1997 Oldsmobile Aurora warning light

Battery Warning Light
U
VOLTS
This light will come on
briefly when you start the
vehicle, as a check to show
you it is working, then it
should go out. If
it stays on,
or comes on while
you are
driving, you may have a
problem with the electrical
charging system.
A warning chime and the message CHECK CHARGE
SYSTEM may also come on. Have it checked right
away. Driving while this light is on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and climate control.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Aurora’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
This light should come on
when you turn
the ignition
key to
START. If it doesn’t
come
on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
BRAKE (a) you if there’s a problem. FLUID
If this warning light stays on after you start the engine,
there could be a brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.
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If the light and chime come on while you are driving,
pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light
is still
on, have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
‘A CAUTI
I
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead to an accident.
If
the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
Parking Brake Indicator Light
PARK
When the ignition is on, this
light will come on when
you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on
if
your parking brake doesn’t
release fully.
If you try to
drive off with the parking
brake set, a chime will also
come on until you release
the parking brake.
This light should also come on when you turn the
ignition key to START.
If it doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed
so it will be ready to remind you if the parking
brake hasn’t released fully.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
LOCK
ANT‘- (e)
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds.
That’s normal.
Traction Control System Warning Light
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine. If the warning
light doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you
if there’s
a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible
and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you’re driving, your Aurora needs
service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
brakes.
If the regular brake system warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System
Warning Light” earlier
in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should
COITIC?
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
If it stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there
may be a problem with your traction control system
and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
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The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
0
0
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the
TRACTION
CONTROL button located on the
center console, the warning light will come on
and
stay on. To turn the system back on, press the button
again. The warning light should
go off. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index for
more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn
off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin
to overheat, the traction control
system will turn
off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn
off and
the warning light will come
on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period
of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Traction Control System Active Light
TRACTION
ACTIVE
When your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin, this light will come on.
Slippery road conditions
may exist
if the traction
control system active light
comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the traction
control system stops limiting wheel spin.
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Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It
will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel
to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your retailer or qualified service center check
the
vehicle. Your retailer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Pressure Warning Light
OIL
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine,
or come on when
you
are driving. A warning
chime and the message
LOW OIL PRESSURE may
also come on.
These indicate that oil
is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it cool. The engine could be low
on oil, or could have some other oil problem. Have it
fixed right away.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster
if you
do
a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
LOCK
ANT‘- (@)
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
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1
When the system is on, this
warning light will come
on
to let you know if there’s a
TRACTION
OFF
I problem with your traction
See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system
will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can
turn the
traction control system off if you ever need to. (You
should turn
the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow.
See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.) To
turn the system off, press
the TRACTION
CONTROL button
on the
center console.
The traction control system warning light will come
on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button, the warning light will come
on
-- but the system won’t turn off right away. It will
wait until there’s no longer a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should go off.
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City Driving Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are going.
Get a city map and plan your trip into an unknown
part
of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared
the intersection or may be running the
red light.
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic
on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.
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