
How to Use this Manual 
These  symbols  are on some of your 
controls: 
Windshield  Wipers 
Windshield  Washer 
w 
Windshield  Defroster 
Rear  Window  Defogger 
Rear  Window  Wiper 
Rear  Window  Washer  Ventilating  Fan 
Power  Window 
10 
3f 
These  symbols  are  used on warning 
and indicator  lights: 
Engine  Coolant  Temperature 
Battery  Charging 
System 
Fuel 
Engine 
Oil Pressure 
Brake 
AntXock  Brakes 
p3 
Here  are  some  other symbols you 
may  see: 
Fuse 
Lighter 
Horn 
Speaker 
Hood  Release 
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Engine Cooknt  Heater 
(Engine 
Block Heater) 
(OPTION) 
In  very  cold  weather, 0°F (-18°C) or 
colder,  the engine  coolant  heater  can 
help.  You’ll  get easier  starting  and 
better  fuel economy  during engine 
warm-up.  Usually, the coolant  heater 
should  be  plugged  in  a minimum  of four 
hours  prior to starting  your vehicle. 
To use  the  coolant  heater: 
1. Turn off the  engine. 
2. Open  the hood  and unwrap  the 
3. Plug it  into  a  normal,  grounded 110- 
electrical  cord. 
volt  outlet. 
NOTICE: 
After you’ve used  the coolant 
heater,  be sure  to  store  the  cord as 
it  was before  to keep  it away  from 
moving  engine parts. If you  don’t,  it 
could  be damaged.  How 
long should  you keep  the  coolant 
heater  plugged  in?  The  answer  depends 
on  the  weather,  the  kind 
of oil  you 
have,  and some  other  things.  Instead 
of 
trying to list everything  here, we ask 
that 
you contact  an Oldsrnobile dealer 
in  the  area  where  you’ll be parking your 
vehicle.  The dealer  can give  you  the best 
advice for  that particular  area. 
41 
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The gage  moves  a  little  when  you turn 
The  gage  doesn’t  go  back  to E when 
For  your  fuel tank  capacity,  see 
Service 
Station  Information 
on  the  last page of 
this  manual. a  corner,  brake  or 
speed 
up. 
you turn  off the  ignition. 
_____ 0 
‘F 
I 
00- 
- 1/2 
Low Fuel  Warning Light 
When  there is between 3 gallons (1 1 
liters)  and 0.5 gallon (1.8 liters)  of fuel 
left  in the  tank,  the  warning light next 
to the fuel symbol  will  go on. 
This light  will also  come  on when  you 
turn  on  the  ignition,  but  the  engine is 
not  running,  to show  you it is  working. 
If  it doesn’t  come on  as you start  your 
vehicle, have  it fixed  right away. 
d 
Oil  Pressure  lndicator 
(31 00 V6 ENGINE) 
Your vehicle  is equipped  with an oil 
pressure  indicator  rather  than  an oil 
pressure  gage.  Your  oil  pressure indicator 
lets 
you know when  you  may have a 
problem  with your engine  oil pressure. 
When  the engine  is running,  readings 
within  the  white  graduation  band 
indicate  the  normal  operating  range. 
Readings  in  or below  the red  area 
indicate  that  the engine’s  oil  level  may 
be  dangerously low,  or  there may be 
another  problem causing  low  oil 
pressure. 
Driving your vehicle  with low oil 
pressure  can  cause  extensive engine 
damage. Have your vehicle serviced 
immediately. 
101 
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Features & Controls 
102 
NOTICE: 
Damage to your engine from 
neglected  oil  problems can be  costly 
and 
is not  covered  by your 
warranty. 
I I 
3il Pressure Gage (3800 v6 ENGINE) 
four  oil pressure  gage shows  the oil 
x-essure 
in psi  (pounds  per square 
nch)  when  the engine  is running. 
Zanadian  vehicles  indicate pressure in 
vith engine  speed,  outside  temperature 
md  oil  viscosity. In  fact, while  the 
mgine  is  warming  up,  the oil pressure 
vi11  be higher  than  at  the  normal 
Iperating  temperature.  Readings above 
.he red warning  zone indicate  the 
lormal operating range. 
