1996 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Owners Manual

Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
The engine coolant heater
cord is secured on the
driver’s side of the vehicle,
by the brake controller.
In very cold weather,
0°F (- 18OC) 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 AC outlet.
~ Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
~ could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
1 kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
~ a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
~ cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet.
If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. 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 outside temperature, 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.
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Automatic Transmission Operation
P
R
N
@I
3
2
1
There are several
different positions
for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position
to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
In CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range
before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has a
brake-transmission shift interlock. You have to fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK (P) when
the ignition key is in the RUN position.
If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever -- press the button on the shift lever and
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 the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
I NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transmission.
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 transmission, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only.
I
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine
is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out
of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE:
~~~
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@): This position is for
normal driving. If
you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), 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.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@) should not be used
when towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, driving
on
steep hills or for off-road driving. Select THIRD (3) when
operating the vehicle under any
of these conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however it offers more power but lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
((LO). You
should use THIRD
(3) when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills or winding roads or
for off-road driving.
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.
You can also use SECOND (2) for starting your vehicle
from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (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) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission won’t shift into
FIRST (1) until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
I NOTICE:
If your rear 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 transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the transmission. Use
your brakes or shift into PARK
(P) to hold your
vehicle in position on
a hill.
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Locking Rear Axle
Your rear axle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like
a standard axle
most
of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no
traction and the other does, the locking feature will
allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive
Your engine’s driving power is sent to all four wheels
for extra traction. All-wheel drive
is like four-wheel
drive, but there is no lever or switch
to engage or
disengage the front axle. It is
fully automatic and adjusts
itself
as needed for road conditions.
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.
It is located on the
bottom driver’s side of the
instrument panel.
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 you must park 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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It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You
or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing
a Trailer’’ in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
0 Hold in the button on the lever.
0 Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
remove the key and leave your vehicle, your vehicle
is
in PARK (P).
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Q
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
T“-lgi-- - Yunning
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure to firmly set your parking brake and
shift into PARK (P) before you leave
it. After you’ve
moved the shift lever into the PARK (P) position, hold
the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling
it toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t
fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK
(P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before
you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
When
you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another
vehicle push yours a
little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the transmission,
so you can pull the shift
lever out of PARK
(P).
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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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