Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a brake-transmission shift interlock.
You have to
fully apply your regular brake before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the
RUN position. See “Automatic Transmission Operation”
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 press
the shift lever button and move the shift lever into the
gear
you want.
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.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
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 Over Things That Burn
1
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
1
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Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be
on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when
you start the
engine just
to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle. When
one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one
of the gages shows
there may be
a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about
it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re
a big help.
Your vehicle also has
a driver information system that
works along with
the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System” in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people
to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
, also come on and stay on
’ for about 20 seconds, then it
will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the tone nor the light
will come on.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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REV (4): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within
a track (song). Release it to play the passage. The
counter reading will appear on the display while using
this control.
FWD (5): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track (song). Release it to resume playing.
Watch the display to stop at a specific passage.
SCAN: Press this button to listen to each selection for
about six seconds. The disc will go to the next selection,
stop for
a few seconds, then go to the next selection.
Press RDM,
SCAN or any other motion button again to
stop scanning.
PREV Hold the backward arrow or press it more than
once to return
the disc to previous tracks.
NEXT: Press the forward arrow to hear the next track
now instead
of waiting until the current track is finished.
If you hold this button or press it more than once, the
disc will advance further.
ST-PL: Press this button to stop the disc and play the
radio. Press
it again to restart the disc at the point where
it stopped. Press
the POWER-VOL knob or turn the ignition key
off to stop the disc player. The disc stays in the player
and will resume playing at
the point where it stopped.
E JCT Press this button to eject the disc and play the
radio. The disc will
start at track one when you reinsert it.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Delco LOC II@ is a theft-deterrent feature for the
compact disc player.
It can be used or ignored. If ignored,
the system plays normally. If used, your player won’t be
usable
if it is ever stolen, because it won’t turn on.
The instructions below tell you how to enter a secret
code into the system. It
is recommended that you read
through all 11 steps before starting the procedure. If
your vehicle loses battery power for any reason, you
must unlock the system with your secret code before the
radio will turn on.
NOTE: If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between any steps,
the radio automatically reverts to
time and you must start the procedure over at Step 4.
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Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s
the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking
and driving.
In recent years, some 18,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates? nearly half the
adult population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so
they never drive after drinking. For persons under 2 1,
it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve
this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here
is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a
180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks
if each had 1 - 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going
to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your route.
You are much less likely to get bad surprises. Get
accurate maps
of trails and terrain. Try to learn of any
blocked or closed roads.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at least one other
vehicle.
If something happens to one of them, the other
can help quickly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It’s a good idea to practice in an area that’s safe and
close to home before you go
into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require some new
and different
driving skills. Here’s what we mean.
Tune your senses
to different kinds of signals. Your
eyes, for example, need
to constantly sweep the terrain
for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen for
unusual tire
or engine sounds. With your arms, hands,
feet and body, you’ll need to respond to vibrations and
vehicle bounce. Controlling your vehicle
is the key to successful
off-road driving. One of the best ways to control your
vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are some things to
keep
in mind. At higher speeds:
you approach things faster and you have less time to
scan the terrain for obstacles.
0 you have less time to react.
0 you have more vehicle bounce when you drive
over obstacles.
0 you’ll need more distance for braking, especially
since you’re on an unpaved surface.
When you’re driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could cause you to lose
control and crash.
So, whether you’re driving on
or off the road, you and your passengers should
wear safety belts.
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