
(J LOW 
TRACTION -'I 
AIR BAG 
SERVICE 
ENGINE 
SOON 
Low Traction Light (OPTION) 
: If  your vehicle  has the  traction  control 
~ i system,  there will be  a LOW 
TRACTION light  on  the  instrument 
panel.  When your anti-lock system  is 
adjusting  brake  pressure  to help avoid  a 
braking  skid,  or when your  traction 
control  system is limiting wheel  spin, 
the 
LOW TRACTION light  will  come 
on.  Slippery road  conditions may exist 
if this light comes  on, so adjust your 
driving accordingly.  The light  will  come 
on  and  stay on for  four  seconds  when 
your  anti-lock  system adjusts  brake  pressure 
for less than  four  seconds  or 
when your  traction  control  system 
limits wheel  spin for less  than  four 
seconds.  Otherwise,  the light  will  go  out 
as  soon  as  the  anti-lock system  stops 
adjusting  brake pressure  or  the  traction 
control  system stops limiting wheel 
spin.  The 
LOW TRACTION light also 
comes  on briefly, 
as a bulb  check,  when 
the  engine  is  started. 
P* - 
40 ~m 
rn 
60 
100 
81) 
ZO 1 
1fin 
Traction Control System Warning 
Light (OPTION: 3800 V6 ENGINE) 
The TCS (Traction  Control System) 
warning  light may come  on if your 
brakes  overheat.  When this warning 
light  is on,  the  system will not limit 
wheel  spin.  Adjust  your driving 
accordingly. This means  that your 
traction  control  system has temporarily 
shut  down  to allow  the brakes  to cool. 
(The  traction  control  system will not 
shut  down  while it is  actively 
controlling wheel  spin.) When  the 
brakes have cooled  down, the 
TCS 
warning  light will  go  off. 
If the TCS warning light comes  on  and 
stays  on for  an extended  period of time, 
your vehicle needs service. 
105 
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SEEK: Press SEEK to  tune  in  and  stop 
on  the  next  station  on  the 
AM or  FM 
radio  band. 
SCAN: When  you press SCAN, the 
radio  will  go  to  the  next  station and 
pause  there  for a few  seconds. 
SCAN 
will  display  on  the digital screen.  Press 
SCAN again to  stop  on  a  station. 
RCL (Recall) : When  the ignition  is off, 
press to display  the clock. When  the 
radio  is on,  press  to change  between  the 
clock  and  the  radio  station  frequency 
displayed  on  the digital screen. 
The  five pushbuttons  in  the  lower right 
corner  can  be  used  to preset  up  to  ten 
radio  stations  (five AM and five FM 
stations).  These  buttons  have other 
uses  when  you are playing  a  compact 
disc  (see 
Compact Disc Controls later 
in  this  section). 
To Preset  Radio  Stations: 
1. Tune  the  digital display  to  the station 
you  want. 
2. Press SET. The SET indicator  will 
appear  on  the digital screen  for five 
seconds. 
3. While  the SET indicator is displayed, 
press  one  of the  five  pushbuttons. 
4. Repeat  steps 1-3 for each  of five  AM 
and  five FM stations. 
Compact  Disc Controls 
Many  of the  controls  for the  radio  also 
have  functions  for the  compact  disc 
player,  as  explained  here. 
To  Play  a  Compact  Disc: 
Don’t  use  mini-discs  that  are called 
singles.  They won’t  eject. Use  only  full- 
size  compact  discs. 
1. Press POWER to  turn  the  radio  on. 
2. Insert  a  disc  part-way into  the  slot, 
with  the  label side  up.  The  player  will 
pull  it  in.  In  a  few seconds,  the disc 
should  play. 
If  the  disc  comes  back out: 
The  disc  may  be upside  down. 
The  disc  may be  dirty,  scratched  or 
wet. 
There  may be  too  much  moisture  in 
the  air (wait  about  one  hour  and 
try 
again). 
The player  may  be  too  hot,  or the  road 
may  be too  rough  for the  disc  to play. 
If  the  word 
HOT appears  on  the 
display,  the player  is  too  hot.  Press 
RCL to remove HOT from  the 
display. As  soon  as  things  get back  to 
normal,  the  disc  should  play. 
While  a  disc is  playing,  the 
CD 
indicator is displayed  on  the digital 
screen,  as  is the  clock. 
