1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE brake

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Features & Controls
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant
temperature. If the gage pointer moves
into the red area, your engine is too hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating
your vehicle under normal driving conditions, you should pull off the road,
stop your vehicle and
turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
HOT COOLANT CAN BURN YOU
BADLY!
In Problems on the Road, this manual
shows what to do. See the
Index under
Engine Overheating.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Oldsmobile’s hydraulic brake
system is divided into two parts. If one
part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking,
though, you need both parts working
well.
If the warning light goes on, there
could be a brake problem. Have your
brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start
the vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem.
This light will
also come on when you
set your parking brake, and will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully.
If it stays on after your parking
brake is fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
I
If the light comes on while you’re
driving, pull off the road and stop
carefully. You may notice that the pedal
is harder to push. Or, the pedal may go
closer to the floor. It may take longer to
stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service.
(See the Index
under Towing Your Oldsrnobile.)
Your brake system may not be
h working properly if the brake
-kg light is on. Driving with
cllu ,,&e warning light on can lead
to
an accident. If the light is still
on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the
vehicle towed for service.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning light
With anti-lock, this light will go on
when you
start your engine and may stay
on for three seconds or
so. That’s
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on,
have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on or comes on when
you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible
and
turn the key off. Then start the engine
to reset the system.
If the light still stays
on, or comes on again while you’re
driving, your Oldsmobile needs service. Unless the regular brake system waming
light is
also on, you will still have brakes,
but not anti-lock brakes.
If the regular
brake system warning light
is also on,
see
Brake System Warning Light earlier
in this part.
If the anti-lock brake system warning
light ever flashes, your anti-lock
brake
system is still working but needs
service.
The anti-lock brake system warning
light
may also come on when you are
driving with a compact spare tire.
If this
happens, the light
means you won’t have
anti-lock until you replace
the compact
spare with a full-size tire.
If the warning
light stays on after you replace the
compact spare with
a full-size tire, or if
it comes on again when you’re driving,
your Oldsmobile needs service.
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Here you’ll find information about
driving on different kinds of roads
and in varying weather conditions
.
We’ve also included many other useful
tips on driving
.
Part
Your Driving and the Road
Roadsigns ...................................................... 140
Defensive Driving
................................................ 144
Drunken Driving
................................................. 145
Control
of a Vehicle ............................................... 147
Braking
....................................................... 148
Anti-LockBrakes
............................................... 149
SteeringTips
................................................... 154
Passing
....................................................... 156
DrivingatNight
.................................................. 159
Driving in the Rain
................................................ 161
Driving in Fog. Mist and Haze
...................................... 164
CityDriving
..................................................... 165
Freeway Driving
................................................. 166
Driving
a Long Distance ........................................... 168
HillandMountainRoads
........................................... 170
ParkingonHills
.................................................. 171
Winter Driving
................................................... 173
TowingaTrailer
.................................................. 177
Steering in Emergencies
.......................................... 155
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m%p&:*g%
REVERSIBLE LANE ON MULTILANE ROADWAY
Many city roads and expressways, and
even bridges, use reversible-lane traffic
control during rush hours.
A red X light
above a lane means no driving in that
lane at that time. A green arrow means
you may drive in that lane.
Look for the
signs posted to warn drivers what hours
and days these systems are in effect.
~ ~~~
NO PASSING ZONE
Pavement Markings
Pavement markings add to traffic signs
and signals. They give information to
drivers without taking attention from the
roadway.
A solid yellow line on your
side of the road or lane means
Don’t
Cross.
Your Own Signals
Drivers signal to others, too. It’s not
only more polite, it’s safer
to let other
drivers know what
you are doing. And
in some places the law requires driver
signals.
Turn and Lane Change Signals:
Always signal when you plan to turn or
change lanes.
If necessary, you can use hand signals
out the window: Left arm straight out
for a left turn, down for slow or about-
to-stop, and up for a right turn.
Slowing Down: If time allows, tap the
brake pedal once or twice in advance of
slowing or stopping. This warns the
driver behind you.
Disabled: Your four-way flashers signal
that your vehicle is disabled or
is a
hazard. See the
Index under Hazard
Warning Flashers.
Traffic Officer
The traffic police officer is also a source
of important information. The officer’s
signals govern, no matter what the
traffic lights
or other signs say.
The next section discusses some
of the
road conditions you may encounter.
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Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about
driving is: Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety
device in your Oldsmobile: Buckle up.
(See the
Index under Safety Belts.)
Defensive driving really means “be
ready for anything.” On city streets,
rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers
are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash
out from behind
parked cars, often followed by other
children. Expect occupants in parked
cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for
movement in parked cars-someone
may be about
to open a door. Expect
other drivers to run stop signs
when
you are on a through street. Be
ready to brake if necessary as you go
through intersections. You may not have
to use the brake, but if you do, you will
be ready.
If you’re driving through a shopping
center parking lot where there are well-
marked lanes, directional arrows, and
designated parking areas, expect some
drivers to ignore all these markings and
dash straight toward one part of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for
them. In general, you must give way to
pedestrians even if you know you have
the right of way.
Rear-end collisions are about the most
preventable of accidents. Yet they are
common. Allow enough following distance.
It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural
driving, You never know when the
vehicle in front
of you is going to brake
or
turn suddenly.
Here’s a final bit of information about
defensive driving. The most dangerous
time for driving in the
U.S. is very early
on Sunday morning.
In fact, GM
Research studies show that the most and
the least dangerous times for driving,
every week, fall on the same day. That
day is Sunday. The most dangerous time
is Sunday from
3 a.m. to 4 a.m. The
safest time is Sunday from
10 a.m. to
11 a.m. Driving the same distance on a
Sunday at
3 a.m. isn’t just a little more
dangerous than it is at
10 a.m. It’s about
134 times more dangerous!
That leads
to the next section.
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r
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child
darts into the street?
A person with a
higher
BAC might not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially
true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that if anyone who
has been drinking-driver or
passenger-is in a crash, the chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than
if that person had not been
drinking. And we’ve already seen that t
C
he chance
of a crash itself is higher for
kinking drivers.
CAllT€~N
r Drinking and then driving is
c b very dangerous. Your reflexes,
pexeptions, and judgment will be
affected
by even a small amount of
alcohol. You could have a
serious-or even fatal-accident if
you drive after drinking. Please
don’t drink and drive or ride with
a
driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or
if you’re
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your
vehicle go where
you want it to go.
They
are the brakes, the steering and the
accelerator.
All three systems have to do
their work at the places where the tires
meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle.
n
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148
Braking
Braking action involves perception time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot and
do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about % of a
second. But that’s only an average. It
might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all
play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
% of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 h/h)
travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a
lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your
vehicle and others is important. And,
of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition
of
your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with
care. Some, however, overwork the
braking system with poor driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive in spurts-heavy
acceleration followed by heavy
braking-rather than keeping pace
with traffic. This is a mistake. Your
brakes may
not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will
wear out much faster if you
do a lot of
heavy braking.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your
left foot rest lightly on the brake pedal
while driving.
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,zz"Riding" the brakes wears them
,%out much faster. You would neec
costly brake replacement much
' . ,sooner than normal, ant : also
;:reduces fuel economy.
If you keep pace with the traffic and
allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate a lot
of unnecessary
braking. That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're
driving, brake normally but don't
pump your brakes.
If you do, the pedal
may get harder to push down. If your
engine stops, you will still have some
power brake assist. But you will use it
when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to
stop and the brake pedal will be
harder to push.
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Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Oldsmobile has an advanced
electronic braking system that will help
prevent skidding.
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