Page 7 of 340
Vehicle Symbols 
These  are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. 
For  example, 
these  symbols 
are  used  on  an 
original  battery: 
POSSIBLE A 
CAUTION 
INJURY 
PROTECT  EYES  BY 
SHIELDING 
CAUSTIC 
ACID  COULD  BATTERY 
CAUSE 
BURNS 
AVOID 
SPARKS 
OR 
FLAMES 
SPARK 
OR ,\I/, 
COULD  FLAME 
EXPLODE  BATTERY 
These  symbols 
are  important 
for  you  and 
your  passengers 
whenever  your 
vehicle 
is 
driven: 
DOOR  LOCK 
UNLOCK 
FASTEN  SEAT 
BELTS 
POWER 
WINDOW 
These  symbols 
have  to  do with 
your  lights: 
SIGNALS e e 
TURN 
FOG  LAMPS 
$0 
These  symbols 
are  on some  of 
your  controls: 
WINDSHIELD 
WIPER 
WINDSHIELD  DEFROSTER 
WINDOW 
DEFOGGER 
VENTILATING  FAN 
These  symbols are  used  on 
warning  and 
indicator  lights: 
COOLANT F- 
TEMP -- 
ENGINE 
CHARGING 
I-1 
BATTERY  SYSTEM 
BRAKE 
(a) 
FUEL 
ENGINE  OIL 
PRESSURE 
Wd 
TEMP  OIL 9b 
ANTI-LOCK (@) 
BRAKE 
Here  are  some 
other  symbols 
you  may  see: 
FUSE -%- 
RELEASE 
RADIO 
VOLUME 
CONDITIONING 
A'R 43 
RELEASE TRUNK e 
LIGHTER n 
HORN )tr 
SPEAKER 
b 
V  
     
        
        Page 69 of 340

Ignition  Switch 
A E 
With the key  in the ignition  switch, you can turn the 
switch  to  five  positions: 
ACCESSORY (A): This is an “on”  position in which 
you  can operate some 
of your  electrical power 
accessories. Press  in the ignition switch  as you 
turn the 
top 
of it  toward  you. 
LOCK (B): This  is the only position in which you can 
remove the  key. This  locks  your steering  wheel,  ignition 
and  transaxle  (on automatic  models). 
OFF (C): This position  unlocks  the  steering wheel, 
ignition,  and transaxle  (on automatic  models), but  does 
not send electrical power  to any  accessories. Use this 
position 
if your  vehicle  must be pushed  or  towed,  but 
never  try to push-start  your vehicle. 
A warning  chime 
will  sound  if 
you open the driver’s door when the 
ignition  is 
off and the key is in the ignition. 
RUN (D): This is an “on” position  to which the switch 
returns  after  you start your  engine and release  the 
switch.  The  switch  stays 
in the RUN position when  the 
engine  is  running.  But even when the  engine 
is not 
running, you can use 
RUN to operate  your electrical 
power accessories, and  to display some instrument panel 
warning  lights. 
START (E): Use this for  starting  the  engine.  When the 
engine  starts,  release the key. 
The ignition switch will 
return to 
RUN for  normal  driving. 
Note  that  even 
if the  engine  is not running,  the  positions 
ACCESSORY and RUN are “on” positions  that  allow you 
to  operate  your  electrical  accessories,  such  as  the  radio. 
2-13  
     
        
        Page 91 of 340
Lamp Controls 
Parking Lamps 
Rotate the switch up one  position to  turn on: 
Parking Lamps 
Side  Marker  Lamps 
Tai 1 I amps 
0 License Plate Lamps 
Instrument  Panel Lamps 
Headlamps 
Rotate the switch  up two positions  to  turn on: 
Headlamps 
Parking Lamps 
Side Marker Lamps 
Taillamps 
0 License Plate Lamps 
Instrument Panel Lamps 
Rotate the switch  to 
OFF to turn all of the lights off. 
2-35  
     
        
        Page 99 of 340
To Get  Out of Cruise  Control 
There  are  two ways to turn  off the  cruise  control: 
Step lightly on the brake pedal  or push the clutch 
pedal,  if you  have 
a manual  transaxle; OR 
Move  the cruise  switch  to OFF. 
To Erase  Cruise  Speed  Memory 
When you turn off the  cruise  control  or  the ignition, 
your  cruise  control  set speed memory  is  erased. 
Instrument  Panel  Intensity  Control 
I A lNTER’OR 7 
A LIGHTS 
You can brighten  or dim the instrument cluster lights  by 
rotating the wheel.  Rotate the wheel all the  way down to 
turn 
off the instrument  cluster lights and displays. 
Rotate 
the wheel all the way up to turn on the courtesy 
lamps. 
2-43  
     
