
Passenger  Temperature Knob 
The knob  on the 
passenger's  door adjusts 
the  air temperature 
on 
the passenger's  side so 
it is  warmer  or colder 
than  the temperature  set. 
by  the  driver. 
Push the  PASS button  on the  system  face 
so the light 
on  it is lit.  Turn the knob  on the door  toward  red 
(clockwise) to raise the temperature.  Turn it toward  blue 
(counterclockwise) to lower the temperature. 
Mode  Buttons 
The  center  panel  has  several  settings  to  control  the  direction \
of  airflow  when  the  system  is  not  in  AUTO.  The  indicator 
light  on  the  button  will  glow  when  the  button  is  pressed. 
RECIRC: This setting can recirculate  either the air 
inside  of your  vehicle  or outside air  and  send  it  through 
the  instrument panel outlets. Press  this button once  and 
it will recirculate outside  air.  Press it again  and  it will 
recirculate  the air inside 
of your  vehicle. This setting  is 
available  in  LOWER,  DEFOG,  UPPER  and  BI-LEV. 
UPPER: This setting brings  in outside  air and  directs it 
through  the instrument panel outlets. 
BI-LEV: This setting  brings in the outside air  and 
directs it  two  ways.  Half  of  the air is directed  through 
the  instrument  panel outlets.  Most of the remaining  air is 
directed  through the floor  ducts  and 
a little to the defrost 
and  side  window  vents. 
LOWER: This setting sends  most of the air through  the 
ducts  near  the floor.  The rest comes out  of the defrost 
and  side  window  vents. 
DEFOG: This setting  allows  half  of  the air to  go  to  the 
floor  ducts  and  half  to  the  defrost  and  side  window  vents. 
DEF: This setting directs  most of the air through  the 
defrost  and side  window  vents.  Some of the air goes  to 
the floor ducts.  The air conditioning  compressor  will  run 
automatically  in this setting  unless the outside 
temperature is  below 40°F (4.5"C). 
Automatic Control 
For  the  most  efficient  operation,  you  should  press  the knob 
and  set  the  system  temperature.  The  system  will  select  the 
best  fan  speed  and  airflow  settings  to  keep  you  comfortable. 
The 
air conditioning  compressor  will  run if the  outside 
temperature  is  above  40°F 
(4.5 "C). You  may  notice  a delay 
of  three  to  four  minutes  before  the  fan  comes  on. 
3-5  

Manual Control 
If  you  prefer  to  manually  control  the  heating,  cooling and  ventilation  in  your  vehicle,  set  the  system  to  the 
temperature  and  fan  speed  you  want.  Next,  push  the 
desired  airflow  direction  pushbutton.  The system  will 
try to  maintain  the  temperature  you set using  the  mode 
you  select.  The following  suggestions  will  help  the 
system  run  more  efficiently  in  manual  mode. 
Air  Conditioning 
On  very  hot  days,  open  the  windows  long  enough  to 
let  hot,  inside  air escape.  This reduces  the  time  the 
compressor  has  to  run,  which  should  help  fuel economy. 
For  quick  cool-down  on very  hot.  days,  use  RECIRC. 
If  this  setting  is used  for long  periods  of  time,  the air 
in 
your  vehicle  may  become  too  dry. 
For  normal  cooling  on hot days,  use  UPPER  with  the 
A/C button  pushed  in.  The system  will  bring  in  outside 
air  and  cool 
it. 
Heating 
On  cold  days,  use  LOWER.  The system  will  bring in 
outside  air,  heat it and  send  it to  the  floor  ducts. 
If  your  vehicle  has  an  engine  coolant  heater,  you  can use 
it to  help  your  system  provide  warm  air faster  when  it’s 
cold  outside 
(0°F (-18°C)  or lower).  An  engine  coolant 
heater  warms  the  coolant  your  engine and  heating 
system  use  to provide  heat.  See “Engine  Coolant 
Heater”  in  the  Index. 
Ventilation 
For  mild  outside  temperatures  when  little  heating  or 
cooling  is needed,  use  UPPER  to direct  outside  air 
through  your  vehicle.  Your vehicle  also  has  the 
. 
flow-through  ventilation  system,  described  later  in 
this  section. 
Defogging  and  Defrosting 
Your  system  has  two  settings  for  clearing  the  front  and 
side  windows. 
To defrost  the  windows  quickly,  use  DEF. 
To warm  passengers  while  keeping  the  windows  clean, 
use  DEFOG. 
On 
cool  but sunny  days,  the  sun  may  warm  your  upper 
body,  but your  lower  body  may  not  be warm  enough. 
You  can  use 
BI-LEV with  the A/C  button  pushed  in. 
I The system  will  bring  in  outside  air and  direct  it to  your 
upper  body,  while  sending  slightly  warmed  air 
to your 
3-6  