RCL  (Recall): Press once  to see  which 
track  is  playing.  Press again within  five 
seconds  to  see how long  your  selection 
has  been  playing.  The  track  number 
also  will be displayed  when  the volume 
is  changed  or  a new  track  starts  to  play. 
PREV (Previous): Press to play  a  track 
again.  If you  hold  or keep pressing  the 
PREV button,  the disc will keep 
backing  up  to previous  tracks. 
NEXT: Press  when  you want  to  hear 
the  next  track  before the  track  you are 
listening  to  has finished.  If you  hold  or 
keep pressing  the 
NEXT button,  the 
disc  will keep advancing  to  other tracks. 
REV (Reverse): Press  and  hold to 
rapidly back  up to a favorite passage. 
Release  to resume  playing. 
FF (Fast  Forward): Press  and  hold to 
rapidly  advance  the  disc.  Release  to 
resume  playing. 
r 
125 
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Comfort Conboh &Audio Systems 
126 
COMP  (Compression): Press this 
button  to  make soft and  loud  passages 
more equal  in volume. Press again  to 
resume normal  play. 
When  Finished  with  the  Compact 
Disc Player: 
If you press POWER or  turn  off the 
ignition,  the disc  will stay  in the  player 
and  start  again when  you turn  on  the 
ignition  or power switch. The disc  will 
begin  playing  at  the point where  it had 
been  stopped. 
ST/PL  (Stop/Play): Press  to  stop  the 
disc  player;  the radio  will  play.  Press 
again  to play  the  disc  (the player  will 
start  playing  the disc where  it was 
stopped  earlier). 
EJCT (Eject): Press to eject  the disc; 
the  radio  will  play. 
CD Player  Anti-Theft  Feature 
Delco LOC 110 is a security  feature for 
the  compact disc player. It  can  be used 
or  ignored.  If ignored,  the system  plays 
normally.  If it  is  used,  your player  won’t 
be  usable  if it  is  ever  stolen,  because  it will  go 
to LOC  mode  any time battery 
power  is removed.  Until an 
unLOC 
code is  entered,  it  will not  turn  on. 
The  instructions  below tell you  how  to 
enter 
a secret code  into  the system. If 
your vehicle loses battery power  for any 
reason,  you must unlock  the system 
with  the  secret code  before the  radio 
will  turn  on. 
To  Set  the  Anti-Theft  System: 
1. Write  down any six-digit  number and 
2. Turn the ignition  to  the Accessory or 
3. Press  the POWER button to  turn  the 
4. Press the PREV and FF buttons 
keep 
it in  a safe place. 
Run position. 
radio  off. 
together.  Hold them  down until 
“- - -” 
shows  on  the  display  (at least  five 
seconds). 
You are  ready  to  enter  your 
secret  code. 
NOTE:  If you  allow more  than 
15 
seconds to elapse between any  steps, 
the  radio automatically reverts  to time 
and  you  must  start  the  procedure over 
at  step 
4. 
5. Press SET and 000 will  appear on 
6. Press  and hold SEEK until  the first 
7. Press  and hold SCAN until  the 
the 
display. 
digit 
of your code  appears. 
second  and third digits  of your code 
appear. 
8. Press AM/FM and 000 will  appear 
again.  Now  you  are ready  to  enter  the 
last  three  digits  of your code. 
9. Repeat  steps 6 and 7 for the  last  three 
digits  of your code. 
IO. Press AM/FM and rEP will  appear. 
11. Repeat  steps 6 through 10. This 
time 
SEC will  appear,  indicating 
that  the  radio is secure.  If 
“- - -” 
appears,  the  steps  were not 
successful and  you must  repeat  the 
entire  procedure. 
To  Unlock  the  System  After a Power 
Loss: 
When  battery power  is reapplied  to a 
secured  radio,  the  radio  won’t  turn  on 
and 
LOC will  appear  on  the display. 
Enter  your secret code  as follows; pause 
no  more  than 
15 seconds  between 
steps. 
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Your Driving and the Road 
* x1000 
136 
i‘his light on the  instrument panel will 
go on when  you  start your  vehicle. 
When  you start  your vehicle, or when 
jou begin  to drive  away,  you  may  hear a 
nomentary  motor  or  clicking noise. 
