How to Use this Manual
Vehicle Symbols (CONT.)
These symbols are on some of your
controls:
Windshield Wipers
These symbols are used on warning Here are some other symbols you
and indicator lights: may see:
Engine Coolant
Temperature Fuse
Windshield Washer
Lighter
Battery Charging
System
w Windshield Defroster
p3
Horn
Fuel
Engine Oil Pressure
Rear Window
Defogger
Wh
Speaker
Windshield Defogger
and Heater Hood Release
Anti-Lock Brakes
Rear Window Wiper
Rear Window
WasherlWiper
Ventilating Fan
Power Window
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Fonvard Gears
(DI (Automatic Overdrive): If your
automatic transaxle has automatic
Overdrive, this position is for normal
driving.
If you need more power for
passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about
halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or
more, push the accelerator all the way
down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and
have more power. have
the
3.800 V6-engine and the
automatic Overdrive transaxle. If
your vehicle
is so equipped, and if
it seems to
start up rather slowly,
or if it seems not to shift gears as
you go faster, something may be
wrong with a transaxle system
sensor. If you drive very far that
way, your vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this happens, have your vehicle
serviced right away. Until then,
you can use
2 (Second Gear) when
you are driving less than
35 mph
(56 km/h) and (Overdrive) for
higher speeds? . --~ :~~~ - ~ , ~~. =-== ~~ ~=~ ~ .=- .~ ~..~ ..~... .~.= ~~ . .. .. .. ..
D (Third Gear): If your automatic
transaxle does not have Overdrive, this
position is for normal driving, at all
speeds, in most street and highway
situations.
If your automatic transaxle has
Overdrive,
D is like , but
you never go into Overdrive. Here are
some times you might choose
D instead
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less
When going down a steep hill.
2 (Second Gear): This position gives
you more power but lower fuel
economy. You can use
2 on hills. It can
help control your speed as you go down
steep mountain roads, but
then you
would also want to use your brakes off
and on.
ofH:
shifting between gears.
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Features & Controls
68
more than 5 miles (8 km), or at
speeds over
55 mph (88 km/h), or
you
can damage your transaxle. Use
: D (m or D if your vehicle has
Overdrive) as much
as possible.
Don’t shift into
2 unless you are
going slower than 65 mph
(105 km/h), or you can damage
your engine.
1 (First Gear): This position gives you
even more power (but lower fuel
economy) than
2. You can use it on very
steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If
the selector lever is put in 1, the
transaxle won’t shift into first gear until
the vehicle is going slowly enough.
If your front wheels can’t rotate,
don’t try
to drive. This might
happen if you were stuck in very
deep sand or mud or were up
against a solid object.
You could
damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going
uphill, don’t hold your vehicle
there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and
damage the transaxle. Use your
brakes or shift into
P (Park) to
hold your vehicle
in position on a
hill.
Parking Brake
To Set the Parking Brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down with
your right
foot. Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
If the
ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will come on. See the
Index under
Brake System Warning Light.
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To Release the Parking Brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down. Pull
the BRAKE RELEASE lever.
Driving with the parking brake
on
can cause your rear brakes to
overheat. You may have to replace
them, and you could also damage
i other parts of your vehicle. .. , m
If You are on a Hill:
See the Index under Parking on Hills.
That section shows how to turn your
front wheels.
If You are Towing a Trailer and are
Parking on Any Hill:
See the Index under Towing a Trailer.
That section shows what to do first to
keep the trailer
from moving.
Shiithg Into P (Park)
1
A
It is dangerous to get out 01
your vehicle if the shift lever
is not fully in
P (Park) with the
parking brake
firmly set. Your
vehicle can roll. If you have left
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won't move, when you're
on fairly level ground, use the
steps that follow.
If you are parking
on a hill,
or if you're pulling a
trailer, also see the Index under
Parking on Hills or Towing a
Trailer.
I
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your
right
foot and set the parhng brake.
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I
I&
A green arrow on. the instrument panel
will flash in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or
lower
the lever until the green arrow
starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever
will return by itself when
you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if
the arrows don’t flash but just stay on, a
signal bulb may be burned out and other
dhvers won’t see your turn signal. If
a bulb is burned out, replace
it to help
avoid an accident. If the green arrows
don’t go on at all when you signal a
turn, check the fuse (see the
Index under
Fuses & Circuit Breakers) and for
burned-out bulbs.
If you have a trailer- towing option with
added wiring for the trailer lights, a
different
turn signal flasher is used.
With this flasher installed, the signal
indicator will flash even if a turn signal
bulb is burned out. Check
the front and
rear turn signal lights regularly to make
sure they are working.
SET T CRUISE b I
Cruise Control (OPTION)
With cruise control, you can maintain a
speed
of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more without keeping your foot
on the
accelerator. This can really help
on long
trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds
below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise
control shuts off.
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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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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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