1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE steering

Tilt Steering Wheel
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. Move the steering
wheel to a comfortable
level, then release the lever
to
lock the wheel in place.
Turn SignaUMultifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator,
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer,
0 Windshield Wiper and Washer Control and
0 Cruise Control (Option).
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Your instrument panel is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You’ll know how fast
you’re going, how much
fuel you’re using, and many other things you’ll need to drive safely and economically.
Refer to the accompanying diagram of your instrument panel
to locate the components listed below.
A. Side Vents
B. Front Vent
C. Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
D. Hazard Warning Flashers Switch
E. Instrument Cluster
E Center Vents
G. Audio System
H. Side Vents
I. Lamps Switch
J. Hood Release
K. Steering Wheel Touch Controls (Option)
L. Horn
M. Ignition Switch
N. Steering Wheel Touch Controls (Option)
0. Climate Controls
P. Rear Fan Controls
Q. Accessory Power Outlet
R. Storage Bin
S. Remote CD Player (Option)
T. Instrument Panel Switchbank
U. LightedAshtray
V. Glove Box
W. Front Vents
X. Fuse Panel
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Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Syster1.-
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your Oldsmobile.
Be sure
to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
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3-4
3-4
3-5
3-8
3-8
3-9
3-9
3-15 Comfort Controls
Air Conditioning
Heating Ventilation System and Tips
Rear Climate Control
Tips for Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Setting the Clock
Radios
Rear Seat Audio
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3-26
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3-28
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3-30
3-30 Remote Compact
Disc Player
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Adding Sound Equipment to Your Vehicle
Care
of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Antenna
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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.
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Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve also
included many other useful tips on driving.
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4-7
4-9 4- 10
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4-13
4- 13
4- 15 Defensive Driving
Driving
Drunk
Having Control of Your Vehicle
Your Braking System Information
Anti-Lock Brake Information
Traction Control System
Braking in Emergencies
Steering Tips
Off-Road Recovery
Passing Other Vehicles
Loosing Control
of Your Vehicle 4-
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Night Driving
Driving
in Rain and on Wet Roads
City Driving
Freeway Driving
Tips Before Leaving on
a Long Trip
Avoiding Highway Hypnosis
Winter Driving
If You’re Caught in
a Blizzard
Loading Your Vehicle
Electronic Level Control
Helpful Hints for Towing
a Trailer
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All
three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph ( 100 kmh) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight
of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s
a
problem with your traction
control system.
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.)
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C
C
C
L
To turn the system off, press
the
TCS symbol on the
bottom of the button in the
center console switchbank.
The indictor light on the
traction control button will
go off.
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 svstem warning
light should go
off.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
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Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against
the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels.
If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle
on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get
in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you’re steering
through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much of those places.
You can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to
go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based
on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to
go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do
it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate
until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
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