
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  

NOTICE: 
If  you  keep  driving  your  vehicle  with  this  light 
on,  after  a  while  the  emission  controls  won’t 
work  as  well,  your  fuel  economy  won’t  be  as  good 
and  your  engine  may  not  run as smoothly.  This 
could  lead  to  costly  repairs  not  covered  by  your 
warranty. 
Check  Gages  Light  (Gage  Cluster) 
9 ANTI- 
 CHECK 
Q 
 OAOES 
UI 
E 4 
This  light will  come 
on  briefly  when  you 
are  starting the engine. 
If  it stays  on,  or  if 
it 
comes  on and stays on 
while you  are driving, 
check  your various 
gages  to  see  if they are 
in the warning zones. 
Oil Pressure  Gage  (Gage  Cluster) 
UP 
SHIFT 
CHECK 
OIL 
The  oil  pressure  gage  shows  the engine  oil pressure in 
psi (pounds  per square  inch) when the  engine is running. 
Canadian vehicles indicate pressure  in kPa.  Oil pressure 
may  vary  with engine  speed, outside  temperature  and  oil 
viscosity, but readings  above the red warning zone 
indicate  the normal operating range. 
A reading in the red zone  may  be caused by a 
dangerously low oil level  or other  problem causing low 
oil  pressure. Have your  vehicle serviced immediately. 
2-66  

I NOTICE: 
Damage to your  engine  from  neglected oil 
problems  can  be  costly  and is not  covered  by  your 
warranty. 
Oil  Warning  Light (Standard Cluster) 
If you  have a low 
engine 
oil pressure 
problem, 
this light will 
stay on  after you start 
your  engine,  or  come  on  when  you  are  driving. 
This indicates  that  your 
engine  is not  receiving 
enough 
oil. The  engine 
could be low on oil, or 
could  have  some  other 
oil problem.  Have  it 
fixed immediately. 
The  oil light  could  also  come  on  in two  other  situations: 
0 
0 When  the  ignition  is on  but  the  engine  is  not  running, 
the  light  will  come  on as a  test  to  show  you  it is 
working,  but  the  light  will  go  out  when  you 
turn the 
ignition  to  START. 
If it doesn’t  come  on  with  the 
ignition  on,  you  may  have  a  problem  with  the  fuse or 
bulb.  Have  it fixed  right  away. 
If you  make  a  hard  stop,  the  light  may  come  on  for a 
moment.  This  is  normal. 
2-67  

Here are  some  things you can check  before  a trip: 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir  full? Are 
all windows clean  inside and outside? 
Wiper Blades: Are they in good  shape? 
Fuel, Engine  Oil,  Other Fluids: Have you checked 
all  levels? 
Lamps: Are they all  working? Are the lenses  clean? 
Tires: They are vitally important  to  a safe, 
trouble-free  trip.  Is the tread good enough  for 
long-distance  driving? Are the tires all inflated 
to the 
recommended  pressure? 
Weather Forecasts: What’s the 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? 
Highway Hypnosis 
Is there 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. 
There  is something about  an easy stretch 
of road  with 
the  same  scenery, along with the  hum of the tires  on the 
road, the drone 
of the engine,  and the rush  of the wind 
against the vehicle that can  make you sleepy. Don’t  let it 
happen to you!  If it does,  your vehicle can leave the 
road  in 
less than a second, and you  could crash and  be 
injured. 
What can  you 
do about highway hypnosis? First, be 
aware  that it can happen. 
Then here  are  some tips: 
0 Make sure your vehicle is  well ventilated, with  a 
comfortably  cool interior. 
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead  and to 
the  sides.  Check your rearview  mirrors and your 
instruments frequently. 
If  you  get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, 
or  parking area and take  a nap,  get some exercise, 
or 
both.  For safety, treat  drowsiness on  the highway as 
an  emergency. 
4-20  

When you decide  it’s safe  to lift the hood, here’s what 
you’ll  see: 
A. Coolant surge tank with pressure  cap 
B. Electric engine  fan 
If the coolant inside  the coolant surge tank  is  boiling, 
don’t  do anything else 
until it cools down. 
5-14  

