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Features & Controls
48
Automatic Transmission
There are several different positions for
your shift lever.
Park P
Reverse R
Neutral N
Overdrive ID]
Drive D
Second 2
First 1
Park
P (Park): This loclts your rear wheels.
It’s the best position to use when you
start your engine because your vehicle
can’t move easily.
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Reverse
R (Reverse): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to R (Reverse) while your
vehicle is moving forward could
damage your transmission. Shift
to
R (Reverse) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to
get out
of snow, ice or sand without
damaging your transmission, see the
Index under If You”re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice
or Snow.
Neutral
N (Neutral): In this position, your
engine doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use
N (Neutral) only.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission
caused
by shifting out of P (Park)
or N (Neutral) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your
1 warranty.
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2. Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to Lock.
4. Remove the key and take it with you.
If you can walk away from your
vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in
P (Park).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
If you have to leave your vehicle with
the engine running, be sure your vehicle
is in
P (Park) and your parking brake is
firmly set before
you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the
P (Park) position, hold the regular
brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can
move the shift lever away
from P (Park)
without first pulling it toward you.
If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into
P (Park).
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transmission into
P
(Park) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission. You
may find it difficult
to pull the shift
lever out of
P (Park). This is called
“torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock,
set the parking brake and then shift into
P (Park) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see
Shifting Into P (Park) in the Index.
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 transmission,
so you
can pull the
shift lever out of P (Park).
Engine Exhaust
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Features & Controk
54
Running Your 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.
Follow the proper steps to be sure your
vehicle won’t move.
See Shifting Into P
(Park) in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and pulling
a trailer, also see
Towing a Trailer in
the
Index.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbol on your steering wheel.
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U
E/M sw&h (ELECTRONIC CLUSTER)
To change your electronic display from
English to metric units, or from metric
co English, press this switch down. The
gages affected are:
Speedometer
Odometer
Trip Odometer
Oil Pressure
Engine Coolant Temperature
mn-irrnrIII
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in revolutions per minute (rpm)
.
NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the
tachometer in the red area, or
engine
damage may occur.
4"' UNLEADED FUEL ONLY c
he/ Gage (STANDARD CLUSTER)
Your fuel gage tells you about how
much fuel you have left, when the
ignition is on. When the indicator nears
E (Empty), you will have a little fuel left
but should get more soon.
Here are four things that some owners
ask about. None of these show a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump
shuts off before the gage reads
F (Full) .
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Features & Conlroh
84
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill
up than the gage indicated. For
example, the gage may have indicated
the tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the
tank’s capacity to fill the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn
a corner or speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to E when
you turn
off the ignition.
For your fuel tank capacity, see
Service
Station
Information on the last page of
this manual.
Oil Pressure Gage (STANDARD
CLUSTER)
Your oil pressure gage shows the oil
pressure in psi (pounds per
square
inch) when the engine is running. Oil
pressure may vary with engine speed,
outside temperature and oil viscosity.
Driving your vehicle with low oil
pressure can cause extensive engine
damage. Have your vehicle serviced
immediately.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine Gom
neglected
oil problems can be costly
and is not covered by your warranty.
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VOLTS
Voltmeter (STANDARD CLUSTER)
Your charging system gage will show
the rate of charge when the engine is
running. When the engine is not
running but the ignition is on (in the
Run position), the display measures thc
voltage output of your battery.
The reading will change as the rate
of
charge changes (with engine speed,
etc.), but readings between the warning
zones indicate the normal operating
range. Readings in either warning zone
indicate a possible problem with your
charging system. Have your Oldsmobilc
serviced immediately.
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Engine Coolant Temperature
Gage
(STANDARD CLUSTER)
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.
0
0
0
Fuel Gage (ELECTRONIC CLUSTER)
Your fuel gage bars light up when the
ignition is on
to show you about how
much fuel you have left.
When the gage first indicates empty,
you still have
a little fuel left, but you
should get more soon.
A box around the gas pump symbol wil:
flash when your tank is
1/8 full or less.
Here are five things that some owners
ask about. None of these show
a
problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump
shuts
off before the gage reads full.
The top bar does not go out until you
have driven a long distance-about
3r
miles (48 kilometers).
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