1994 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage to your vehicle that
wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Trying to start your
Oldsmobile by pushing or pulling it
won’t work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
To Jump Start Your Oldsmobile:
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have
a 12-volt battery with a negative
ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt
system with a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the
jumper cables can reach, but be sure
the vehicles aren’t touching each
other. If they are, it could cause a
ground connection
you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to start your
Oldsmobile, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured if the vehicles
roll. Set the parking brake firmly on
each vehicle. Put an automatic
transaxle in
P (Park) or a manual
transaxle in
N (Neutral).
3. Turn off the ignition on both
vehicles. Turn off all lights that aren’t
needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could
be badly damaged. The repairs
wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the
batteries.
Find the positive
(+) and negative (-)
terminals on each battery.
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Problems on the Road
are some things you should know.
Positive
(+) will go to positive (+)
and negative (-) will go to negative
(-) or a metal engine part. Don’t
connect
(+) to (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery
and maybe other parts, too.
160
Your Oldsmobile has a remote positive
(+) jump starting terminal. The
terminal
is in the red box on the same
side of the engine compartment as your
battery.
You should always use the
remote positive
(+) terminal instead of
the positive (+) terminal on your
batte
ry.
To open the remote positive (+)
terminal box, pull the tab and open the
cover.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t
have loose
or missing insulation. If
they do, you could get
a shock. The
vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here
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6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to
the positive
(+) terminal of the
vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has
one.
7. Don‘t let the other end touch metal.
Connect it to the positive
(+)
terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the
vehicle has one.
8. Now connect the black negative (-)
cable to the good battery’s negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch
anything until the next step. The
other end of the negative cable
doesn’t go to the dead battery. It goes
to a heavy unpainted metal part on
the engine
of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
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9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches
(45 cm) away from the dead battery,
but not near engine parts that move.
The electrical connection is
just as
good there, but the chance of sparks
getting back to the battery is much
less.
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Problems on the Road
I62
10. Now start the vehicle with the good
battery and run the engine for a
while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the
dead battery. If it won’t start after a
few tries,
it probably needs service. w I
12. Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don’t touch each
other or any other metal.
A
8
liowing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a
xofessional towing service tow your
3ldsmobile. The usual towing
:quipment
is:
[A) Sling-type tow truck
[B) Wheel-lift tow truck
:C) Car carrier
f your vehicle has been changed or
nodified since it was factory-new by
idding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
tero skirting, or special tires and
vheels, these instructions and
llustrations may not be correct.
3efore you do anything, turn on the
lazard warning flashers.
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When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed
from the front with sling-type
equipment.
drive.
vehicle.
lever. damaged.
That your vehicle has front-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there W~S an accident, what was
When the towing service arrives, let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions
and illustrations. The operator may
want to see them.
I should be clamped in a straight-ahead
When your vehicle
is being towed, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel designed for towing service.
Do not
use
the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in Neutral
and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the
front wheels, unless
you must. If the
vehicle must be towed on the front
wheels, don’t go more than
35 mph (56
l or your transaxle will be damaged.
If these
limits must be exceeded, then the front
wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
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Problems on the Road
164
Towing from the Front-Vehicle
Hook-up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be sure
to read all the information on
Towing
Your Vehicle earlier in this section.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascia damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional
ramping may be required for car carrier
equipment. Use safety chains and wheel
straps.
NOTICE:
Towing a vehicle over rough
surfaces could damage a vehicle.
Damage can occur from vehicle to
ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage,
install a towing dolly and raise
vehicle until adequate clearance
is
obtained between the ground
and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or
J-
hooks to suspension components
when using car carrier equipment.
Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
1. Attach T-hook chains on both sides
in the slotted holes in the bottom of
the frame rails, about
2 feet behind
the front wheels.
2. Attach a separate safety chain around
the outboard end of each control arm.
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Towing from fhe Rear-Vehicle
HOOk-Up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure to read all the information
on
Towing Your Vehicle earlier in this
section.
1. Attach T-hook chains on both sides
in the slotted holes in the frame rails
just ahead
of the rear wheels.
I
2. Position the lower sling crossbar
directly under the rear bumper. No
4x4 wood beam is needed.
3. Attach a separate safety chain around
the end of each axle inboard
of the
spring.
4. Be certain your vehicle is towed no
faster than
35 rnph (56 ltm/h) and no
farther than
50 miles (80 ltm) to
avoid damage to your transaxle.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature
gage on your Oldsmobile's instrument
panel. See the
Index under Coolant
Temperature Gage.
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Problems on the Road
If Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because
you keep driving with no coolant,
your vehicle can be badly damaged.
The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your
€ngine
If you get the overheat warning but see
or hear no steam, the problem may not
be too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with
no
sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the
highest fan speed
and open the
window as necessary.
3. Try to keep your engine under load
(in a drive gear where the engine
runs slower).
If you no longer have the overheat
warning, you can drive. Just to be safe,
drive slower for about ten minutes. If
the warning doesn't come back
on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park your vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, you can
idle the engine for two or three minutes
while you're parked, to see if the
warning stops. But then,
if you still
have the warning, TURN
OFF THE
ENGINE AND GET EVERYONE OUT
OF THE VEHICLE until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but
to get service help right away.
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