1997 Oldsmobile Achieva low beam

Tilt Wheel Turn
Signal/Multifunction Lever
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever located on the left side of the steering column.
Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level, then
release the lever to lock the wheel
in place. The lever
on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
0 Cruise Control (If Equipped)
2-35

Headlamp High/Low Beam
To change the headlamps
from low beam to high or
high to low, pull the turn
signal lever all
the way
toward
you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, a light on the instrument
panel also will be on.
The headlamp high/low beam indicator may flash if the
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) system is experiencing
a problem or if a headlamp is malfunctioning.
Windshield Wipers
'ti.
You control the windshield wipers by moving the stalk
with the
wiper symbol on it up or down.
For a single wiper cycle, push
the stalk down to MIST, then
release
it. For more cycles, hold the stalk down longer.

Automatic Light Control (ALC)
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic light sensor
on top
of the instrument panel under the defroster grill,
so be sure it is not covered which will cause the
nighttime lights to be
on continuously.
When it is dark enough outside, your ALC will turn
on
your low-beam headlamps at the normal brightness
along with other lamps such as the taillamps,
sidemarker, park lamps and instrument panel lights.
There is a 20-second delay in the transition between
daytime and nighttime operation
of the DRL and the
ALC systems.
If the light sensor senses a reduction in
lighting that lasts longer than 20 seconds,
it will activate
the nighttime lamps.
If you are driving through a
parking garage, heavy overcast weather, a tunnel or
fueling your vehicle in a low light area, the ALC will
turn on your low-beam headlamps at a normal
brightness along with the taillamps, sidemarker, park
lamps and the instrument panel lights.
The radio lights
will be dimmer.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps (If Equipped)
The button for your fog
lamps is beside the
instrument panel
intensity control.
Push
the button to turn the fog lamps on. An indicator
light on the button will glow when the fog lamps
are on.
When using fog lamps, the parking lamps or low-beam
headlamps must be on.
The fog lamps will turn
off whenever the high-beam
headlamps are turned
on. When the high beams are
turned off, the fog lamps will come on again.

Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second
or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn’t lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching headlamps. Keep
your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far
less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of it.
4-17

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.
If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles
or standing water, water can come in through
your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0
0
0 Turn on your low-beam headlamps -- not just
your parking lamps
-- to help make you more
visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have
good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
4-20

Guide en FranGais 11
GVWR ....................................... 4-33
.. .................................
Halogen Bulbs ................................ 6-35
Hazard Warning Flashers
.......................... 5-2
Head Restraints
................................. 1-5
Headlamps
.................................... 2-44
Bulb Replacement
............................ 6-35
HighLow Beam Changer
...................... 2-37
OnReminder
................................ 2-44
Wiring
..................................... 6-57
Hearing Impaired. Customer Assistance
.............. 8-4
Heating
........................................ 3-4
High-Beam Headlamps
.......................... 2-37
Highway Hypnosis
.............................. 4-24
Hill and Mountain Roads
......................... 4-24
Hitches. Trailer
................................. 4-38
Hood Checking Things Under
......................... 6-8
Release
...................................... 6-9
Horn ......................................... 2-34
Hydraulic Clutch
............................... 6-23
Hydraulic Clutch Fluid
........................... 6-23
Hydraulic Clutch System Check
................... 7-42
Hydroplaning
.................................. 4-20
If a Tire Goes Flat .............................. 5-21
Ignition Positions
............................... 2- 14
Illuminated EntryExit System
..................... 2-46
Inflation. Tire
.................................. 6-41
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
................. 2-49 Inspections
Brakesystem
................................ 7-46
Caliper/Knuckle Maintenance
................... 7-46
Exhaust Systems
............................. 7-45
Front-Wheel-Drive Axle Boot
.................. 7-45
Front-Wheel-Drive Axle Seal
................... 7-45
Radiator and Heater Hose
...................... 7-45
Steering
.................................... 7-45
Suspension
.................................. 7-45
Throttle Linkage
.............................. 7-45
Instrumentpanel
............................... 2-56
Brightness Control
............................ 2-46
Cleaning
.................................... 6-50
Cluster
..................................... 2-58
FuseBlock
.................................. 6-58
Interior Lamps
................................. 2-46
Jack. Tire
.................................... 5-24
Jump Starting
................................... 5-3
Key Lock Cylinders Service
..................... 7-42
Key Release Button
............................. 2-16
Keys
.......................................... 2-2
Labels Certification
................................. 4-33
Service Parts Identification
..................... 6-56
Tire-Loading Information
...................... 4-33
Vehicle Identification Number
................... 6-56
Lamps
........................................ 2-43
Interior
..................................... 2-46
OnReminder
................................ 2-44
Exterior
.................................... 2-43
Fog
........................................ 2-45
9-5
.