1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme heater

Yneine Coolant Heater (Option)
In very cold weather,
0°F (- 18 O C) or colder,
the engine coolant heater
can help. You’ll get
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easier starting and better
fuel economy during
engine warm-up.
A CAUTION:
Plugging the
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
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.
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.
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.

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
MAX with
the temperature knob all
the way in the blue area. 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 VENT with the
temperature knob in the blue area and the A/C button
pushed in. The system will bring in outside air and
cool it.
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-LEVEL with the temperature knob set
for comfort and the A/C button pushed in. The system
will bring in outside air and direct it to your upper body,
while sending slightly warmed air
to your lower body.
You may notice this temperature difference more at
some times than others.
Heating
On cold days, use FLOOR with the temperature knob all
the way in the red area. 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 VENT 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
DEFROST with the temperature knob all the way in the
red area. To warm passengers while keeping the
windows clean, use DEFOG.
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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
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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.
..
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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.
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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).
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j If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything
else until it cools down.
.. - ”r -+
Heater and radiator hoses, and otherengine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine
if there is a leak. If you run
the engine,
it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fiie,
and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
’
I NOTICE:
The coolant level should be at or above the COLD mark
on a cold engine. The coolant level should be at or
above the HOT mark on a hot engine. If it isn’t, you
may have a leak in the radiator hoses, heater hoses,
radiator, water pump or somewhere else in the cooling system.
r
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fan(s) are running. If the engine
is overheating, both fan@) should be running; If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn’t at the COLD mark, add a
50/50 mixture of clean
water
(preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL
(orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze at the coolant
recovery
tad. (See “Engine Coolant” in the Index ’for
more information.)
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A CAUTION:
- -
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong, mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you
or
others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix of clean
water and
DEX-COOL antifreeze.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.
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