottom of this
button to change between
AM and FM
bands.
Your Driving and the Road
150
Anti-Lock Brakes (CONT.)
And this light on the instrument panel
will go on when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle and begin
to drive away you may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise and
you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little while this is going
on. This is the
ABS system testing itself.
If you have your foot on the brake
pedal, this check won’t happen until the
vehicle goes about
4 mph (6 lm/h) or
until you take your foot off the brake
pedal.
You’ll also hear a clicking noise the
next time the vehicle goes about
4 mph
(6 lun/h).
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock
brake system, the anti-lock brake
system warning light will stay on or
flash. See the
Index under Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning Light.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out in front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are
slowing down. The computer separately
works the brakes at each front wheel
and at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the
brake pressure faster than any driver
could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
CAUTION
Anti-lock doesn’t change the
time you need to get your
foot up to the brake pedal.
If you
get too close to the vehicle in front
of you, you won’t have time to
apply your brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead
to
stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock: Don’t pump the
brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. When
you start your vehicle and begin to
drive away, you may notice that your
brake pedal moves a little while this is
going on. A brief mechanical noise is
normal. This is the
ABS system testing
itself.
You also may hear a clicking
noise as
you accelerate after a hard
stop.
Disc Brake Wear lndicafors
Your Oldsmobile has four-wheel disc
brakes. Disc brake pads have built-in
wear indicators that make a high-
pitched warning sound when the brake
pads are worn and new pads are
needed. The sound may come and go, or
be heard all the time your vehicle
is
moving (except when you are pushing
on the brake pedal firmly).
3
ne Ibr&eUrw walmhg
sound mans that sooner or
I later yaur hdes won’t work weU.
mt could llead to an accident.
hen you hear the brake wm
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I 151
Your Driving ad the Road
Steering Tips-Driving on Curves
154
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control”
accidents mentioned on the news
happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us is subject
to the same jaws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of
the tires against the road surface makes
it possible
for the vehicle to change its
path when you turn the front wheels. If
there’s no traction, inertia will keep the
vehicle going in the same direction. If
you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on
wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which
the curve is banlted, and your speed.
While you’re in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control. Suppose
you’re steering through a
sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply
the brakes. Both control systems-
steering and braking-have to do their
work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock
brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand too much at those places.
You
can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you’re
steering through a sharp curve and you
suddenly accelerate. Those two control
systems-steering and acceleration-
can overwhelm those places where the
tires meet the road and make you lose
control.
What should you do if this ever
happens? Let up on the brake or
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the
way you want it to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs
near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll
want
to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out
of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night,
it’s harder
to see the road ahead of you
because it bends away from the straight
beams of your lights. This is one good
reason to drive slower.
~
~~ Your Driving and the Road
158
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do
what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care
suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to
your Oldsmobile’s three control
systems. In the braking skid your
wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or
steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the
acceleration skid too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration
skid are best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your
vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road),
ease your foot
off the accelerator
pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle
start to slide. Quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go.
If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out.
As it does,
straighten the front wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material
is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your
driving to these conditions. It is
important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will
be longer and vehicle control more
limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced
1
traction, try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braldng (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could
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.
177
A
Towing Your Oldsmobile
Try to have a GM dealer or a
professional towing service tow your
Oldsmobile. The
usual towing
equipment
is:
(A) Sling-type tow truck
(B) Wheel-lift tow truck
(C) Car carrier
If your vehicle .has been changed or
modified since it was factory-new by
adding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
aero skirting, or special tires and
wheels, these instructions and
illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the
hazard warning flashers. When
you
call, tell the towing service:
That if you have the 4-door “I” series,
or a 2-door Oldsmobile, your vehicle
cannot be towed
from the fiont with
sling-type equipment.
drive.
vehicle. lever.
damaged.
That your vehicle has front-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there was an accident, what was
When the towing service arrives, let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions
and illustrations. The operator may
want to see them.
To help avoid injury to you
or others:
Never let passengers ride in a
vehicle that is being towed.
Never tow faster than safe or
posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts
not fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after
it has been lifted by the tow
truck.
Always use separate safety chains
on each side when towing a
vehicle.
Never use “J” hooks. Use T-
I hnnks instead.
193