
Starting Your Engine
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won’t start in any other position -- that’s a
safety feature.
To restart when you’re already moving,
use NEUTRAL
(N) only.
NOTICE:
Don’t try to shift to PARK (P) if your Oldsmobile
is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transaxle. Shift to
PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn’t start in three seconds (or starts
but then stops), push
the accelerator pedal about
one-quarter
of the way down for 12 more seconds,
or
until it starts.
2-28
ProCarManuals.com

When your DRL are on, the headlamps switch must first
be turned from the off position before
the fog lamps can
be turned on. At night, when the
DRL automatically
turns on your headlamps,
the fog lamps can be turned
on
when the headlamps switch is in any position.
Your fog lamps will go
off when you switch to highbeams.
Using your highbeams
in fog is not recommended.
Interior Lamps
Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery,
in case you accidentally leave the
interior or underhood lamps on.
If you leave any of
these lamps on while the ignition is in the LOCK or
OFF position, they will automatically turn off after
10 minutes. The lamps won’t come back on again
until you:
0 turn the ignition to the RUN or ACCESSORY
position,
turn the interior lamps dial all the way to the right,
then slightly back to
the left; or
open (or close and reopen) a door that is closed.
Note that
if your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km)
on the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
Turn the lights control, located below the headlamps
switch, all the way to the right to increase the brightness
of the instrument panel lights, and to the left to decrease
the brightness. Turn the control
all the way to the left to
turn them
off.
Interior Lamps Control
Turn the dial all the way to the right to turn on the
interior lamps,
if the interior lamps override switch is
off. Turn the dial to the left to turn the lights off.
2-61
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
When using the accessory power outlet:
0 Maximum load of any electrical equipment
should not exceed
20 amps.
Be sure to turn off any electrical equipment
when not in use. Leaving electrical
equipment on for extended periods can
drain your battery.
To replace the cover on the rear outlet,
line up the tabs
at the back of the cover and
put the cover in place. Push
down the tab to secure the cover.
Power Sunroof (Option)
The sunroof has a sun shade to let in light without
opening the sunroof. Slide the shade back to open.
The power sunroof button
is on the fir right of the
overhead console switchbank. The sunroof has two
positions,
vent and full open. Press the
symbol on the
bottom
of the rocker switch
to open the sunroof
to the
vent position. To close the
sunroof from
the vent
position, press the ribbed
top part
of the button.
To
fully open the sunroof,
first open
it to the vent
position
as described above.
Press the symbol on the bottom of the button again and the
sunroof will slide all the way back.
To close the sunroof
from the
fully open position, press the ribbed top part of
the button and hold it down until the sunroof is closed.
If the sunshade is not already opened, it will open when
the sunroof
is opened to vent or full open.
I NOTICE:
The optional sunroof panel is not designed to be
removed. It is made to open and close but to
remain attached to the vehicle.
2-85
ProCarManuals.com

Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows a deployed air bag. The system
checks the air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. The
system check includes
the air bag sensors, the air bag
module, the wiring and the diagnostic module. For
more information on the air bag system, see “Air Bag”
in the Index.
This light will come on
when you start your engine,
and it will tlash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should
go out. This means
the system
is ready.
If
the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes
on when you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away. The air
bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the 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.
Charging System Indicator Light
1+1
The charging system light
will come on when you turn
on the ignition as a check to
show you it is working. It
will remain on as long as
the engine is
not running.
It should go out once the engine is running. If it stays
on, or comes on while you are driving, you may have a
problem with the charging system. It could indicate that
you have problems with a generator drive belt, or
another electrical problem. 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 air conditioner.
ProCarManuals.com

SCAN: Press and hold SEEK until the radio goes into
SCAN mode. SCAN allows you to listen to stations
for a few seconds. The receiver will continue to scan
and momentarily stop at each station
until you press
SEEK again.
P.SET PROG: The front passengers must be listening to
something different for each of these functions to work:
Press this button to seek through your preset radio
stations set
on your primary radio pushbuttons.
When a cassette tape is playing, press this button to
go to the other side
of the tape.
TAPE CD: With a cassette tape in the player and the
radio playing, press this button to play a cassette tape.
Press TAPE CD to switch between the tape
and compact
disc if both are loaded. Press
AM-FM to return to the
radio when a cassette tape or compact disc
is playing.
The inactive tape or
CD will remain safely inside the
radio for future listening.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK" is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable
all radio
functions whenever battery power
is removed.
The THEFTLOCK feature for the radio may be used or
ignored. If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by
the feature. If THEFTLOCK is
activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code
before it will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow, explain how to enter your
secret code to activate the THEFTLOCK system. It is
recommended that you read through all nine steps
before starting
the procedure.
NOTE: If you allow more than
15 seconds to elapse
between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time and
you must start the procedure over at Step 4.
1. Write down any three or four-digit number from
000 to 1999 and keep it in a safe place separate
from the vehicle.
2. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
3-24
ProCarManuals.com

Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
SEC shows on the display.
4. Press MN and 000 will appear on the display.
5. Press MN again to make the last two digits agree
6. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with
your code.
with your code.
7. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
---, indicating that the radio is
no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect, SEC will appear on the
display. The radio will remain secured until the correct
code is entered.
When battery power
is removed and later applied to a
secured radio, the radio won’t turn on and LOC will
appear on
the display.
To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier in
this section.
Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using
the buttons on your steering wheel.
VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
3-26
ProCarManuals.com

I A CAUTION:
I
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.
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.
4-28
ProCarManuals.com

Loading Your Vehicle
XXXXXXXX PRINTEO IN U.S.A. I
‘0 GVWR MFD BVGENERALMOTORSCORP
I mi-
GAWR FRT GAWR RR
I 0 m
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE U.S. FEDERAL
MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE
OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
I m mn
I
The Certificationnire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). To find out the actual
loads on your front and rear axles, you need to go to a
weigh station and weigh your vehicle. Your retailer can
help you with this. Be sure to spread out your load
equally
on both sides of the centerline.
. . . - - - - .
-]TIRE SIZE SPEED RTG
1- RIM COLD TIRE PRESSURE]
The CertificationRire label is found on the rear edge of
the driver’s door.
The label shows the size of your original tires and the
inflation pressures needed to obtain the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle. This is called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo. Never exceed the
GVWR for your vehicle or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
Electronic Level Control (Option)
On vehicles equipped with the optional electronic level
control, the rear
of the vehicle is automatically kept
level as you load or unload your vehicle. However, you
should still
not exceed the GVWR or the GAWR.
You may hear the compressor operating when you load
or unload your vehicle, and periodically as the system
self-adjusts. This is normal.
The compressor should operate for brief periods of time.
If the sound continues for an extended period of time,
your vehicle needs service.
To keep your battery from
being drained, you may want to remove the ELC fuse in
the fuse control panel
until you can have your vehicle
serviced (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the Index.)
4-29
ProCarManuals.com