1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE jump cable

Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
Oldsmobile. But please use the following steps listed to
do it safely.
On vehicles equipped with the optional power sliding
door, a low voltage battery or replacing a battery may
cause the system to become inoperative. See “Power
Sliding Door’’
in the Index for more information.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:
0 They contain acid that can burn you.
0 They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
0 They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
1 NOTICE:
r
~~
Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn’t be
covered
by your warranty.
Trying to start your Oldsmobile by pushing
or pulling it won’t work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
5-3
ProCarManuals.com

1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with
a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
Get the vehicles close enough
so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your Oldsmobile, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
NOTICE:
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put an
automatic transaxle in PARK
(P).
2. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet. Turn
off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
NOTICE:
~~ -
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
3. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools
away from any underhood
electric fan.
5-4
ProCarManuals.com

Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase
in pedal
travel. This could be
a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex.
Its many parts have
to be of top quality and work well
together if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have top-quality
GM brake
parts in them, as your Oldsmobile does
when it is new.
When you replace parts of your braking system
-- for
example, when your brake linings wear down and you
have to have new ones put
in -- be sure you get new
genuine
GM replacement parts. If you don’t, your
brakes may no longer work properly. For example, if
someone puts
in brake linings that are wrong for your
vehicle, the balance between your front and rear brakes
can change
-- for the worse. The braking performance
you’ve come
to expect can change in many other ways if
someone puts in the wrong replacement brake parts.
Battery
Every new Oldsmobile has a Delco Freedom@ battery.
You never have to add water to one of these. When it’s
time for
a new battery, we recommend a Delco Freedom
battery. Get one that has the replacement number shown
on the original battery’s label.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or more,
take
off’ the black, negative (-) cable from the battery. This
will help keep your battery from running down.
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful.
See “Jump Starting” in the Index
for tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your retailer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature”
in the Index.
6-30
ProCarManuals.com