Page 68 of 340

New Vehicle 4LBreak-In” Parking at Night 
Park  in  a lighted spot, close all windows  and lock  your 
vehicle.  Remember  to keep your valuables  out 
of sight. 
Put  them 
in a storage area,  or take them with  you. 
, Parking Lots 
If you park in  a  lot where someone will  be watching 
your vehicle,  it’s best  to  lock  it  up  and take  your  keys. 
But what 
if you have  to  leave your ignition  key?  What  if 
you have  to  leave something  valuable in your vehicle? 
0 Put your valuables in  a  storage area, like your  trunk 
or  glove  box. 
0 Lock  the glove box. 
0 Lock all the doors except  the driver’s. 
0 Then  take  the  door key with you. 
NOTICE: 
Your  modern  Oldsmobile  doesn’t  need  an 
elaborate  “break-in.”  But 
it will perform  better 
in  the  long  run 
if you follow  these  guidelines: 
0 Don’t  drive at any  one  speed -- fast or 
slow 
-- for  the  first 500 miles (804 km). 
Don’t  make  full-throttle  starts. 
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time 
your  new brake  linings  aren’t  yet  broken 
in.  Hard  stops  with  new linings 
can mean 
premature  wear  and  earlier  replacement. 
Follow  this  “breaking-in”  guideline  every 
time  you  get new  brake linings. 
0 Don’t tow a trailer  during  “break-in.”  See 
(‘Towing 
a Trailer’’  in  the  Index  for  more 
information. 
0 Avoid  making  hard  stops  for  the  first 
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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a): If your automarlc 
transaxle  has 
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE, this position 
is for normal  driving. If you  need  more power  for 
passing,  and  you’re: 
Going  less  than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your 
accelerator  pedal about  halfway  down. 
Going  about 35 mph (55 km/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  an 
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 SECOND 
(2) when  you  are 
driving  less than 
35 mph (55 kmk) and 
OWRDRIVE 
(0) for  higher  speeds. 
DRIVE (D) or  THIRD (3): 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 (@), 
THIRD (3) is like  OVERDRIVE (@), but you never  go 
into  OVERDRIVE 
(@). 
Here  are some times you  might  choose  THIRD (3) 
instead of OVERDRIVE (a): 
When driving  on  hilly,  winding roads. 
When towing  a  trailer, so there is less shifting 
between  gears. 
When  going  down  a  steep hill. 
SECOND (2): This position gives you more  power but 
lower 
fuel economy. You can  use  SECOND (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. 
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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. 
To release the parking 
brake 
hold  the regular 
brake pedal down. Pull 
the 
BRAKE 
RELEASE lever. 
I 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 a hill see 
“Towing  a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows 
what  to  do  first  to  keep the trailer 
from moving. 
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        Page 85 of 340

Shifting  Out  of  PARK (P) 
(Automatic  Transaxle) 
Your Oldsmobile  has a brake-transaxle  shift  interlock. 
You have to apply your  regular  brakes before you can 
shift  from  PARK (P) when the ignition is  in the 
RUN 
position.  See “Automatic  Transaxle” in the  Index. 
If you  cannot  shift  out of PARK (P), ease  pressure  on 
the  shift  lever 
-- push  the shift  lever  all  the  way into 
PARK  (P) 
-- as you  maintain  brake  application.  Then 
move  the shift  into  the gear  you wish.  (Press  the  shift 
lever  button  before  moving  the shift  lever.) 
3. Shift  to NEUTRAL (N). 
4. Start  the vehicle  and  then shift  to  the  drive  gear  you 
want. 
5. Have  the vehicle  fixed as soon  as you  can. 
Parking  Your Vehicle (Manual  Transaxle) 
Before you get  out of your  vehicle,  put  your manual 
transaxle  in REVERSE  (R)  and firmly  apply the parking 
brake. 
If  your  vehicle  is equipped  to tow  a trailer, 
see “Towing 
a  Trailer”  in  the  Index. 
If  you  ever hold the  brake  pedal  down but still can’t 
shift  out  of  PARK  (P), try this: 
1. Turn the key  to OFF, not LOCK. 
2. Apply  and hold the  regular  brake until the  end  of 
step 
4. 
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        Page 87 of 340
Running  Your  Engine  While  You’re 
Parked 
(Automatic Transaxle) 
It’s  better  not to park with  the  engine  running.  But if you 
ever  have  to, here  are  some  things  to  know. 
Follow  the proper steps to be  sure 
your vehicle won’t 
move.  See “Shifting  Into 
PARK (P)” in the Index. 
