1994 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA weight

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 & Conbob
Th
do
Prt
tht
74
.e rear ashtrays are located in the rear
ors. To remove them for cleaning,
:ss down on the snuffer and pull
:m out.
NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things
:hat burn into your ashtrays. If you
jo, cigarettes or other smoking
naterials could set them on fire,
:awing damage.
Luggage Carrier
You can load things on top of your
vehicle. The luggage carrier has slats
and side rails attached to the roof, and
crossrails which can be moved forward
and rearward in the side rails to secure
cargo.
NOTICE:
Loading cargo that weighs more
than
200 pounds (91 kg) on the
luggage carrier may damage your
vehicle. When you carry large things, never let them hang over the
rear or the sides of your vehicle.
Load your cargo
so that it rests on
the slats and does not scratch or
damage the vehicle. Put the cargo
against the side rails and fasten it
securely to the luggage carrier. Put
the main weight as far forward as
you can.
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Your Driving and the Road
106
Dejiensive 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
Safety Belts in the Index.)
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.
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.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a national
tragedy. It’s the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands
of victims every year.
Alcohol takes away three things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that almost half of
all motor vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol
- a driver, a passenger or
someone else, such as a pedestrian, had
been drinking. In most cases, these
deaths are the result of someone who
was drinking and driving. About
20,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each
year because of alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured. Just
how much alcohol is too much
if a
person plans to drive? Ideally,
no one
should drink alcohol and then drive.
But if one does, then what’s “too
much”? It can be a lot less than many
might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some
general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that is consumed
before and during drinking.
The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol.
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Q: Am I likely to stall when going
downhill?
A It’s much more likely to happen
going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the
regular brakes. Apply the parking
brake.
Shift to P (Park) and, while still
braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the
parking brake, and drive straight
down.
If the engine won’t start, get out
and get help.
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across the incline of a
hill. If
this happens, you have to decide
whether to
try to drive across the incline.
Here are some things to consider:
A hill that can be driven straight up or
down may be too steep to drive
across. When you go straight up or
down
a hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the front wheels
to the rear wheels) reduces the
likelihood the vehicle will tumble end
over end. But when you drive across
an incline, the much more narrow
track width (the distance between the
left and right wheels) may not prevent
the vehicle from tilting and rolling
over. Also, driving across an incline
puts more weight
on the downhill
wheels. This could cause
a downhill
slide or a rollover.
Surface conditions can be a problem
when you drive across a hill. Loose
gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass
can cause your tires to slip sideways,
downhill. If the vehicle slips sideways,
it can hit something that will trip it (a
rock, a rut, etc.) and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness of the incline even worse. If
you drive across a rock with the uphill
wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop
into a rut or depression, your vehicle
can tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether to
try to drive across
an incline. Just because the trail
goes across the incline doesn’t mean
you have to drive it. The last vehicle to
try it might have rolled over.
Q: What if I’m driving across an
incline that’s not too steep, but
I
hit some loose gravel and start to
slide downhill. What should I do?
A: If you feel your vehicle starting to
slide sideways, turn downhill. This
should help straighten out the
vehicle and prevent the side slipping.
However, a much better way to
prevent this is
to get out and “walk
the course”
so you know what the
surface is like before you drive it.
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Your Driving and the Road
Towinga Trailer
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. To pull a trailer correctly,
follow the advice in this section,
and see your Oldsmobile dealer for
important information about
towing a trailer with your vehicle. Every Bravada is ready for some trailer
towing. If it was built with trailering
options, as many are, it’s ready for
heavier trailers. 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 thereason 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.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make sure your
rig will be legal, not only where you
live but
also where you’ll be driving. A
good source for this information can
be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control if your
trailer will weigh
2,000 pounds (900
kg) or less. You should always use a
sway control if your trailer will weigh
more than
2,000 pounds (900 kg). You
can ask
a hitch dealer about sway
controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first
500 miles (800 lun) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or
other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first 500 miles (800
km) that you tow a trailer, don’t drive
over
50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t
make starts at full throttle. This helps
your engine and other parts of your
vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Three important considerations have
to
do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
5,250
pounds (2 380 kg). But even that can be
too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
rig. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also
depend on any special equipment that
you have on your vehicle.
