1996 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to
the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Tbms
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a different turn signal flasher (included in the
optional trailering package).
The arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes or
stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument
panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind you
are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are
still working.
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Driving On Grades Parking on Hills
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have
to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On
a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around 45 mph
(70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than
1,000 lbs. (454 kg), and you have an automatic transaxle
with AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@), you may prefer
to drive in THIRD (D) instead of AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE
(@) (or, as you need to, a lower gear).
This will minimize heat build-up and extend the life
of
your transaxle.
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached,
on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do
it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important
in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belts, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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NOTES
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Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that
can occur
on the road.
Hazard Warning Flashers
-
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your
front and rear turn signal
lamps will flash on and off.
Your hazard warning flashers switch is on the steering
column, below the ignition switch. Press the button in
to
turn on your flashers.
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Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key
is in, and even if the key isn’t in.
To turn off the flashers, pull out on the collar.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn
signals won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
Oldsmobile. But please use the following steps listed to
do
it safely.
On vehicles equipped with the optional power sliding
door, a low voltage battery or replacing
a battery may
cause the system to become inoperative. See “Power
Sliding Door’’ in the Index for more information.
I NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Trying to start your Oldsmobile
by
pushing or pulling it won’t work, and it could
damage your vehicle.
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Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:
I 2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Oldsmobile, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to burn you. NOTICE:
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you. You could be injured if the vehicles roll. Set the
parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put an
automatic transaxle in PARK
(P) or a manual ?
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with
a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
I
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
I
I transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
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3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlet. Turn
off all
lamps that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries.
In
addition, it could save your radio!
I NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
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5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
Your Oldsmobile has
a remote positive (+)jump
starting terminal. The terminal is
in the red box
on the same side
of the engine compartment as
your battery. You should always use the remote
positive
(+) terminal instead of the positive (+)
terminal on your battery.
To open the remote positive
(+) terminal box, pull
the tab and open the cover.
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