Ventilation  System Ventilation Tips 
Adjust the direction  of airflow  by moving  the 
louvered vents. 0 
Your  vehicle’s  flow-through ventilation  system supplies 
outside air  into the vehicle  when it is  moving. Outside 
air  will  also enter  the vehicle  when the air conditioning 
0 
fan  is running. 
0 
Keep  the  hood  and  front air inlet  free of ice,  snow  or 
any  other obstruction,  such 
as leaves. The heater  and 
defroster  will  work  far better,  reducing the chance 
of 
fogging  the inside  of your  windows. 
When  you  enter a vehicle  in  cold  weather,  set the 
mode  to 
FLOOR or  LOWER  and  the  fan  to  the 
highest  speed for a few  moments  before driving 
off. 
This helps clear the intake  ducts of snow  and 
moisture and reduces the chance  of fogging the 
inside  of your  windows. 
Keep  the  air path  under  the  front seats clear  of 
objects. This helps air to circulate  throughout 
your  vehicle. 
.. 
3-7  

Rear Window Defogger Do not  'attach  anything like a  temporary  vehicle  license 
or decal  across  the  defogger  grid. 
The  rear  window  defogger  uses  a  warming  grid to 
remove  fog  from  the  rear window.  Press  the  button  to 
turn  the  defogger  on. It will  turn  itself  off  after  about 
10 minutes.  If  you  turn  it on  again,  the  defogger  will 
only  run  for about  five minutes  before  turning  off.  You 
can also  turn it 
off by  turning off the  ignition  or  pressing 
the  button  again. 
I NOTICE: 
r 
Don't  use  a  razor  blade  or  anything  else  sharp  on 
the  inside 
of the  rear  window. If you  do,  you 
could  cut  or  damage  the  warming  grid,  and  the 
3-8  

Just before  you  leave  the  lane, glance  quickly  over  your 
shoulder  to make  sure  there  isn’t  another  vehicle  in  your 
“blind”  spot. 
Once  you  are moving  on  the  freeway,  make  certain  you 
allow  a  reasonable  following  distance. Expect  to  move 
slightly  slower  at  night. 
When  you  want  to leave  the  freeway,  move  to the  proper 
lane  well  in  advance. 
If you  miss  your  exit,  do not, 
under  any  circumstances,  stop  and  back  up.  Drive  on  to 
the  next  exit. 
The exit  ramp can be  curved,  sometimes  quite sharply. 
The exit  speed is usually  posted. 
Reduce  your  speed  according  to your  speedometer,  not 
to  your  sense  of motion.  After  driving  for any  distance 
at  higher  speeds,  you  may  tend  to  think  you 
are going 
slower  than  you  actually  are. 
I ! 
Before  Leaving  on  a  Long Trip 
Make sure  you’re  ready. Try to be  well  rested.  If  you 
must  start when  you’re  not  fresh 
-- such  as after a  day’s 
work 
-- don’t  plan  to make  too  many miles that first  part 
of  the  journey.  Wear  comfortable  clothing  and  shoes  you 
can  easily  drive  in.  Is 
your  vehicle  ready  for a  long  trip?  If  you  keep  it 
serviced  and  maintained,  it’s  ready  to 
go. If it needs 
service,  have  it done  before  starting  out. Of course, 
you’ll  find  experienced  and  able  service  experts  in  Oldsmobile  retail facilities  all  across  North  America. 
They’ll  be ready  and  willing  to help  if  you  need  it. 
Here  are some  things  you  can  check  before 
a trip: 
0 Windshield  Washer Fluid: Is the  reservoir  full? Are 
all  windows  clean  inside and  outside? 
Wiper Blades: Are  they  in good  shape? 
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have  you  checked 
all levels? 
0 Lamps: Are they  all  working?  Are  the  lenses  clean? 
0 Tires: They are vitally  important  to a  safe, 
trouble-free  trip. 
Is the  tread  good  enough  for 
long-distance  driving? 
Are the  tires  all inflated  to the 
recommended  pressure? 
along  your  route?  Should  you  delay  your  trip a  short 
time  to avoid  a  major  storm  system? 
0 Weather  Forecasts: What’s  the  weather  outlook 
Maps: Do you  have  up-to-date  maps? 
4-20  

