1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Owner's Manuals

When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires have
only 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need a new tire if any
of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
Buying New Tires
-To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle.
If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tiies with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial)
as your original tires.
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Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial .and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly,'and you could have
a crash.
Using tires of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on all wheels.
It's all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for use
on your vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United',States.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls
of most passenger
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Traction --,A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B,
and C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled conditions
’
on specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based
on braking (straightahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature -- A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.
The grade
C corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades
B and A represent higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the rriinimum required by law.
. representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of Warning:
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall Performance.
In most cases, you will not.need to have your wheels
aligned again. However, if you notice unusual tire wear
or your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the
alignment may need to be reset.
If you notice your
vehicle vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.
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Whmd :Reglacanent
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the wheel,
wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced. If the
wheel leaks air, replace it (except some aluminum
wheels, which can sometimes be repaired). See your
Oldsmobile retailer if any of these conditions exist.
Your retailer will know the kind
of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted the same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new
GM original
equipment
parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts for your
Oldsmobile model.
L
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be dangerous.
It could affect the brakin.g and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air and make you
lose control.
You could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured. Always use
the correct wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for replacement.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems with
bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper
height, vehicle ground clearance and tire or tire
chain clearance to the body and chassis.
See “Changing a Flat Tire” in the Index for more
information.
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..
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous.
You can’t know how it’s been used or
how many miles
it’s .been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause an accident. If you have to
replace
a wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
NOTICE:
If yodr Oldsmobile has P215/60R16 or
‘P225/60R16 size tires, don’t use tire chains.
They can damage yqur vehicle.
If you have ‘other tires, use tire chains only where
legal and only when you must. Use only
SAE
Class “S” type chains that are the proper size for
.your tires. ‘Install them
on the front tires and
tighten them
as tightly as possible with the ends
securely fastened. Drive slowly and follow the
chain manufacturer’s instructions.
If you can
hear the chains contacting your vehicle, stop
and retighten them.
If the contact continues,
slow down until it stops. Driving too. fast or
spinning the wheels .with chains
on will damage
your vehicle.

Appearance Care
Remember, cleaning products can be hazardous. Some
are toxic. Others can burst into flame
if you strike a
I ’ match or get them on a hot part of the vehicle. Some are
dangerous if you breathe their fumes in a closed space.
When you use anything from a container to clean your
1 Oldsmobile, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s
1 warnings and instructions. And always open your doors
or .windows when you’re cleaning the inside.
Never use these to clean your vehicle:
Gasoline
Benzene
Naphtha Carbon Tetrachloride
Acetone
Paint Thinner
Turpentine
Lacquer Thinner
Nail Polish Remover
They can all be-hazardous
-- some more than
others
-- and they can all damage your vehicle, too. Don’t use any of these unless this manual says you can.
In many uses, these will damage your vehicle:
0 Alcohol
0 Laundry Soap
0 Bleach
0 Reducing Agents
Cleaning the Inside of Your Oldsmobile
Use a vacuum cleaner often to
get rid of dust and loose
dirt. Wipe vinyl or leather with.a.clean, damp cloth.
Your Oldsmobile retailer has two
GM cleaners: a
solvent-type spot .lifter and a foam-type powdered
cleaner. They will clean normal spots and stains very
well.
Do not use them on vinyl or leather.
Here are some cleaning tips:
0 Always read the instructions on the cleaner label.
0 Clean up stains as soon as you can -- before they set.
0 Use a clean cloth or sponge, and change to a clean area
0 Use solvent-type cleaners in a well-ventilated area
0 If a ring forms after spot cleaning, clean the entire
often.
A soft brush may be used if stains are stubborn.
only. If you use them, don’t saturate the stained area.
area immediately or it will set.
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Using Foam-Type Cleaner on Fabric
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Vacuum
and brush the area to remove any
loose dirt.
Always clean a whole trim panel or section. Mask
surrounding trim along stitch or welt lines.
Mix Multi-Purpose Powdered Cleaner following
the directionson the container label.
Use suds only and apply with a clean sponge.
Don’t saturate the material.
Don’t rub it roughly.
As soon as you’ve cleaned the section, use a sponge
to remove the suds.
Rinse the section with a clean, wet sponge.
Wipe
off what’s left with a slightly damp paper
towel or cloth.
Then dry it immediately with a blow dryer.
Wipe with a clean cloth.
I
Using Solvent-Qpe Cleaner on Fabric
First, see if you have to use solvent-type cleaner at all.
Some spots and stains will clean
off better with just
water‘ and mild soap.
lr you need to use a solvent:
0
0
Gently scrape excess soil from the trim material with
a clean, dull knife or scraper. Use very little cleaner,
light pressure and clean cloths (preferably
cheesecloth). Cleaning should start at the outside of
the stain, “feathering” toward the center. Keep
changing to a clean section
of the cloth.
When you clean a stain
from fabric, immediately dry the
area with a blow dryer to help prevent a cleaning ring.
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Special Cleaning Problems
Greasy or Oily Stains
Stains caused by grease, oil, butter, margarine, shoe
polish, coffee with cream, chewing gum, cosmetic creams, vegetable oils, wax crayon, tar and asphalt can
be removed as follows:
1. Carefully scrape off excess stain.
2. Follow the solvent-type instructions described earlier.
3. Shoe polish, wax crayon, tar and asphalt will stain if
left on a vehicle’s seat fabric. They should be removed as soon as possible. Be careful, because the cleaner
will dissolve them and may cause them to spread.
Non-Greasy Stains
Stains caused by catsup, coffee (black), egg, hit, fruit
juice,
milk, soft drinks, wine, vomit, .urine and blood can
be removed as follows:
1. Carefully scrape off excess stain, then sponge the
soiled area with cool water.
2. If a stain remains, follow the foam-type instructions
described earlier.
3. If an odor lingers after cleaning vomit or urine,
treat the area with a waterhaking soda solution:
1 teaspoon (5 ml) of baking soda to 1 cup (250 ml)
of lukewarm water.
4. If needed, clean lightly with solvent-type cleaner.
Combination Stains
Stainscaused by candy, ice cream, mayonnaise, chili
sauce and unknown stains can be removed as follows:
Carefully scrape off excess stain, then clean with
If a stain remains, clean it with solvent-type cleaner.
cool water and allow
to
dry.
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