1995 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

Driving Through Deep Standing Water Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine's air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can't avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
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 electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt outlet.
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I NOTICE: I
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 your Oldsmobile retailer in the
area where you’ll be parking your vehicle. The retailer can \
give you the best advice for
that particular area.
Shifting the Automatic Transaxle
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
R NOD21 1
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PARK (P): This position locks your front wheels. It’s
the best position to
use when you start your engine
because your vehicle can’t move easily.
Ensure the shift lever
is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your Oldsmobile has brake-transaxle shift
interlock
(BTSI). You must fully apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition key is
in the RUN position.
As you step on the brake pedal,
while in PARK (P),
you may hear a click from the solenoid
of the
BTSI. This ensures that the BTSI is operating
properly.
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 lever into the gear you wish. See
“Shifting Out of PARK
(P)” in this part.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
I NOTICE: I
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle. Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
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NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL
(N) when your vehicle is being towed.
1 NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle causedby shifting out
of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
Forward Gears
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0): If your automatic
transaxle has AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a), this
position
is for normal driving. If you need more power
for passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 kmh), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator
all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
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If your automatic transaxle has OVERDRIVE (@),
NOTICE: THIRD (D) is like OVERDRIVE (D), but you never go
into Overdrive. Here are some times you might choose
This NOTICE applies only if you have the 3800 THIRD (D) instead of OVERDRIVE (@):
V6 engine and the automatic overdrive transaxle.
If your vehicle is so equipped, and if it seems to 0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
start up rather slowly, or if it seems not to shift
far that way, your vehicle can be damaged. So, if
When going down a steep hill. with a transaxle system sensor. If you drive very
between gears. gears as you go faster, something may be wrong
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
this happens, have your vehicle serviced right SECOND GEAR (2): This position
gives you
away. Until then, you can use SECOND (2) when more power, but lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as you are driving less than 35 mph (56 km/h) and you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would
OVERDRIVE (0) for higher speeds. also want to use your brakes off and on.
THIRD GEAR (D): If your automatic transaxle does
not have
OVERDRIVE (@), this position is for normal
driving, at all speeds, in most street and highway
situations. NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 5 miles
(8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h), or
you can damage your transaxle. Use THIRD (D)
(OVERDRIVE (a) or THIRD (D) if your vehicle
has OVERDRIVE
(a)) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than 65 mph
(105 km/h), or you can
damage your engine.
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FIRST GEAR (1): This position gives you even more
power,
but lower fuel economy, than SECOND (2). You
can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST
(1), the transaxle
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
_-
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud
or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle.
Use your brakes or shift into PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. If the ignition is on, the
brake system warning light will come on. See “Brake
System Warning Light” in the Index.
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To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot while you push down
on the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
(To
release the tension on the parking brake cable, you will
need to apply about the same amount of pressure to the
parking brake pedal as you did when you set the parking
brake.) When
you remove your foot from the parking
brake pedal, it will pop up
to the release position.
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.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake with
your left foot.
what to do first to keep the trailer
from moving.
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2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position like
this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
0 Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to the LOCK position.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from your vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, your vehicle is
in PARK (P).
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