Snow can trap  exhaust  gases  under your vehicle. 
This  can cause  deadly  CO (carbon  monoxide) 
gas 
to get  inside.  CO could  overcome  you  and kill 
you.  You  can’t  see it  or smell  it, 
so you  might  not 
know  it is  in  your  vehicle.  Clear away  snow  from 
around  the base  of your  vehicle,  especially  any 
that 
is blocking  your exhaust  pipe.  And  check 
around  again  from  time 
to time to be  sure  snow 
doesn’t  collect  there. 
Open  a  window  just 
a little on the  side of the 
vehicle  that’s  away 
from the  wind.  This  will  help 
keep  CO out. 
Run  your  engine  only  as long  as you must.  This  saves 
fuel.  When  you  run  the  engine,  make  it go a little  faster 
than  just idle.  That  is,  push  the  accelerator  slightly.  This 
uses  less fuel for  the  heat  that  you  get  and  it keeps  the 
battery  charged.  You will  need  a  well-charged  battery  to 
restart  the  vehicle,  and  possibly  for signaling  later on 
with  your  headlamps.  Let  the  heater  run  for awhile. 
Then,  shut  the  engine 
off and  close  the  window  almost 
all  the  way  to  preserve  the  heat.  Start the  engine  again 
and  repeat  this only  when  you  feel really  uncomfortable 
from  the  cold. But do it  as  little  as possible.  Preserve  the 
fuel 
as long  as  you  can. To help  keep  warm,  you  can  get 
out  of  the  vehicle  and  do some  fairly  vigorous  exercises 
every  half  hour  or 
s_o until  help  comes. 
-  

If No Steam,Is Coming From Your Engine If  you  no  longer  have  the  overheat  warning,  you  can 
If  you  get  the  overheat  waning but 
see or hear  no 
the  engine  can  get  a  little  too  hot  when  you:  drive. Just 
to be  safe,  drive  slower  for  about 10 minutes. 
If  the  warning  doesn’t  come  back  on,  you  can 
~ steam,  the  problem  may  not  be too serious.  Sometimes  drive  normally. 
I Y Y 
’ Climb a long hill on a hot  day. 
Stop  after  high-speed  driving. 
Idle for long  periods  in traffic. 
Tow  a  trailer. 
If  you  get  the  overheat  warning  with  no sign  of steam, 
try  this  for  a  minute  or 
so: ,. 
1. Turn off your air conditioner.  If 
the  warning  continues,  pull  over,  stop,  and  park  your 
vehicle  right  away. 
If  there’s  still  no  sign 
of steam,  you  can  idle  the  engine 
for  two  or  three  minutes  while  you’re  parked,  to see  if 
the  warning  stops.  But  then,  if  you  still  have  the 
1 
warning, turn off the  engine and get everyone out of the 
vehicle 
until  it  cools  down. 
You  may  decide  not  to lift the  hood  but  to  get  service 
help  right  away. 
2. Turn  on  your  heater  to full  hot at the  highest  fan 
speed  and  open  the  window 
as necessary. 
3. If you’re  in a  traffic  jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N); 
otherwise,  shift  to the highest  gear  while 
driving 
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@) 
or  THIRD (3). 
5-14  

4. If the  bubble isn't on 
0 (zero),  turn  the 
vertical  aiming  screw 
to  adjust  the  aim. 
Center  High-Mounted  Stoplamp 
(2-Door Models) 
1. Remove  two  screws  and  the  cover. 
2.  Unclip  the  bulb  carrier  and  pull  it out. 
0 To remove  the  stoplamp  lens  to  clean  the 
window,  remove  the  two  nuts  on  either  side 
of 
the  housing.