1997 Oldsmobile Achieva window

Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface
of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Rear Window Defogger Antenna
The rear window defogger with this option also serves
as a radio antenna. If you have this option, do not apply
aftermarket glass tinting. The metallic film in some
tinting materials will interfere with or distort the
incoming radio reception.
Be sure never
to touch the signal surface when handling
discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
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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.
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:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full?
Are all windows clean inside and outside?
Wil2er Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lumps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
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?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?

0 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that you’ve been stopped by the snow.
0 Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
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.
You can run the engine to
keep warm, but be careful.
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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
so until help comes.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
There may be times when you want to tow your
Oldsmobile behind another vehicle for use at your
destination. Be sure to use the proper towing equipment
designed for recreational towing. Follow the instructions
for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
Follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
I NOTICE: I
Do not tow your vehicle with the front wheels in
contact with the ground, or the automatic
transaxle could be damaged.

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 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.
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
DRIVE
(D) for automatic transaxles. If
you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just
to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If
the warning doesn’t come back on, you can
drive normally.
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
warning,
turn ofthe 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.

Appearance Care
Remember, cleaning products can be hazardous. Some
are toxic. Others can burst into flame if
you strike a
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
Oldsmobile, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s
warnings and instructions. And always open your doors
or windows when you’re cleaning the inside.
Never use these to clean your vehicle:
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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
Laundry Soap
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 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: 1. Always read the instructions on the cleaner label.
2. Clean up stains as soon as you can -- before they set.
3. Use a clean cloth or sponge, and change to a clean area
often. A
soft brush may be used if stains are stubborn.
4. Use solvent-type cleaners in a well-ventilated area
only. If you
use them, don’t saturate the stained area.
5. If a ring forms after spot cleaning, clean the entire
area immediately or it will set.

Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
I
PL CAUTION:
Do not bleach or dye safety belts. If you do, it
may severely weaken them. In a crash, they
might not be able to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild soap and
lukewarm water.
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Glass should be cleaned often. GM Glass Cleaner (GM
Part No. 1050427) or a liquid household glass cleaner
will remove normal tobacco smoke and dust films.
Don’t use abrasive cleaners on glass, because they may cause
scratches. Avoid placing decals on the inside rear window,
since they may have to be scraped
off later. If abrasive
cleaners are used on the inside of the rear window, an electric
defogger element may be damaged. Any temporary license
should not be attached across the defogger grid.
Cleaning the Outside of the
Windshield and Wiper Blades
If the windshield is not clear after using the windshield
washer, or if the wiper blade chatters when running, wax,
sap or other material may be on the blade or windshield.
Clean the outside of the windshield with
GM Windshield
Cleaner, Bon
A.mi@ Powder (non-scratching glass cleaning
powder), GM
Part No. 105001 1.
The windshield is clean if beads do not form when you
rinse if with water.
Grime from the windshield will stick to the wiper blades
and affect their performance. Clean the blade by wiping
vigorously with a cloth soaked in full-strength windshield
washer solvent. Then rinse the blade with water.
Check the wiper blades and clean them as necessary;
replace worn blades.
Weatherstrips
Silicone grease on weatherstrips will make them last
longer, seal better, and not stick or squeak. Apply
silicone grease with a clean cloth at least every
six months. During very cold, damp weather
more frequent application may be required.
(See
“Recommended Fluids and Lubricants’’ in the Index.)
6-f’

Headlamp Wiring
The headlamp wiring is protected by a circuit breaker in
the fuse block. An electrical overload will cause the
lamps to
go on and off, or in some cases to remain off.
If this happens, have your headlamp wiring checked
right away.
Windshield Wipers
The windshield wiper motor is protected by an internal
circuit breaker and a fuse.
If the motor overheats due to
heavy snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor
cools. If the overload
is caused by some electrical
problem and not snow, etc., be sure to get it fixed.
Power Windows and Other Power Options
Circuit breakers in the fuse panel protect the power
windows and other power accessories. When the current
load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens and closes,
protecting the circuit until the problem is fixed or
goes away.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from
short circuits by
a combination of fuses, circuit breakers
and fusible thermal links in the wiring itself. This
greatly reduces the chance
of fires caused by
electrical problems.
Look at the silver-colored band inside the fuse. If the
band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you
replace a bad fuse with
a new one of the identical size
and rating.
If you ever have a problem on the road and don’t have
a spare fuse, you can “borrow” one that has the same
amperage. Just pick a feature of your vehicle that you
can get along without
-- like the radio or cigarette
lighter
-- and use its fuse, if it is the correct amperage.
Replace
it as soon as you can.
There are two fuse blocks in your vehicle: the
instrument panel fuse block
and the engine compartment
fuse block.