4nd  you  may  even  notice that your 
)rake  pedal  moves 
a little while  this is 
going  on. This  is the 
ABS system 
:esting itself. 
(You may  also hear a 
:licking  noise if you  leave  the ignition  in 
.he 
Run position for  about four seconds 
Iefore  starting  the  vehicle.) If there’s  a 
Jroblem  with the anti-lock brake 
iystem,  the anti-lock brake system 
Yarning  light  will  stay on  or  flash. 
See 
Anti-Lock  Brake System Warning 
2ight 
in  the Index. 
lere’s  how anti-lock works. Let’s  say 
1 
the road  is wet.  You’re  driving  safely. 
Suddenly  an animal jumps  out 
in front 
You  slam  on  the  brakes. Here’s what 
happens  with 
ABS. 
A computer  senses  that  wheels are 
slowing  down. 
If one of the  wheels  is 
about  to  stop  rolling, the  computer  will 
separately work  the brakes  at each  front 
wheel  and at  the  rear wheels. 
The  anti-lock system  can change  the 
brake  pressure  faster than any driver 
could. The  computer is programmed  to 
make  the most  of available  tire  and road 
conditions.  of 
you. 
You can  steer  around  the  obstacle while 
braking  hard. 
As you brake,  your computer  keeps 
receiving  updates on wheel  speed and 
controls braking pressure accordingly. 
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t  change 
the  time  you need 
to get your  foot up to 
the  brake  pedal. 
If you  get too close to 
the vehicle  in front  of you,  you won’t 
have  time to apply  your brakes  if that 
vehicle suddenly  slows or  stops.  Always 
leave  enough room up  ahead  to  stop, 
even  though  you  have  anti-lock brakes. 
To Use Anti-Lock 
Don’t pump the brakes.  Just hold  the 
brake  pedal  down  and let anti-lock 
work for you.  You  may  feel the system 
working, or  you  may notice  some noise, 
but  this  is normal. 
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Your Driving  and the Road 
138 
I’he traction  control  system 
mtomatically comes 
on whenever  you 
start  your vehicle. 
To limit  wheel  spin, especially  in 
slippery  road conditions,  you should 
dways  leave the system  on. But  you  can 
:urn  the  traction  control  system off  if 
IOU ever need  to. (You should  turn  the 
;ystem  off 
if your vehicle ever gets  stuck 
n sand, mud, ice  or  snow.  See Rocking 
Your Vehicle in the Index.) 
To turn  the  system off, press  the switch 
ocated on  the center  instrument  panel 
:onsole. 
The  light  on  the  switch  will  go 
off. If the 
Lraction  control system  is limiting wheel 
;pin when  you press  the  switch,  the 
;ystem won’t  turn 
off right away. It will  wait until 
there’s 
no longer a current 
need  to limit  wheel  spin. 
You can turn  the  system back  on at any 
time  by pressing  the switch again. The 
light 
on the  switch should come on. 
Braking  in  Emergencies 
Use  your anti-lock braking  system  when 
you  need  to. With  anti-lock,  you can 
steer  and  brake at  the  same time. 
In 
many emergencies, steering  can help 
you  more  than even the very  best 
braking. 
Steering 
Power  Steering 
If  you  lose  power steering assist 
because  the engine  stops  or  the  system 
is not functioning,  you can steer  but it 
will  take  much  more effort. 
Steering Tips 
Driving on Curves 
It’s  important  to take  curves  at a 
reasonable speed. 
A lot of the  “driver lost  control” 
accidents  mentioned on  the news 
happen 
on curves.  Here’s why: 
Experienced driver  or beginner, each  of 
us is subject  to  the same laws of physics 
when driving 
on curves. The  traction of 
the  tires against  the road surface makes 
it  possible  for the  vehicle  to change its 
path  when  you turn  the  front  wheels. If 
there’s 
no traction,  inertia will keep  the 
vehicle  going  in  the same  direction. 
If 
you’ve  ever  tried to steer  a vehicle  on 
wet ice, you’ll  understand  this. 
The  traction  you can get in a curve 
depends 
on the  condition  of your tires 
and  the road surface,  the angle  at which 
the  curve  is banked,  and  your speed. 
While  you’re in  a curve, speed 
is the  one 
factor  you can  control. 
