1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE engine

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.
E 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
traction,
try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration,
or braking
(including engine braking by shifting to
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Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well
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made on freeways, there are still many
made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and regular highways is the same in some
ways. The trip has to be planned and the
vehicle prepared, you drive at higher-
than-city speeds, and there are longer
turns behind the wheel. You’ll enjoy
your trip more if you and your vehicle
are
in good shape. Here are some tips
for a successful long trip. rested.
If you
must start when you’re not
fresh-such as after a day’s work-don’t
plan to make too many miles that first
part of the journey. Wear comfortable
clothing and shoes you can easily drive
in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If
you keep it serviced and maintained, it’s
ready to go.
If it needs service, have it
done before starting out.
Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service
experts in Oldsmobile dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be ready
and willing to help
if you need it. Here
are some things you can check
before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the
reservoir full? Are
all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good
shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Have you checked all levels?
Lights: Are they all working? Are the
lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a
safe, trouble-free trip.
Is the tread
good enough for long-distance
driving? Are the tires
all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
weather outlook along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
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On the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is
good to share the driving task with
others. Limit turns behind the wheel to
about 100 miles
(160 km) or two hours
at a sitting. Then, either change drivers
or stop for some refreshment like coffee,
tea or
soft drinks and some limbering
up. But do stop and move around. Eat
lightly along the way. Heavier meals
tend to make some people sleepy.
On two-lane highways or undivided
multilane highways that do not have
controlled access, you’ll want to watch
for some situations not usually found on
freeways. Examples are: stop signs and
signals, shopping centers with direct
access to the highway, no passing zones
and school zones, vehicles turning left
and right
off the road, pedestrians,
cyclists, parked vehicles, and even animals.
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as
“highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack
of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the same scenery, along
with the hum of the tires on the road,
the drone of the engine, and the rush
of
the wind against the vehicle that can
make you sleepy. Don’t let
it happen to
you! If it does, your vehicle can leave
the road in
less than a second, and you
could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road
ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors frequently and your
instruments from time
to time. This
can help
you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light.
Glare can cause drowsiness. But don’t
wear sunglasses at night. They will
drastically reduce
your overall vision
at the very time you need all the
seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into
a rest, service,
or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace
with traffic and allow adequate following distances.
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Hi// and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep
country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to
know is this: let
your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
use
of your brakes.
GAU I IUN
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that I
they wouldn’t work well. You
1 would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
1 could crash. Shift down to let your
engine assist your brakes on a
steep downhill slope.
Coasting downhill in
N
C L (Neutral) or with the ignition
OII is dangerous. Your brakes will
have
to do all the work of slowing
down. They could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well. You
could crash. Always have your
engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you
go downhill.
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Know how to go uphill. You may want
to shift down to a lower gear. The
lower gears help
cool your engine and
transaxle, and you can climb
the hill
better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on
two-lane roads in hills or mountains.
Don’t swing wide or cut across
the
center of the road. Drive at speeds that
let you stay
in your own lane. That
way, you won’t be surprised by
a
vehicle coming toward you in the
same lane.
It takes longer to pass another vehicle
when you’re going uphill. You’ll want
to leave extra room to pass. If a
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transaxle into
P (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transaxle. You may find it difficult
to pull the shift lever out of
P (Park).
This is called “torque lock.” To prevent
torque lock, always be sure
to shift into
P (Park) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To find out how, see the
Index under Shifting Into P (Park).
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out of P (Park) before you
release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another vehicle push yours a
little uphill to take some of the pressure
from the transaxle,
so you can pull the
shift lever out of
P (Park).
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Oldsmobile in good shape
for winter. Be sure your engine
coolant
mix is correct.
* Snow tires can help in loose snow, but
they may give you less traction on ice
than regular tires.
If you do not expect
to be driving in deep snow, but may
have to travel over ice, you may not
want
to switch to snow tires at all.
You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your vehicle.
Include
an ice scraper, a small brush
or broom,
a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag,
some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a
red cloth, and a couple of reflective
warning triangles. And,
if you will be
driving under severe conditions,
include a small bag
of sand, a piece of
old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items
in your
vehicle.
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If You’re Caught in a Blimrd
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle
unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the
snow. Here are some things to
do to
summon help and keep yourself and
your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert
police that you’ve been stopped by the
snow.
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Put on extra clothing or wrap a
blanket around you. If you have
no
blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap
bags, rags, floor mats-anything you
can wrap around yourself or tuck
under your clothing to keep warm.
but be careful.
You can run the engine to keep warm, Snow can trap exhaust gases
under your vehicle. This ca
Lituse deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside.
CC
could overcome you and kill yo1
You can’t see
it or smell it, so v(
might not know it was in you
vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that
is blocking your
exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure
snow doesn’t collect there.
.. -.~~-G~~:~.-~:::j~ . ., , -.> i2-j /: ,-.;-z$ Open a window just a little on-the
side
of the vehicle that’s away from
+% wind. This will help keep CO
vu t .
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Your Driving and the Road
176
lf You’re Caught in a Blizard
(CON X)
Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When you run
the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the
accelerator slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps
the battery charged.
You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the
vehicle and possibly for signaling later
on with your headlights. Let the heater
run for a while. Then,
shut the engine off and close
the window almost all the way to preserve the heat.
Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable from the
cold. But
do it as little as possible.
Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of
the vehicle and do some fairly
vigorous exercises every half-hour or
so until help comes.
If Mu’re Stuck in Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the
vehicle out
of deep snow without
damaging it. See the
Index under
Rocking Your Ehicle.
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Towing a Tmiler
I I If you don’t use the correct I
L L equipment and drive properly,
you can lose control when you pull
a trailer. For example, if the trailer
is too heavy, the brakes may not
work well-or even at all. You and
your passengers could be seriously
injured. Pull a trailer only
if you
have followed all the steps in this section. 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
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