If you  are parking  on a hill and if you’re  pulling a 
trailer,  also  see  “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. 
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If  you put things  inside your vehicle -- like suitcases, 
tools, packages, 
or anything  else -- they  will go as fast 
as the vehicle  goes. 
If you have to stop  or turn quickly, 
or if there is  a  crash,  they’ll keep  going. 
Towing a  Trailer 
NOTICE: 
Pulling  a trailer  improperly  can  damage  your 
vehicle  and  result  in  costly  repairs  not  covered  by 
your  warranty. 
To pull  a trailer  correctly,  follow 
the  advice  in  this  part,  and  see  your  Oldsmobile 
retailer 
for important  information  about  towing 
a  trailer  with  your  vehicle. 
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Do not tow a trailer  if your vehicle is  equipped with the 
2.3L Quad 4 DOHC  engines  (Code D). 
Your vehicle can  tow a trailer  if it  is  equipped with the 
3.1L V6 (Code M) and proper trailer towing  equipment. 
To identify what 
the vehicle trailering capacity is  for 
your vehicle,  you should  read the information in 
“Weight  of  the Trailer” that  appears later in this  section. 
But  trailering is different than  just driving  your  vehicle 
by  itself.  Trailering means  changes in handling, 
durability, and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering 
takes  correct  equipment, and  it has  to  be  used properly. 
That’s the reason  for  this  part. 
In it  are many 
time-tested,  important trailering  tips and safety rules. 
Many  of these  are  important  for  your safety and that  of 
your passengers. 
So please read  this section carefully 
before  you  pull  a trailer. 
Load-pulling  components  such as the  engine,  transaxle, 
wheel assemblies,  and tires are forced  to work harder 
against  the  drag  of the  added  weight.  The  engine  is 
required  to  operate  at relatively higher  speeds and under 
greater loads, generating  extra  heat. What’s more,  the 
trailer  adds considerably  to wind resistance, increasing 
the pulling requirements. 
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer 
If you  do, here are  some important points. 
0 There  are  many different  laws, including speed  limit 
restrictions, having 
to do  with  trailering.  Make  sure 
your rig will be  legal, not only where  you live but 
also  where  you’ll be driving. 
A good source  for this 
information can  be  state or provincial police. 
0 Consider using  a sway  control. 
You  can ask 
a hitch  dealer  about sway controls. 
0 
0 
0 
Don’t tow  a trailer  at all  during  the first 1000 miles 
(1 600 km) your new vehicle  is  driven. Your engine, 
axle  or other  parts could  be damaged. 
Then,  during  the first 
500 miles (800 km) that  you 
tow  a trailer, don’t  drive  over 
50 mph (80 km/h) and 
don’t  make  starts  at  full  throttle. This helps your 
engine  and other  parts 
of your vehicle wear  in at  the 
heavier  loads. 
Obey speed limit restrictions  when towing  a trailer. 
Don’t  drive faster than the maximum posted speed 
for  trailers  (or no more than 
55 mph (90 km/h)) to 
save  wear on your vehicle’s parts. 
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Three  important  considerations have to do  with weight: 
Weight of the  Trailer 
How  heavy  can  a  trailer  safely be? 
It  should never weigh  more than 
1,000 pounds  (450  kg). 
But even that  can  be  too heavy. 
It  depends 
on how you plan  to use  your  rig. For 
example,  speed,  altitude,  road grades,  outside 
temperature  and how much  your  vehicle 
is used to pull  a 
trailer  are all important.  And,  it can also  depend  on  any 
special  equipment  that 
you have on your  vehicle. 
You  can ask your retailer  for our trailering  information 
or  advice,  or you  can  write  us at: 
Oldsmobile  Customer  Assistance  Center 
P.O. Box  30095 
Lansing,  MI  48909 
In  Canada,  write to: 
General  Motors 
of Canada  Limited 
Customer  Assistance  Center  1908  Colonel  Sam  Drive,  Oshawa 
Ontario 
L 1 H 8P7. 
Weight of the  Trailer  Tongue 
The  tongue  load (A) of any trailer is an  important 
weight  to measure  because  it  affects the total capacity 
weight 
of your vehicle.  The capacity  weight  includes  the 
curb  weight 
of the vehicle,  any  cargo you may  carry  in 
it,  and 
the people  who  will be riding in the vehicle.  And 
if 
you will tow  a trailer,  you must subtract the tongue 
load  from  your vehicle’s  capacity weight because your 
vehicle  will be  carrying  that weight,  too. See “Loading 
Your  Vehicle”  in the  Index  for more information  about 
your vehicle’s maximum  load capacity. 
A B 
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