Suppose  you’re steering  through  a 
sharp  curve. Then  you suddenly 
accelerate. Both control systems 
- 
steering  and acceleration - have  to  do 
their  work where  the tires meet  the 
road.  Unless  you have  traction  control 
and  the  system  is  on, adding  the  sudden 
acceleration can demand  too much 
of 
those  places. You can lose  control. 
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Your Driving and the Road 
140 
I 
I Off-Road  Recovery 
You may find sometime  that your right 
wheels have  dropped off the  edge  of a 
road  onto  the  shoulder  while you’re 
driving. 
If  the  level  of the  shoulder  is  only 
slightly  below  the pavement,  recovery 
should be  fairly easy. Ease  off the 
accelerator  and then,  if there  is  nothing 
in  the  way, steer 
so that your vehicle 
straddles  the  edge of the  pavement. 
You 
can  turn  the  steering wheel  up  to % turn 
until  the right  front  tire  contacts  the 
pavement  edge. Then  turn your steering 
wheel  to go  straight  down the roadway. 
I Passing 
The driver  of a vehicle  abor It t o pass 
another  on  a two-lane highway waits for 
just  the  right moment, accelerates, 
moves  around  the  vehicle ahead,  then 
goes back  into  the right lane again. 
A 
simple maneuver? 
Not necessarily! Passing  another vehicle 
on  a two-lane  highway  is  a potentially 
dangerous move, since  the passing 
vehicle occupies  the same  lane  as 
oncoming  traffic for several  seconds. 
A 
miscalculation,  an error  in judgment,  or 
a  brief  surrender  to frustration  or  anger 
can  suddenly  put  the passing driver face 
to  face  with  the  worst  of all  traffic 
accidents 
- the  head-on collision. 
So here  are  some tips  for passing: 
“Drive  ahead.”  Look down  the  road, 
to  the  sides, and to crossroads for 
situations  that might  affect  your 
passing  patterns.  If you  have  any 
doubt  whatsoever  about malting  a 
successful  pass,  wait for a better  time. 
markings, and lines.  If you  can see 
a 
sign  up  ahead  that might  indicate a 
turn  or  an  intersection,  delay your 
Watch for  traffic signs, pavement  pass. 
A broken 
center line usually 
indicates it’s  all right  to pass 
(providing  the road  ahead  is clear). 
Never  cross a  solid line on your side 
of  the  lane  or  a double solid line, even 
if  the  road  seems empty  of 
approaching  traffic. 
Do not get too  close  to  the  vehicle 
you  want  to pass  while  you’re 
awaiting  an opportunity. For  one 
thing,  following  too closely  reduces 
your  area of vision,  especially  if you’re 
following  a larger vehicle.  Also, you 
won’t have  adequate space if the 
vehicle  ahead suddenly 
slows or 
stops.  Keep back a reasonable 
distance. 
When  it looks  like a chance  to pass  is 
coming  up,  start  to accelerate  but stay 
in  the  right lane  and don’t  get too 
close. Time your  move 
so you  will be 
increasing speed  as  the time comes  to 
move  into  the  other lane. If the  way  is 
clear  to pass,  you  will  have 
a “running 
start”  that  more than rnaltes 
up for 
the  distance  you would lose  by 
dropping back.  And if something 
happens  to cause  you to cancel your 
pass,  you need  only slow  down  and 
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a driver  who  doesn’t  lower the high 
beams,  or 
a vehicle with misaimed 
headlights),  slow down  a  little. Avoid 
staring  directly  into  the  approaching 
lights. 
Keep  your windshield  and all the  glass 
on  your vehicle clean 
- inside  and  out. 
Glare 
at night  is made  much  worse  by 
dirt  on the  glass.  Even  the  inside 
of the 
glass  can build  up  a film caused  by dust. 
Dirty  glass makes  lights dazzle  and 
flash more  than clean  glass would, 
making  the pupils 
of your  eyes contract 
repeatedly. 
Remember  that your  headlights  light up 
far  less  of a roadway  when you are  in  a 
turn  or curve.  Keep your eyes moving; 
that  way,  it’s easier  to pick  out dimly 
lighted objects.  Just  as your headlights 
should  be checked regularly  for proper 
aim, so should  your eyes be examined 
regularly.  Some drivers  suffer from 
night  blindness 
- the  inability  to see  in 
dim  light 
- and  aren’t  even aware of it. 