        
        Page 100 of 340

Fog Lamps  (Option) Daytime  Running  Lamps  (Canada  Only) 
7 %. 
OFF 
LIGHTS 
The 
button  for  your 
fog  lamps  is  below the 
instrument  panel 
intensity  control.  Daytime Running 
Lamps (DRL) can  make  it  easier  for 
others  to  see the front  of your  vehicle  during the  day. 
DRL  can  be helpful in many different driving 
conditions, but they  can 
be especially helpful in  the 
short periods  after dawn and  before sunset. Several 
countries, including Canada,  require  DRL. 
A light  sensor  on top of the  instrument  panel makes the 
DRL  work, 
so be sure it isn’t  covered.  The  DRL  system 
will  make  your  high and low-beam  headlamps  come  on 
at a reduced brightness  when: 
0 The  ignition is  on, 
Push the button  to turn the  fog  lamps  on. 
When  using fog  lamps,  the  parking lamps or low beam 
headlamps must  be  on. 
Fog  lamps  will go off  whenever the high  beam 
headlamps  come on. When  the  high  beams  go 
off, the 
fog  lamps  will come  on  again. 
0 The  headlamp  switch is off, and 
0 The  parking brake is released (manual transaxle);  or 
0 The transaxle is not  in PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) 
(automatic transaxle). 
When  the DRL  are  on, only your high and low-beam 
headlamps will  be  on.  The taillamps, sidemarker and 
other  lamps  won’t be  on. Your  instrument panel won’t 
be lit up either. 
When  it’s dark enough  outside, your headlamps will 
come  on at 
full brightness.  The other lamps that come 
on  with your headlamps will  also  come on.  
     
        
        Page 103 of 340
Also, if your  vehicle  is left with  the  ignition  turned off 
for over 24 days,  battery  power  to  your  clock,  audio 
system  and  Remote 
Lock Control  (if  you  have  this 
option)  will  be turned 
off to reduce  battery  drain.  When 
the  ignition  is turned  on  again,  battery  power  will 
be 
resupplied.  However,  under  these  conditions,  it  will be 
necessary  to  reset  the  clock  and  audio  system  settings. 
Inside  Manual  Daymight  Rearview  Mirror 
To reduce  glare  from  lights  behind you, move  the  lever 
toward  you  to  the  night  position. 
Convex Outside  Mirror 
Your  passenger’s  side mirror is convex. 
A convex mirror’s surface is curved so you  can see more 
from  the  driver’s  seat. 
2-47  
     
        
        Page 112 of 340
Instrument  Panel  Clusters 
Your Oldsmobile is equipped with one of these  clusters, 
which includes  indicator warning lights and  gages that 
Standard  Cluster 
are explained on the following  pages. Be sure to read 
them. 
FASTEN& BELTS 
HOT & 
OIL y9 A1 R BAG 
INFORMATION  CENTER  INFORWTION 
CENTER 
1 
2-56  
     
        
        Page 115 of 340

Warning  Lights,  Gages  and 
Indicators 
Warning lights and  gages  can  signal  that  something  is 
wrong  before  it becomes  serious  enough  to  cause  an 
expensive  repair  or  replacement.  Paying  attention  to 
your  warning  lights and  gages  could  also  save  you  or 
others  from injury. 
Warning  lights  come  on  when  there  may  be  or  is a 
problem  with  one  of your  vehicle’s  functions. 
As you 
will  see 
in the  details  on  the  next  few  pages,  some 
warning  lights  come  on  briefly  when  you  start  the  engine  just to let  you  know  they’re  working.  If  you  are 
familiar  with  this  section,  you  should  not  be  alarmed  when  this  happens. 
Gages  can  indicate  when  there  may  be  or  is  a  problem 
with  one of your  vehicle’s  functions.  Often  gages  and 
warning  lights  work  together  to  let  you  know  when 
there’s  a  problem  with  your  vehicle. 
When  one  of the  warning  lights  comes  on  and  stays  on 
when  you  are  driving,  or  when  one of the  gages  shows 
there  may  be  a  problem,  check  the section  that  tells  you 
what  to  do  about  it.  Please  follow  this  manual’s  advice. 
Waiting  to  do  repairs  can  be  costly 
-- and  even 
dangerous. 
So please  get  to  know  your  warning  lights 
and  gages.  They’re  a  big  help. 
Safety  Belt  Warning  Light 
When  the  key  is 
turned  to 
RUN or 
START a  chime  will 
come  on  for about 
eight  seconds  to 
remind  people  to  fasten  their  safety 
belts,  unless  the 
driver’s  safety  belt 
is 
already  buckled. 
The  safety  belt  light will  also  come  on  and  stay  on  for 
about 
20 seconds,  then  it will  flash  for about 55 seconds. 
If the  driver’s  belt  is  already  buckled,  neither  the chime 
nor  the light  will  come  on. 
2-59