1996 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

6. Start the engine and let it run until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting hot. Watch out for the
engine fans.
7. By this time the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may be lower.
If the level is lower, add
more of the proper mix through the filler neck until
the level reaches the base of the filler neck.
8. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure
if coolant begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
arrows
on the pressure cap line up like this.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a
few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your’foot off
the accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop -- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Air Inflator (Option)
Your vehicle may have an air inflator used to bring tires
up
to the proper pressure. See “Air Inflator System” in
the Index for more details.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you
or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need is in the storage
compartment at
the rear of the vehicle, on the
passenger’s side.
T
Open the jack storage compartment by sliding the latch
down and removing the compartment cover.
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Remove the jack and jacking tools by loosening the
wing
nut and retainer bar.
Separate the plastic pouch from the jack and remove the
jacking
tools (folding wrench and shaft) from the pouch. The compact spare
tire is located under the vehicle,
behind the rear bumper. Insert the narrow end of the
shaft into the hole above the rear bumper. Then attach
the folding wrench to the shaft.
Rotate the folding wrench counterclockwise to lower the
compact spare tire until it can be pulled from under
the vehicle.
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Slide the cable retainer through the center of the spare,
then place the compact spare tire near the flat tire.
1 1
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A), folding
wrench
(B) and shaft (C).
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Spar -
1. Each wheel nut is covered with a nylon cap. Use the
folding wrench to remove the nylon caps from the
wheel nuts before you loosen
the nuts.
m
, ,- I I. , '
.
2. Loosen the wheel nuts -- but do not remove
them
-- using the folding wrench.
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I
3. Attach the folding wrench to the jack, and rotate the
wrench clockwise to raise the jack head
a few inches.
4. Near each wheel, there is a notch in the vehicle’s
frame. Position the jack and raise the jack head until
it fits firmly into
the notch in the vehicle’s frame
(nearest the flat tire).
Do not raise the vehicle yet.
Put
the compact spare tire near you.
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Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
NOTICE:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned will damage the vehicle
or may allow
the vehicle to fall
off the jack. Be sure to fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising your vehicle.
‘1
5. Raise the vehicle by rotating the folding wrench
clockwise
in the -jack. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground so there is enough room for the spare
tire to fit.
6. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
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