1995 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE brakes

Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want
to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle
you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer
to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back
up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
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Making Turns
1 NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could cause the trailer to come in contact with the vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in
advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a different turn signal flasher (included in the
optional trailering package). The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a
turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop. When
towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not.
It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have
to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxie overheating.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than
1,000 pounds (454 kg), and you have an automatic
transaxle with OVERDRIVE
(GO), you may prefer to
drive
in THIRD (D) instead of OVERDRIVE (0)
(or, as you need to, a lower gear). This will minimize
heat build-up and extend the life of your transaxle.
-
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could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to
do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer whe
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load. els.
Parking on Hills
You really should
not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on
a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
0 Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is cl
ear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine
oil, belts, cooling system, and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that
all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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NOTICE:
0
0
0
0
When using concentrated washer fluid,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
adding water.
Don’t mix water with ready-to-use washer
fluid. Water can cause the solution to freeze
and damage your washer fluid tank and other parts of the washer system. Also,
water doesn’t clean as well as washer fluid.
Fill your washer fluid tank only
3/4 full
when it’s
very cold. This allows for
expansion, which could damage the tank if
it is completely full.
Don’t use radiator antifreeze in your
windshield washer. It
can damage your
washer system and paint.
Brakes
Brake Master Cylinder
Your brake master cylinder is here. It is filled with
DOT-3 brake fluid.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
your master cylinder might go down.
The first is that the
brake
fluid goes down to an acceptable level during
nortnal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is that
fluid is leaking out
of the brake system. If it is, YOU
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should have your brake system fixed, since a leak means
that sooner or later your brakes won’t work well, or
won’t work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’
your brake fluid. Adding brake fluid won’t correct a
leak. If you add fluid when your linings are worn, then
you’ll have too much fluid when you get new brake
linings. You should add (or remove) brake fluid, as
necessary, only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See “Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
~~
~~~ ~~~ ~
What to Add
The brake fluid reservoir is located to the left of the
windshield washer fluid reservoir, at the back of the
engine compartment.
When you
do need brake fluid, use only DOT-3 brake
fluid
-- such as Delco Supreme 11 @ (GM Part
No. 1052535). Use new brake fluid from a sealed
container only, and always clean the brake fluid
reservoir cap before removin,g it.
-
NOTICE:
0 Don’t let someone put in the wrong kind of
fluid. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such
as engine oil, in
your brake system can damage brake
system parts
so badly that they’ll have to be
replaced.
0 Brake fluid can damage paint, so be careful
not to spill brake fluid on your vehicle.
If
you do, wash it off immediately. See
“Appearance Care” in the Index.
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Brake Wear
Your Oldsmobile has front disc brakes and rear drum
brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make
a high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come
and go or be heard
all the time your vehicle is moving
(except when you are pushing on the brake pedal
firmly).
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied.
This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Your rear drum brakes don’t have wear indicators, but
if
you ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected. Also, the rear brake drums
should be removed and inspected each time the tires are
removed for rotation or changing. When you have the
front brakes replaced, have the rear brakes inspected,
too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel.
This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you apply the brakes moderately, with or
without the vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
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Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex. Its
many parts have to
be of top quality and work well
together
if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have top-quality
GM brake
parts
in them, as your Oldsmobile does when it is new.
When you replace parts of your braking system
-’- for
example, when your brake linings wear down and you
have to have new ones put
in -- be sure you get new
genuine
GM replacement parts. If you don‘t, your
brakes may no longer work properly. For example.
if
someone puts in brake linings that are wrong for your
vehicle, the balance between your front and rear brakes
can change
-- for the worse. The braking performance
you’ve
come to expect can change in many other ways if
someone puts in the wrong replacement brake parts.
Battery
Every new Oldsmobile has a Delco Freedom@ battery.
You never have to add water to one of these. When
it’s time
for a new battery, we recommend a Delco
Freedom@ battery. Get one that has
the replacement
number shown on the original battery’s label. The
battery is located in the front, driver’s side corner
of the
engine compartment, just below
the windshield washer
fluid reservoir.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, take off the black, negative (-) cable from the
battery. This will help keep your battery from running
down.
Contact your retailer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Jump Starting
For jump starting instructions, see “Jump Starting” in
the Index.
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3. With the engine off, turn the key to the RUN position,
but don’t start the engine. Without applying
the regular
brake, try to move the shift lever out of PARK (P) with
normal effort. If the shift lever moves out of PARK
(P),
your vehicle’s BTSI needs service.
Steering Column Lock
While parked, and with the parking brake set, try to turn
the key to
LOCK in each shift lever position.
0 The key should turn to LOCK only when the shift
lever is in PARK (P).
0 The key should come out only in LOCK,
Parking Brake and Automatic Transaxle PARK (P)
Mechanism Check
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle facing
downhill. Keeping your foot
on the regular brake, set the
parking brake.
To check the parking brake: With the engine running
and transaxle in NEUTRAL
(N), slowly remove foot
pressure from the regular brake pedal.
Do this until
the vehicle
is held by the parking brake only.
Shift to PARK (P). Then release all brakes.
To check the PARK (P) mechanism’s holding ability:
Underbody Flushing
At least every spring, use plain water to flush any
corrosive materials from the underbody. Take care to
clean thoroughly any areas where mud and other debris
can collect.
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