1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE tow

Towing From the Rear
A totting dolly must be used under the front wheels
when towing from the rem
Tow Limits -- 55 mph (80 kndh), 500 miles (800 knz)
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper system will be damaged. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping may be required for car-carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment.
To help avoid damage, install a towing dolly
and raise the vehicle until adequate clearance
is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
5-11
ProCarManuals.com

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Oldsmobile’s instrument panel. See “Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage”
in the Index. You also have a low
coolant level light on your instrument panel. See “Low
Coolant Light” in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should a low coolant condition exist, an overheat
protection mode which alternates firing groups of three
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice
a significant loss in power and engine
performance. The low coolant light may come on and
the temperature gage will indicate an overheat condition
exists. This emergency operating mode
allows your
vehicle to be driven to
a safe place in an emergency.
Towing
a trailer in the overheat protection mode should
be avoided.
I NOTICE:
After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil
will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant loss and change the oil. See
“Engine Oil, When to Change” in the Index.
5-12
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” in the Index.
I
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get
a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign
of steam,
try this for
a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window
as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) or
THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If
the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn ofthe engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” listed previously
in
this section.
You may decide not to
lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-14
ProCarManuals.com

If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have
a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off
the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use
in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop -- well off the road if possible.
If
a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Air Inflator (Option)
Your vehicle may have an air inflator used to bring tires
up
to the proper pressure. See “Air Inflator” in the Index
for more details.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing
a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. lhrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side
of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
5-22
ProCarManuals.com

Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or
a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need
to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
A CAUTION: I
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing
a serious accident.
8. Install spare tire and replace the wheel nuts with
the rounded end
of the nuts toward the wheel.
Tighten each
nut by hand until the wheel is held
against the hub.
5-29
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to brake pulsation and rotor damage.
To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specification.
11. Don’t try to put
a wheel cover on the compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. Store
the wheel cover securely in
the rear of the vehicle until you have the flat tire
repaired or replaced.
1 NOTICE:
Wheel covers won’t fit on your compact spare. If
you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
Storing a jack, a tire or other equlpment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In
a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store
all these
in the proper place.
Lay the tire near the rear of the vehicle with the valve
stem down. Slide the cable retainer through the center
of the wheel and start to raise the tire. When the tire is
almost in
the stored position, turn the tire so the valve is
towards the rear of the vehicle. This will help when you
check and maintain tire pressure
in the spare.
Keep raising the wheel
until you hear the hoist
mechanism click twice. This means the wheel is
firmly stored against the underside of the vehicle. Push
against the wheel to be sure it does
not move and is
stored securely.
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle as well as the tires.
If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has traction control, you should turn your traction
control system off. (See “Traction Control System”
in
the Index.) Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE
(R) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transaxle
is in gear. If that doesn’t get you out
after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you
do need to be towed out, see “Towing
Your Vehicle” in
the Index.
5-34
ProCarManuals.com

Checking Engine Oil
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push
it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
When to Add Oil
If the oil is at or below the ADD mark, then you’ll need
to add some oil. But you must use the right kind. This
part explains what kind
of oil to use. For crankcase
capacity, see “Capacities and Specifications” in
the Index.
I NOTICE:
Don’t add too much oil. If your engine has so
much oil that the oil level gets above the
cross-hatched area that shows the proper
operating range, your engine could be damaged.
6-11
ProCarManuals.com