Using Solvent-Type Cleaner on Fabric 
First,  see if you have to use  solvent-type  cleaner  at  all. 
Some 
spots and  stains will clean  off better  with  just 
water 
and mild soap. 
If you need to LIS~ a solvent: 
0 Gently  scrape  excess  soil  from  the  trim  material  with 
a clean, dull knife  or scraper.  Use  very little  cleaner, 
light  pressure 
and clean  cloths  (preferably 
cheesecloth).  Cleaning  should  start 
at the  outside of 
the stain, "feathering"  toward the center.  Keep 
changing 
to a clean  section of the  cloth. 
0 When you clean a stain  from  fabric,  immediately  dry 
the  area 
with a blow  dryer to help  prevent a cleaning 
ring.  (See the previous 
NOTICE.) 
Special Cleaning Problems 
Greasy or Oily  Stains 
Stains  caused  by grease,  oil,  butter,  margarine,  shoe 
polish,  coffee 
with cream,  chewing ~LIIII, cometic 
creams.  vegetable 
oils, wax  crayon,  tar  and  asphalt  can 
be  removed 
as follows: 
0 Carefully  scrape off excess  stain. 
Follow the  solvent-type  instructions described earlier. 
0 Shoe  polish,  wax crayon,  tar and  asphalt  will stain if 
left on a vehicle  seat  fabric.  They  should  be removed 
as soon as possible.  Be careful.  because  the  cleaner 
will dissolve  them and may  cause  them to spread. 
Non-Greasy  Stains 
Stains  caused  by catsup,  coffee  (black),  egg, fruit, fruit 
juice,  milk,  soft drinks,  wine. vomit.  urine and blood  can 
be  removed 
as follows: 
Caref~111y  scrape off excess  stain,  then sponge  the 
soiled  area 
with cool  water. 
If a  stain  remains, follow the foam-type  instructions 
described  earlier. 
If an odor lingers after cleaning  vomit or urine, treat  the 
area 
with a waterhaking soda sol~~tion: 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 
of baking  soda  to 1 CLIP (250 1111) of lukewarm water. 
If needed,  clean  lightly with solvel~t-type  cleaner. 
6-43  

Cleaning  the  Outside of Your 
Oldsmobile 
The  paint  finish  on your vehicle provides  beauty, depth 
of  color, gloss retention  and durability. 
Washing Your Vehicle 
The  best  way  to  preserve  your  vehicle’s finish is to  keep 
it  clean  by washing it  often with lukewarm  or cold 
water. 
Don’t  wash your vehicle in  the  direct rays of the  sun. 
Don’t  use strong  soaps or chemical detergents. Use 
liquid hand, dish  or  car washing  (mild detergent) soaps. 
Don’t use cleaning agents that are petroleum based,  or 
that  contain  acid or abrasives.  All cleaning agents 
should be  flushed promptly  and 
not allowed to dry on 
the  surface,  or they could  stain. Dry the finish  with 
a 
soft,  clean  chamois  or a 100% cotton towel to avoid 
surface  scratches and water spotting. 
High pressure vehicle washes may  cause water to  enter 
your vehicle. 
Finish  Care 
Occasional waxing  or mild  polishing  of your 
Oldsmobile 
by hand  may be necessary to remove 
residue  from  the  paint finish.  You can get 
GM approved 
cleaning products  from your retailer.  (See “Appearance 
Care  and Materials” 
in the Index.) 
Your  Oldsmobile 
has a “basecoatlclearcoat” paint  finish. 
The  clearcoat gives more depth  and  gloss  to the colored 
basecoat. Always  use waxes  and polishes that are 
non-abrasive  and made  for 
a basecoatklearcoat paint 
finish. 
I NOTICE: 
Machine  compounding  or  aggressive  polishing  on 
a  basecoat/clearcoat  paint  finish may  dull  the 
finish 
or leave  swirl  marks. 
Foreign materials such as calcium chloride and other  salts,  ice melting agents, road oil and  tar, tree  sap,  bird 
droppings,  chemicals  from industrial chimneys,  etc. can 
damage  your vehicle’s  finish if they  remain  on painted 
surfaces.  Wash the vehicle  as 
soon as possible. If 
necessary, 
use non-abrasive  cleaners  that are marked 
safe 
for painted surfaces to remove  foreign matter. 
6-46  

Maintenance  Schedule I 
30,000 Miles (50 000 km) 
0 Change engine oil  and filter (or  every 
3 months, whichever occurs  first). 
An Emission  Control Service. 
and transaxle  shift linkage  (or  every 
6 months,  whichever  occurs first). 
0 Inspect engine accessory drive belt  (or 
every 
24 months,  whichever  occurs first). 
An Emission  Control Service 
0 Drain, flush and refill cooling  system (or 
every 
24 months,  whichever  occurs  first). 
See “Engine Coolant”  in  the  Index for what 
to  use.  Inspect hoses.  Clean  radiator, 
condenser,  pressure cap  and  neck. Pressure 
test the cooling system  and pressure cap. 
An Emission  Control Sewice. 
0 Replace spark plugs (except 2.3L Code D 
engine). An Emission  Control Sewice. 
17 Lubricate  the suspension, steering linkage 
0 Inspect  spark  plug  wires  (except 2.3L  Code 
D engine). An Emission  Control Sewice. 
0 Replace  air cleaner  filter. Replace filter 
more  often  under  dusty  conditions. 
An Emission  Control Service. 
0 Inspect fuel  tank, cap and  lines  for damage 
or  leaks. Inspect 
fuel cap  gasket  for any 
damage. Replace parts as  needed. 
An Emission  Control  Service.? 
0 Rotate tires. See  “Tire Inspection  and 
Rotation’’  in  the Index  for proper  rotation 
pattern  and  additional information. 
DATE 
SERVICED BY: ACTUAL  MILEAGE 
L- - 
7-11