4 Driving  in the Rain 
Rain  and  wet  roads  can  mean  driving 
trouble.  On  a  wet  road  you can’t  stop, 
accelerate  or turn  as  well because  your 
tire-to-road  traction  isn’t  as  good as  on 
dry roads.  And,  if your  tires  don’t  have 
much  tread  left, you’ll  get  even less 
traction.  It’s  always  wise to go  slower 
and  be  cautious  if rain  starts  to fall 
while  you are driving.  The  surface  may 
get  wet  suddenly  when  your  reflexes are 
tuned  for driving on dry pavement.  The 
heavier  the rain,  the  harder  it  is to 
see.  Even 
if your  windshield wiper 
blades  are  in  good shape,  a  heavy rain 
can  make  it  harder  to see  road  signs and 
traffic  signals, pavement  markings, the 
edge  of the  road,  and  even people 
walking. 
It’s  wise  to keep  your  wiping  equipment 
in  good  shape  and  keep your windshield 
washer  tank  filled.  Replace  your 
windshield wiper  inserts  when  they 
show  signs of streaking  or  missing areas 
on  the  windshield,  or when  strips of 
rubber  start  to separate  from the 
inserts. 
143 
ProCarManuals.com 

Your Driving and the Road 
146 
flow.  Try to merge  into  the  gap at close 
to  the  prevailing  speed. Switch on your 
turn  signal, check your mirrors  and 
glance  over your  shoulder  as often  as 
necessary.  Try to blend smoothly  with 
the  traffic  flow. 
Once 
you are  on  the  freeway, adjust 
your speed  to  the posted limit  or to  the 
prevailing  rate 
if it’s slower. Stay in  the 
right lane unless  you want  to pass. 
Before  changing  lanes, check your 
mirrors.  Then  use  your turn signal. 
Just  before  you  leave  the  lane, glance 
quickly  over  your shoulder  to make  sure 
there  isn’t another  vehicle in your 
“blind”  spot. 
Once  you are moving 
on the  freeway, 
make  certain  you allow  a reasonable 
following  distance. Expect to move 
slightly  slower at night. 
When  you  want to leave  the freeway, 
move  to  the  proper  lane well  in 
advance.  If you 
miss your exit  do  not, 
under  any circumstances,  stop  and back 
up.  Drive  on to  the  next exit. 
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes  quite  sharply.  The exit 
speed 
is usually posted. 
Reduce  your speed according  to your 
speedometer,  not  to  your sense  of 
motion. After  driving  for any distance  at 
higher speeds,  you  may tend to think 
you  are going  slower  than you actually 
are. 
I Before Leaving on a Long 
Trip 
Make  sure you’re ready.  Try to be  well 
rested.  If you  must  start when  you‘re 
not  fresh 
- such  as  after a day’s work 
- don’t plan  to make  too many  miles 
that  first part  of the  journey.  Wear 
comfortable clothing  and  shoes you can 
easily  drive in. 
Is your vehicle  ready  for  a long  trip?  If 
you  keep  it serviced  and  maintained,  it’s 
ready  to go.  If 
it needs service, have  it 
done  before  starting  out. Of course, 
you’ll  find  experienced  and able  service 
experts  in Oldsmobile dealerships  all 
across  North America.  They‘ll  be  ready 
and  willing  to help 
if you  need  it. 
Here  are  some things  you can check 
before  a trip: 
Windshield  Washer  Fluid: Is the 
reservoir  full? Are 
all windows clean 
inside  and  outside? 
shape? 
you  checked  all  levels? 
lenses clean? 
safe, trouble-free  trip. 
Is the tread 
good  enough  for long-distance 
driving? Are  the tires  all inflated  to 
the  recommended pressure? 
weather  outlook along your  route? 
Should  you  delay  your trip  a  short 
time  to avoid  a major  storm system? 
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps? 
Wiper  Blades: Are they in  good 
Fuel,  Engine  Oil,  Other  Fluids: Have 
Lights: Are they all working? Are  the 
Tires: They are vitally  important  to a 
Weather  Forecasts: What’s  the 
Highway  Hypnosis 
Is tbere actually  such  a condition  as 
“highway  hypnosis”?  Or is  it  just  plain 
falling  asleep at  the wheel?  Call it 
highway  hypnosis,  lack of awareness,  or 
whatever. 
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