1997 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
A CAUTION:
-
Idling the engine with the climate control system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in
a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is
at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is
a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
‘
A CAUTION:
I
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have
to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK
(P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
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Windows
Power Windows
Switches on the driver’s armrest control each of the
windows while the ignition is on or Retained Accessory
Power is active. In addition, each passenger’s door
armrest has
a switch for its own window.
Express-Down Window
The switch for the driver’s window has an express-down
feature. Pull the switch back
for more than a half
second, release it and the window will lower
automatically.
To partially open the window, pull the
switch back and quickly release it.
To stop the window
from lowering, pull the switch again, then release.
To raise the window, hold the switch forward.
Window Lock
Press the right side of the WINDOW LOCK switch on
the driver’s armrest to disable all passenger window
switches. The driver’s window controls will still be
operable. This is a useful feature when you have
children as passengers.
Press the left side of the WINDOW
LOCK switch to
allow passengers
to use their window switches again.
Horn
Nearly the entire surface of the center pad of the
steering wheel
is an active horn switch. Press anywhere
on the pad to sound the horn.
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Tilt Wheel hrn 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 toward you. 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:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Cruise Control
0 Headlamp Highbow Ream
Parking Lamps
Flash-To-Pass Feature

Turn and Lane Change Signals
n
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a tum, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
turn is finished, the lever will return automatically. An
arrow
on the instrument
panel will
flash in the
direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return
by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay
on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid
an accident.
If the arrows don’t go on at all when you signal a turn,
check the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the
Index) and for burned-out bulbs.
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Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound. To turn off the chime,
move the turn signal lever to the off position.
Headlamps
Turn the band to this symbol to turn on:
Parking Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
Instrument Panel Lights
License Plate Lamps
-‘Q , , Turn the band to this symbol to turn on:
0 Headlamps
0 Parking Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
0 Taillamps
Instrument Panel Lights
License Plate Lamps
Turn the band to
OFF to turn off the lampsflights.
Lamps On Reminder
If the headlamp switch is left on you’ll hear a warning
chime when you turn the ignition
off, remove the key
from the ignition and open the driver’s door.

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.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you.
If your headlamps are
off, your high-beam headlamps
will turn
on. They’ll stay on as long as you hold the
lever there. Release the lever to turn them
off.
If your headlamps are on, but on low beam, the system
works normally.
Just pull the lever until it clicks. Your
headlamps will shift to high beam and stay there. To
return to low beam, just pull the lever toward you.
If your headlamps are on, and on high beam, your
headlamps will switch to low beam.
To get back to high
beam,
pull the lever toward you.
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Windshield Wipers
The lever on the right side of your steering column
controls your windshield wipers.
For a single wiping cycle, move the lever up to MIST.
Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The
wipers will stop after one cycle.
If you want more
cycles, hold the lever to
MIST longer.
For steady wiping at low speed, push the lever down to
the
LO position. For high-speed wiping, push the lever
down further, to HI. To stop the wipers, move the lever
to
OFF.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wiper cycles. This can be very useful in light
rain or snow. Push the lever down
to the first detent,
DELAY. Turn the band closer to the short lines for fewer
wiper passes per minute.
As you turn the band toward
the long lines, the wiper cycles per minute will increase.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent you
from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage,
be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before
using them.
If they’re frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them.
If your blades do become damaged,
get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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Windshield Washer
The lever on the right side of your steering column also
controls your windshield washer.
To spray washer fluid
on the windshield, pull the lever toward you. The wipers
will clear the window and then either stop or return to
your preset speed. For more washer cycles, pull and
hold the lever.
If the fluid level in the windshield washer bottle is low,
the message
LOW WASHER FLUID will appear in the
Driver Information Center. See “Windshield Washer
Fluid” in the Index.
/d CAUTldN:
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator.
This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
m
A CAUT1b.J:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
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