Page 241 of 340
3. Unclip the bulb  assembly  from the  wiring  harness. 
4. Reverse  steps 1-3 to  replace  the bulb  assembly  and 
headlamp  housing. 
Taillamp  Bulb  Replacement 
For  the type of bulb,  see the  Index  under  Replacement 
Bulbs. 
1. Pull  back  the  trunk  trim. 
2. Carefully  pull  tab A of the  plastic  taillamp  bracket 
away  from the  center of the  trunk,  then  forward. 
When  the  bracket  releases  from its mount,  pull  the 
taillamp  assembly  forward. 
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3. Wiggle the bulb out of the socket. 
4. Replace  the bulb. 
5. Reverse the steps to  reassemble the taillamp. 
Fog Lamp Bulb Replacement 
If  you have fog lamps,  don’t  change  your fog lamp 
bulbs unless  you have  the proper aiming equipment. 
See  your  Oldsmobile  retailer 
if you have any  further 
questions. 
Windshield  Wiper  Blade  Replacement 
Replacement blades  come in different types and are 
removed  in different ways. Here’s how 
to remove the 
type  with  a release clip: 
1. Pull the windshield wiper arm away  from the 
windshield. 
2. Lift the release  clip with  a  screwdriver  and pull the 
blade assembly  off the wiper  arm. 
3. Push the new wiper blade securely on the wiper  arm 
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Tires 
We don’t  make tires.  Your new vehicle  comes  with high 
quality  tires made  by 
a leading tire  manufacturer.  These 
tires  are warranted  by 
the tire manufacturers  and  their 
warranties  are  delivered  with every  new Oldsmobile.  If 
your  spare  tire 
is a different  brand than  your  road tires, 
you  will  have 
a tire warranty  folder  from each of these 
manufacturers.  
     
        
        Page 244 of 340

Inflation - Tire  Pressure 
The  Tire-Loading  Information  label  which  is  on the rear 
edge 
of the  driver’s  door  shows  the correct  inflation 
pressures  for  your  tires,  when  they’re  cold.  “Cold” 
means  your  vehicle  has  been  sitting  for at  least 
three 
?--., hours TI-< 01 &iv_eu~o more than.a.mile. 
NOTICE: 
Don’t  let  anyone  tell  you  that underinflation  or 
overinflation 
is all right. It’s not. If your tires don’t 
have  enough 
air (underinflation)  you can get: 
Too much  flexing 
0 Too much heat 
Tire overloading 
Bad  wear 
Bad handling 
Bad fuel economy. 
If your tires  have  too  much air (overinflation), 
you can get: 
Unusual  wear 
0 Bad handling 
Rough  ride 
0 Needless  damage  from  road hazards. 
___.. 
When  to Check 
Check  your  tires  once a month  or  more. 
Don’t  forget  your  compact  spare  tire. 
It should  be  at 
60 psi (420 Wa). 
How  to Check 
Use  a  good  quality  pocket-type  gage  to  check  tire 
pressure.  Simply  looking  at  the  tires  will  not  tell  you  the 
pressure,  especially  if  you  have  radial  tires 
-- which 
may  look  properly  inflated  even 
if they’re  underinflated. 
If your  tires  have  valve  caps,  be sure  to put  them  back 
on.  They  help  prevent  leaks  by  keeping  out  dirt  and 
moisture. 
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Tire Inspection  and  Rotation 
Tires should  be inspected  every 6,000 to 8,000 miles 
( 10 000 to 13 000 km)  for any  signs  of unusual  wear.  If 
unusual wear is  present, rotate your tires as soon as 
possible  and check  wheel  alignment. 
Also check  for 
damaged  tires  or  wheels.  See “When  it’s Time  for  New 
Tires” and “Wheel Replacement’’  later in this  section  for 
more  information. 
The  purpose  of regular  rotation  is 
to achieve  more 
uniform  wear  for all tires 
on the  vehicle.  The  first 
rotation 
is the  most  important.  See “Scheduled 
Maintenance  Services”  in the Index for scheduled 
rotation  intervals. 
-. 
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When rotating your tires;. always use the correct rotation 
pattern  shown here. 
Don’t  include the compact  spare  tire 
in your tire 
rotation. 
After  the tires 
have been  rotated, adjust  the front  and 
rear inflation pressures as shown  on the  Tire-Loading 
Infc~-mation  label. 
Make certain  that all wheel nuts are. 
properly tightened.  See 
“Wheel Nut Torque” in the 
Index. 
Rust  or  dirt  on a wheel, or on  the  parts  to which 
it 
is fastened,  can  make wheel  nuts become  loose 
after 
a time.  The wheel  could  come off and cause 
an  accident. 
When you  change a wheel,  remove 
any  rust  or  dirt  from places  where  the wheel 
attaches to the  vehicle, In  an emergency,  you can 
use a cloth  or a paper  towel to do this; but be 
sure  to use 
a scraper  or  wire brush  later, if  you 
need  to,  to  get  all  the rust  or  dirt 
off. (See 
“Changing 
a Flat  Tire”  in the  Index.) 
I 
When it’s Time for New Tires 
One  way to tell when it’s 
time for  new tires 
is to 
check the treadwear 
indicators, 
which will 
appear  when your tires have 
only I /16 inch (I .6 mm) or 
less 
of tread remaining. 
You need a new  tire if: 
You can see the indicators  at three  or more places 
around the tire. 
You can see  cord or fabric  showing  through the tire’s 
rubber. 
The  tread  or sidewall is cracked,  cut or snagged  deep 
enough 
to show  cord or  fabric.  
     
