1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme brakes

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 and your
instruments frequently.
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.
Hill 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 lmow is this: let
your engine do some
of the slowing
down. Shift to
a lower gear when you
go down a steep or long hill.
Ihow how to go uphill. You may
want to shift down to a lower gear.
The lower gears kelp cool
your engine
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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the- time, those places where
your tires meet the road probably have
good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice
between your tires and the road, you
can have a very slippery situation.
You’ll have a lot less traction or “grip”
and will need to be very careful.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet
ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be slick
and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be
even more trouble because it may offer
the least traction
of all. You can get
“wet ice” when it’s about freezing
(32°F; O’C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try
to avoid driving
on wet ice until
salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition
- smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
- drive
with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not
to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will
spin and polish the surface under the
tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your
ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-
lock braking system, you’ll want to
begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. See
Anti-Lock Brakes
in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot
that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun
can’t reach: around clumps
of trees,
behind buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of
a curve or an
overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear.
If you see
a patch
of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are
on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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Your Driving and the Road
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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
Because you have anti-lock brakes,
don’t try to tap into your vehicle’s brake
system at all.
If you do, both brake
systems won’t work well or
at all.
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 laow 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
deal longer and not nearly
so responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment.
If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that
the lights and any trailer brakes are still
working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden
turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a good deal longer,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond
the passed vehicle before you can return
to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the
trailer to the left, just move that hand to
the left. To move the trailer to the right,
move your hand
to the right. Always
back up slowly and,
if possible, have
someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.

Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change
lanes or stop.
When towing
a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your
signal when they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the
trailer bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade.
If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
work well. On
a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 ltm/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have
an automatic transaxle with Overdrive,
you may want to drive in
3 instead of D
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle,
with a trailer attached, on a hill.
If
something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on
a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t
shift into
P (Park) yet.
2. Have someone place choclts under
the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel choclts are in place,
release the regular brakes until the
choclts absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
apply your parking brake, and then
shift to
P (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave
After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold
the pedal down while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
store the chocks.
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are worn, then you'll have. too much
ff uid when you get new brake linings.
YOU should add (or remove) brake
fluid, as necessary, only when work is
done
on the brake hydraulic system.
194
When your brake fldd falls to a low
level, your brake warning light will
come on. See
Brake Syste-m Warning
Light in the Index.
What to Add
When you do need brake fluid, use o.nly
DOT-3 brake fluid - such as Delco
Supreme
11s (GM Part No. 1052535).
Use new brake fluid from a sealed
container
only, .and always clean the brake
fluid reservoir cap
before
removing it.
Brake Wear
Your Oldsmobile has four-wheel disc
brakes.
Disc brake pads have builtin wear
indicators that make
a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. Be

sound may come and go or be heard all
the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing
on. the brake
pedal firmly).
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates
may cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something
is wrong with your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced
as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel-
See your dealer if the brake pedal does
not return to normal height, or if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel. This
could be a sign
of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you male a moderate brake
stop, your disc brakes adjust for wear. If
you rarely make a mo.derate or heavier
stop, then your brakes might not adjust
correctly.
If you drive in that way, then
- very carefully - make a few
moderate brake stops about every
1,000
miles (1 600 km) , so your brakes will
adjust properly.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern
vehicle is complex. Its many parts have
to be of top quality and work well
together
if the vehicle is to have really
good braking. Vehicles we design and
test have top-quality
GM brake parts in
them, as your Oldsmobile does when it
is new. When you replace parts of your
braking system
- for example, when
your brake linings wear down and you have
to have new ones put in
- be sure
you get new genuine
GM replacement
parts.
If you don’t, your brakes may no
longer work properly. For example, if
someone puts.in brake linings that are
wrong for your vehicle, the balance
between your front and rear brakes can
change, for the worse; The braking
performance you’ve come to expect can
change in many other ways if someone
puts in the wrong replacement brake
parts.
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Maintenance Schedule
246
3f Least Once a Year (cant.)
CHECK
OR SERVICE
Parking Brake.
and Automatic
Transaxle
P (Park)
Mechanism Check
Underbody Flushing
WHAT TO DO
CAUTION: When you are doing this check, your vehicle could begin to move. You or others
could be injured and property could be damaged. Make sure there is room
in front of your
vehicle in case it begins to roll. Be ready to apply the regular brake at .once should the vehicle
begin to move.
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle facing downhill. Keeping your foot on the regular
brake, set the parking brake.
To check the parking brake: With the engine running and transaxle in N (Neutral), slowly
remove foot pressure from the regular brake pedal.
Do this until the vehicle is held by the
parlung brake only.
To check the P (Park) mechanism’s holding ability: Shift to P (Park). Then release all brakes.
At least every spring,
use plain water to flush any corrosive materials from the.underbody. Take
care
to clean thoroughly any areas where mud and other debris can collect.

Section C: Periodic Maintenance Inspections
Listed below are inspections and services which should be performed at least twice a year (for instance, each spring and fall).
You should let your GM dealer’s service department or other qualified service center
do these jobs. Make sure any necessary
Bepairs are completed at once.
INSPECTION
OR SERVICE
Restraint Systems
Steering, Suspension
and FrontWheel-
Drive Axle Boot and
Seal Inspection
Exhaust System
Inspection
Throttle Linkage
Inspection
Brake System Inspection
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Now and then, make sure all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors, anchorages and
reminder systems are working properly. Look for any loose parts or damage.
If you see anything
that might keep a restraint system from doing its job, have it repaired.
Inspect the front and rear suspension and steering system for damaged, loose or missing parts,
signs of wear, or lack
of lubrication. Inspect the power steering lines and hoses for proper
hookup, binding, leaks, cracks, chafing, etc. Clean and then inspect the drive axle boot seals for
damage, tears or leakage. Replace seals if necessary.
Inspect the complete exhaust system. Inspect the body near the exhaust system. Look for broken,
damaged, missing or out-of-position parts as well as open seams, holes, loose connections, or
other conditions which could cause a heat build-up in the floor pan or could let exhaust fumes
into the vehicle. See
Engine Exhaust in the Index.
.. -
Inspect the throttle linkage for interference or binding, and for damaged or missing parts.
-Replace parts as needed.
Inspect the complete system. Inspect brake lines and hoses for proper hookup, binding, leaks, cracks,
chafing, etc. Inspect disc brake pads for wear and rotors for surface condition. Inspect other bralte
parts, including calipers, parking brake, etc. Check parking bralte adj\
ustment. You may need to have
your brakes inspected more often
if your driving habits or conditions result in frequent braking.
NOTE:-A low brake fluid level can indicate worn disc brake pads which may need to be serviced.
Also,
if the bralte system warning light stays on or comes on, something may be wrong with the
brake system. See
Brake System Warning Light in the Index. If your vehicle is equipped with anti-
lock brakes and the anti-lock bralte system warning
light stays on, comes on or flashes, something
may be wrong with the anti-lock brake system. See
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light in the Index.
247