1994 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

Reverse
R (Reverse): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to R (Reverse) while your
vehicle is moving forward could
damage your transaxle. Shift to
R
only after your vehicle is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice or sand without
damaging your transaxle, see the
Index
under If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice
or Snow .
Neutral
N (Neutral):In this position, your
engine doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use N (Neutral) only.
Also, use N when
your vehicle is being towed.
NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused
by shifting out
of P(Park) or N
(Neutral) with the engine racing
isn’t covered by your warranty.
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Features & Controls
64
R NoD2l
Forward Gears
(Automatic Overdrive):
If your automatic transaxle has
automatic overdrive, this position is for
normal driving. If you need more power
for passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56
km/h), push your accelerator pedal
about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 Itm/h) or
more, push the accelerator all the way
down.
You’ll shift down
to the next gear and
have more power.
NOTICE:
This NOTICE applies only if you
have the
3800 V6 engine and the
automatic Overdrive transaxle. If
your vehicle
is so equipped, and if it
seems to start up rather slowly, or if
it seems not to shift gears as you go
faster, something may
be wrong
with a transaxle system sensor. If
you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this
happens, have your vehicle serviced
right away. Until then, you can use
2 (Second Gear) when you are
drivin less than
35 mph (56 ltm/h)
and
d D (Overdrive) for higher
speeds.
D (Third Gear): If your automatic
transaxle does not have Overdrive, this
position is for normal driving, at all
speeds, in most street and highway
situations.
If your automatic transaxle has
Overdrive,
D is like m, but you never
go into Overdrive. Here are some times
you might choose
D instead of m:
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less
When going down a steep hill.
2 (Second Gear): This position gives
you more power but lower fuel
economy. You can use
2 on hills. It can
help control your speed as you go down
steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes
off
and on.
shifting between gears.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in 2 (Second Gear) for
more than
5 miles (8 ltm), or at
speeds over
55 mph (88 ltm/h), or
you can damage your transaxle.
Use
D (m or D if your vehicle has
Overdrive) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into
2 unless you are
going slower than
65 mph (105
ltm/h), or you can damage your
engine.
1 (First Gear): This position gives you
even more power (but lower fuel
economy) than
2. You can use it on
very steep hills, or in deep snow or
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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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Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
If you have to leave your vehicle with
the engine running, be sure your vehicle
is in
P (Park) and your parking brake is
firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the
P
(Park) position, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from
P (Park)
without first pulling it toward you.
If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into
P (Park).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transaxle into
P (Park)
properly, the weight
of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transaxle. 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 transaxle,
so you can
pull the shift lever out of
P (Park).
Parking Over nings That
Burn
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Features & Controls
68
I Engine Exhaust
I Running Your Engine While
You 're Parked
It's better not to park with the engine
running. But
if you ever have to, here
are
some things to know.
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Follow the proper steps to be sure your
vehicle won’t move. See
Shifting Into P
(Park) in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and you’re
pulling a trailer,
also see Towing a
Trailer
in the Index.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbols on your steering wheel.
Tilt Steering Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows you to
adjust the steering wheel before you
drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more
room when you exit and enter the
vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering
wheel and pull the lever. Move the
steering wheel to
a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Manual Windows
Use the manual crank to open and close
the front windows.
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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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