1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE towing

with the electronics in your
vehicle. If you add electrical parts
or accessories, you could change
the
way the fuel injection system
operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don't, your engine might not
perform properly.
If you ever have to have your
manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle.
See the Index under Towing Your
Oldsmbile.
vehicle towed, see the part of this
Driving Through Deep Standing
Water
engine's air intake and badly
'I
Engine Block Heater (oprlofv)
In very cold weather, 0" F (-18°C) or
colder, the engine block heater can help.
You'll get easier starting and better fuel
economy during engine warm-up.
To Use the Block Heater:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded
110-volt outlet.
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Sh#ting the Automatic
Tranm.de
There are several different positions for
your shift lever.
In this manual, these
are referred
to by the commonly used
symbols
in the right column below:
Park P
Reverse R
Neutral
Overdrive
&
Drive D
Second 2
First 1
Park
P (Park): This locks your front wheels.
It's the best position to use when you
start your engine because your vehicle
can't move easily. It
is dangerous to get out of
A your vehicle if the-shift lever
1s not fully in P (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the
engine is running unless you have
to.
If you have left the 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, always set your
parking brake and move the shift lever to
P (Park). See the Index
under Shifting Into P (Park). 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.
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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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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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Features & Controls
n
Running bur Engine While You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you ever have to, here are
some things to know.
LAU I IUlV
A
Idling the engine with the air system control off could allow dangerous
exhaust into your vehicle (see the earlier CAUTION under
Engine
Exhaust).
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly carbon monoxide (CO) into
your vehicle even if the fan switch
is at the highest setting. One place this can
happen is a garage. Exhaust-with CO-can come in easily.
Never park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. (See the
Index under Blizzard.)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. Don’t leave
your vehicle when the engine is running unless you have to.
If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly level
ground, always set your parking brake and move the shift lever to
P (Park).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t move. See the
Index
under Shifing Into P (Park).
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.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbols on your steering wheel.
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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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I
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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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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