1996 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Owners Manual

Brake System Warning Light
Your Oldsmobile’s hydraulic brake system is divided
into two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part
can still work and stop you. For good braking, though,
you need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
This light should come on
briefly when you
turn the
ignition key to
RUN. If it‘
doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if
there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you’ve
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released,
it means you have a brake problem.
ProCarManuals.com

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That‘s normal.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is
too hot!
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your Oldsmobile needs service. If the regular brake
system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock
brakes and there’s a problem with your regular brakes.
See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready
to warn you if there is a problem. It
means that your engine coolant has overheated.
Tf you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,”
this manual shows you what
to do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
ProCarManuals.com

Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine
Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
Your Oldsmobile is
equipped with a computer
which monitors operation of
the fuel, ignition and
emission control systems.
This system is called OBD
I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE ENGINE
SOON light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent, which may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
I
0
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
0
vehicle. Retailer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Retailer
or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
ProCarManuals.com

If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction
by considering the following:
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled as soon as it is possible.
If
the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady’’ following.
If the light continues
to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key off, wait at least
10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On
Steady” following. If the light is still flashing follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle
to your retailer or
qualified. service center for service. Did you
just put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly installed. This
will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle
of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries
out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
ProCarManuals.com

Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently
as designed since small amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding
fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure
to install the fuel cap properly. It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands
of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run
as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this
as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine
is warmed up.)
This will be detected by
the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you use.
It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your retailer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your retailer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
ProCarManuals.com

Engine Oil Pressure Gage
OIL om
The oil pressure gage shows
the engine oil pressure in
psi (pounds per square inch)
when the engine is running.
Oil pressure may vary with engine speed, outside
temperature
and oil viscosity, but readings above the
low pressure zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused by a
dangerously low
oil level or other problems causing low
oil pressure.
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become
so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
ProCarManuals.com

Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
:::o 0.0
You may have this light on
the instrument panel.
It goes on whenever the
DRL are on, the ignition is
on, the headlamp switch is
off and the parking brake
is released.
Check Gages Light
CHECK
GAGES
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
If the light comes on and
stays on while you are
driving, check your coolant
temperature and engine oil
pressure gages
to see if they
are in the warning zones.
ProCarManuals.com

Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much
fuel you
have remaining. Here are four things that some owners
ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
0 At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but
it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
2-60
ProCarManuals.com