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You can ask your dealer for our
trailering information or advice, or you
can write
us at:
Network
Oldsmobile
Customer Assistance
P.O. Box 30095
Lansing,
MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center 1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total or gross weight of your
vehicle. The
gross vehicle weight
(GVW) includes the curb weight of the
vehicle, any cargo you may carry in it,
and the people who
will be riding in the
vehicle. And
if you will tow a trailer,
you must add the tongue load to the
GVW because your vehicle will be
carrying that weight, too. See
Loading
Your Vehicle in the Index for more
information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity.
If you’re using a “dead-weight” hitch,
the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh
10% of the total loaded trailer weight
(B). If you have a “weight-distributing” hitch,
the trailer tongue
(A) should
weigh 12% of the total loaded trailer
weight
(B) .
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh
the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be able
to get them right simply by moving
some items around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s
Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated
to the limit for cold tires. You’ll find
these numbers
on the Certification label
at the rear edge
of the driver’s door or
see
Tire Loading in the Index. Then be
sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit
for your vehicle.
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Your Driving and the Road
134
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch
equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few
reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
Here are some rules to follow:
If you’ll be pulling a trailer that, when
loaded, will weigh more than
2,000
pounds (900 kg), be sure to use a
properly mounted, weight-distributing
hitch and sway control
of the proper
size. This equipment is very important
for proper vehicle loading and good
handling when you’re driving.
Will you have to make any holes in
the body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, then
be sure to seal the holes later when
you remove the hitch. If you don’t
seal them, deadly carbon monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get into
your vehicle (see
Carbon Monoxide in
the
Index). Dirt and water can, too.
. The bumpers on your vehicle are not
intended for hitches. Do not attach
rental hitches or other bumper-type
hitches to them. Use only a frame-
mounted hitch that does not attach to
the bumper. If
your vehicle has
a deadweight hitch
and a tailgate-mounted spare tire, and
your trailer has a winch or tongue jack,
you could have interference between
them.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue
will not drop to the road if it becomes
separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by
the hitch manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack
so you can turn with
your rig. And, never allow safety chains
to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000
pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs
its own brakes
- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Don’t
tap into your vehicle’s brake
system
if the trailer’s brake system will
use more than
0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc)
of fluid from your vehicle’s master
cylinder. If it does, both braking
systems won’t work well. You could
even lose your brakes.
Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000
psi (20 650 kPa) of pressure? If not,
the trailer brake system must not be
used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then
make the brake fluid tap at the port
on the master cylinder that sends
fluid to the rear brakes. But don’t use
copper tubing for this. If
you do, it
will bend and finally break off. Use
steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking
with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
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MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS COW XXlKx
c- GAWRFRT CAWRRR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE US. FEDERAL
OF MANUPACTURE SwOwN ABOVE. MOTOR w1ICLE SAFEl’Y STANDARDS IN EPFECT ON TAE DATE
MODEL:
WAX
RR FRT
SPA LmG
SERIAL
NUMBER M.P.V.
SPEED PAYLOAD
TIRESIZE
RTC RIM PSVWA (COLD)
SEE
OWNER’S MANUAL POR ADDITIONAL INPORMATlON
Loading Your Vehicle
The Certificatioflire label is found on
the rear edge of the driver’s door. The
label shows the size of your original
tires and the inflation pressures needed
to obtain the
gross weight capacity of
your vehicle.
This is called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The
GVWR includes the weight of the
vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
The Certificationnire label also tells
you the maximum weights for the front
md rear axles, called Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR). To find out the
3ctual loads on your front and rear
des, you need to go to a weigh station
md weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can
help
you with this. Be sure to spread out
your load equally on both sides of
the centerline.
Never exceed the GVWR for your
vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
And,
if you do have a heavy load, you
should spread it out. Using heavier
suspension components
to get added durability might not
change your weight ratings. Ask your
dealer to help you load your vehicle the
right way. NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts
or components that fail because of
overloading.
If you put things inside your vehicle -
like suitcases, tools, packages, or
anything else
- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or
turn quickly, or
if there is a crash,
they’ll keep going.
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