
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows
and lock your vehicle. Remember to
keep your valuables out
of sight. Put
them in a storage area, or take them
with you.
If you park in a lot where someone will
be watching your vehicle,
it's best to
lock it up and take your keys. But what
if you have to leave your ignition key?
What if
you have to leave something
valuable in your vehicle?
Put your valuables in a storage area,
Parking Lots
like your glove box or locking storage
bin.
Lock the storage bin.
Lock all the doors except the driver's.
Then take the door key with you.
Sliding Door
To open the sliding door from outside
the vehicle, pull the front of the latch
release out and then toward the rear.
If
you slide the door all the way back, it
will latch in the open position.
To move the door forward, you must
first pull the inside or outside latch
release out and then forward or the
door will remain latched in the open
position.
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switch on the side of the overhead
console. (If you have the standard
compact overhead console, this switch
is located between the reading lights.)
The sliding door must be unlocked for
the power sliding door to operate. The
ignition does not have to be on, and the
key does not have to be in the ignition.
To prevent accidental operation
of the
sliding door, disable the power sliding
door by placing the power sliding door
enable switch in the
OFF position. The
power sliding door will only open if
the transaxle is in
P (Park). The
transaxle does not have to be in
P
(Park) to close the door. If the enable
switch is
ON and the power sliding
door is open or in the process
of closing
when you shift out of
P (Park), a
buzzer will sound and the '- -. light on
your instrument panel will flash (see the
Index under Sliding Door Ajar Warning
Light).
This is a warning that the sliding
door
is not completely closed.
c
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Features & Con&oli
58
U
I Ignition Switch
With the ignition key in the ignition
switch, you can turn the switch to five
positions:
Accessory: An “on” position in which
you can operate your electrical power
accessories. Press in the ignition switch
as you turn the top
of it toward you.
Lock: The only position in which you
can remove the ltey. This loclts your
steering wheel, ignition and transaxle.
Off Unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition, and transaxle, but does not
send electrical power to any accessories
Use this position
if your vehicle must be
pushed or towed, but never try to push-
start your vehicle.
A warning chime will
sound
if you open the driver’s door the
ignition.
Run: An “on” position to which the
switch returns after you start your
engine and release the switch. The
switch stays in the
Run position when
the engine is running. But even when
the engine is not running, you can use
Run to operate your electrical power
accessories, and to display some
instrument panel warning lights.
Start: Starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the ltey. The
ignition switch will return to
Run for
normal driving.
Note that even if the engine is not
running, the positions
Accessory and
Run are “on” positions that allow you
to operate your electrical accessories,
such as the radio.
NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in Lock
and you can’t turn it, be sure it is
all the way in. If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while
you turn the key hard. But turn the
key only with your hand. Using a
tool
to force it could break the key
or the ignition switch. If none of
this works, then your vehicle needs
service.
I Starting Your Engine
Engines start differently. The 8th digit
of your Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) shows the code letter or number
for your engine.
You will find the VIN
at the top left of your instrument panel.
(See
Vehicle Identification Number in
the
Index.) Follow the proper steps to
start the engine.
Move your shift lever
to P (Park) or N
(Neutral). Your engine won’t start in
any other position
- that’s a safety
feature.
To restart when you’re already
moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
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NOTICE:
Don‘t try to shift to P (Park) if your
Oldsmobile is moving. If you do,
you could damage the transaxle.
Shift to
P (Park) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
To start your 3100 V6 engine
(Code D) :
1. Without pushing the accelerator
pedal, turn your ignition key to
Start.
When the engine starts, let go of the
ltey. The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in Start for longer
than
15 seconds at a time will cause
your battery to be drained much
sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold
your key in
Start. If it doesn’t start in
three seconds (or starts but then stops), push the accelerator pedal
about one-quarter of the way down
for
12 more seconds, or until it starts.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or
starts but then stops), it could
be
flooded with too much gasoline. Try
this: Wait
15 seconds to let the
starter motor cool down. Then push
your accelerator pedal all the way to
the floor. Hold it there. Then hold the
key in
Start. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine. When the
engine starts, let go
of the key and
the accelerator pedal. If the engine
still doesn‘t start, wait another
15
seconds and do Step 2 again.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work
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 vehicle towed, see the
part
of this manual that tells how to
do it without damaging your
vehicle. See
Towing Your Vehicle
in the Index.
To start your 3800 V6 engine
(Code L):
1. Without pushing the accelerator
pedal, turn your ignition key to
Start.
When the engine starts, let go of the
ltey. The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm.
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ud. If the selector lever is put in 1, thc
ansaxle won’t shift into first gear unti
le vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
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.
To Release the Parking Brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down with
your right foot while you push down on
the parking brake pedal with your left
foot. (To release the tension on the
parking brake cable, you will need to
apply about the same amount of
pressure to the parking brake pedal as
you did when you set the parking
brake.) When you remove your foot from
the parking brake pedal, it will pop
up to the release position.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on
can cause your rear brakes to
overheat.
You may have to replace
them, and you could also damage
other parts of your vehicle.
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.
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Features & Controls
66
I Sh@ing Into P (Park)
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your
right
foot and set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park)
position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will I I
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).
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Features & Conkoh
70
Side Window Latches
The rear of the side windows swings
open.
To Open: Pull the latch forward to
release it, then swing the window
outward and press the center
of the
latch to secure the window in the open
position.
To Close: Pull the center of the latch
forward and then close the latch.
I
f
Power Windows (OPTION)
With power windows, switches on the
driver's door armrest control the front
vindows when the ignition is
on. The
.eft switch controls the driver's window.
The right switch controls the
?assenger's window.
The driver's power window switch has
:wo down positions. Hold the rear
of
:he switch in the first position to lower
:he window normally.
To activate the auto down feature, fully
?res the rear
of the switch, then
:elease. The window will lower
:ompletely.
To stop the window from
owering all the way, press the front of
:he switch.
r'o raise the window, press and hold the
i-ont
of the switch.
Turn SignallMultifinction
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering
column includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change
Headlight High-Low Beam Changer
Cruise Control (Option)
The High-Low Beam feature is
discussed under
Headlights. See the
Index under HeadZights.
Indicator
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74
Features & Controls
To slow down in very small amounts,
push the button for less than half
a
second. Each time you do this, you'll
go
1 mph (1.6 ltm/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase
your speed. When you take your foot off
the pedal, your vehicle will slow down
to the cruise control speed you set
earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work
on hills depends upon your speed, load,
and the steepness of the hills. When
going up steep hills, you may have to
step on the accelerator pedal to
maintain your speed. When going
downhill,
you may have to brake or
shift to a lower gear to keep your speed
down. Of course, applying the brake
takes
you out of cruise control. Many
drivers find this to be too much trouble
and don't use cruise control on steep
hills.
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the
cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
If your vehicle has the optional traction
control system
(TCS), the cruise
control will shut
off when TCS is
actively controlling wheel spin. See the
Index under Traction Control System.
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or
the ignition, your cruise control set
speed memory is erased. If you have the
3800 V6 engine, cruise control memory
will also be erased when you place the
transaxle in
P (Park).
Headlights
Push the p$ switch to turn on:
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
Instrument Panel Lights
Pull the switch to turn
off the lights.
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