        
        Page 247 of 340

0 The  tire has a  bump,  bulge or split. 
0 The  tire  has  a  puncture,  cut,  or other  damage  that 
can’t  be repaired  well because 
of the  size  or  location 
of the damage. 
Buying New Tires 
To find  out  what kind  and size  of tires  you need, look at 
the  Tire-Loading  Information  label. 
The  tires installed  on  your vehicle when  it was  new  had 
a  Tire  Performance  Criteria  Specification  (TPC  Spec) 
number  on each tire’s  sidewall. When 
you get new  tires, 
get  ones  with that same  TPC  Spec  number. That way, 
your  vehicle  will continue 
to have  tires that  are designed 
to give proper  endurance,  handling, speed rating, 
traction,  ride  and other  things  during  normal service on 
your 
vehicle. If  your  tires  have  an all-season  tread 
design,  the TPC  number 
will be  followed  by  an “MS” 
(for mud  and  snow). 
If  you  ever  replace  your tires with those not having  a 
TPC  Spec  number, make  sure  they are the same  size, 
load  range,  speed rating  and construction  type (bias, 
bias-belted  or radial)  as your original  tires. 
Uniform  Tire  Quality  Grading 
The  following  information  relates to the system 
developed  by the  United  States National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration  which  grades tires by 
treadwear, traction and  temperature performance.  (This 
applies  only 
to vehicles sold in the United States.) 
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Treadwear Temperature - A, B, C 
The treadwear grade is  a  comparative rating based on 
the wear rate  of the tire when tested under controlled 
conditions  on 
a specified government  test  course.  For 
example,  a  tire graded 
150 would wear  one and a half 
(1 1/2) times  as well  on  the government  course as a tire 
graded  100.  The relative  performance 
of tires  depends 
upon the actual  conditions of their use, however, and 
may depart significantly  from  the norm due 
to variations 
in driving  habits, service  practices and differences in 
road characteristics and  climate. 
Traction - A, B, C 
The traction  grades,  from  highest to  lowest  are: A, B, 
and C. They represent the tire’s ability to  stop on  wet 
pavement  as measured under controlled  conditions on 
specified government  test surfaces  of asphalt  and 
concrete. 
A tire  marked C may  have poor traction 
performance. 
Warning:  The traction grade assigned to this 
tire is based 
on  braking  (straight-ahead)  traction tests and  does not 
include cornering (turning) traction.  The 
temperature  grades  are 
A (the highest), B, and C, 
representing the tire’s resistance to  the generation of 
heat and its ability to dissipate  heat  when tested under 
controlled  conditions  on a specified  indoor laboratory 
test wheel. Sustained  high temperature can  cause the 
material  of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,  and 
excessive  temperature can  lead to sudden tire  failure. 
The  grade 
C corresponds to a  level of performance 
which all passenger  car tires must  meet under  the 
Federal Motor  Vehicle Safety Standard 
No. 109. Grades 
B and A represent higher levels  of performance  on the 
laboratory test  wheel than the 
ninimum required  by law. 
Warning: 
The temperature grade for this tire is 
established  for  a tire that is properly  inflated  and  not 
overloaded.  Excessive speed, underinflation,  or 
excessive  loading, either separately  or 
in combination, 
can  cause  heat buildup  and possible tire failure. 
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