.f the  gage  reads  in the  red warning 
:one, your engine's  oil  level  may  be 
langerously  low or  there  may  be 
mother  problem causing  low  oil 
xessure.  Driving 
your vehicle  with low  oil 
pressure  can  cause  extensive engine 
damage. Have your  vehicle serviced 
immediately. 
NOTICE: 
Damage  to your engine  from 
neglected  oil problems can be costly 
and  is not  covered  by your 
warranty. 
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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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Your Driving and the Road 
156 
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 chocks  are in place, 
release  the regular  brakes until the 
chocks  absorb the load. 
apply your parking  brake,  and  then 
shift  to 
P (Park). 
4. Reapply  the regular brakes. Then 
5. Release  the regular brakes. 
When You Are  Ready to Leave 
Affer  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 
4. Stop  and  have someone  pick up  and 
of 
the  chocks. 
store  the chocks. 
Maintenance  When  Trailer  Towing 
Your vehicle  will need service more 
often  when  you’re pulling  a trailer.  See 
the  Maintenance  Schedule 
for more on 
this.  Things  that  are  especially  important  in 
trailer operation  are 
automatic  transaxle  fluid (don’t 
overfill), engine oil, belts, cooling 
system,  and brake  adjustment.  Each of 
these  is covered in  this  manual,  and  the 
Index will help  you find  them  quicltly. If 
you’re trailering, it’s  a good  idea to 
review  these sections before  you start 
your  trip. 
Check  periodically  to see  that  all hitch 
nuts  and  bolts are  tight. 
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Cooling System 
When you decide  it’s safe to lift the 
hood,  here’s  what  you’ll see: 
(A) Coolant  recovery  tank 
(B) Radiator  pressure  cap 
(C) Electric engine  fan,  or fans  if you 
have  the 
3800 V6 engine. 
If  the  coolant  inside  the coolant 
recovery  tank is boiling,  don’t do 
anything  else until  it cools  down.  The  coolant 
level should  be  at  or  above 
the 
FULL HOT mark.  If it  isn’t,  you 
may  have a leak  in the  radiator  hoses, 
heater  hoses,  radiator,  water  pump  or 
somewhere  else in  the  cooling  system. 
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Here you will  find  information  about 
the  care  of 
your Oldsmobile . This 
part  begins  with  service  and fuel 
information.  and  then  it  shows how 
to check  important  fluid  and 
lubricant  levels 
. There is  also 
technical  information  about 
your 
vehicle.  and  a section devoted to its 
appearance  care 
. 
Part 6 
Service & Appearance  Care 
Service ........................................................................\
............................................. 182 
Fuel 
........................................................................\
.................................................. 183 
Hood  Release ........................................................................\
................................... 186 
Engine Oil ........................................................................\
........................................ 190 
Air  Cleaner 
........................................................................\
...................................... 194 
Transaxle  Fluid 
........................................................................\
................................ 195 
Engine Coolant 
........................................................................\
................................ 197 
Power  Steering  Fluid 
........................................................................\
....................... 199 
Windshield Washer  Fluid 
........................................................................\
................ 200 
Brakes 
........................................................................\
.............................................. 201 
Battery 
........................................................................\
............................................. 203 
Bulb Replacement 
........................................................................\
........................... 203 
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement 
................................................................... 205 
Loading  Your Vehicle 
........................................................................\
..................... 206 
Tires 
........................................................................\
................................................. 207 
Appearance  Care ........................................................................\
............................. 212 
Vehicle Identification Number  (VIN) 
.................................................................... 218 
Add-on  Electrical Equipment 
........................................................................\
........ 219 
Fuses & Circuit Breakers ........................................................................\
................ 219 
Capacities  and Specifications 
........................................................................\
......... 224 
Normal  Maintenance  Replacement Parts 
............................................................... 226 
Fluids 
& Lubricants ........................................................................\
........................ 227 
Replacement 
Bulbs ........................................................................\
.......................... 228 
181 
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