1998 Oldsmobile Achieva spare tire

Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be 60 psi
(420 Wa).
After installing the compact spare on your vehicle,
you should stop as soon as possible and make sure
your spare tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare
is made to perform well at speeds up to 65 mph
(105
km/h) for distances up to 3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can finish your trip and have your full-size tire
repaired or replaced where you want. Of course, it’s best
to replace your spare with a full-size tire as soon as you
can. Your spare will last longer and
be in good shape in
case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts
of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
5-36

NOTICE: (Continued)
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you
can get the following:
Unusual wear
0 Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
When
to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your compact spare tire. It should be at
60 psi (420 Wa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell if your tires are properly inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back
on the valve
stems. They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt
and moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 OOO to 13 O00 km). Any time you notice unusual
wear, rotate your tires as soon as possible and check
wheel alignment.
Also check for damaged tires or wheels.
See ‘When It’s Time for New Tires” and ‘Wheel
Replacement” later in this section for more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for
all tires on the vehicle. The first
rotation is the most important. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services” in the Index for scheduled
rotation intervals.
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
6-38 -

When It’s Time for New Tires Don’t include the compact spare tire in your
tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that
all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in
the Index.
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to which
it is fastened, can make 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 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. (See
“Changing
a Flat Tire” in the Index.)
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires have
only
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need a new tire
if any of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber.
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
0 The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
6-39

Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall, When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle.
If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires
on all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for use on your vehicle.
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires with the wheels
on your vehicle.
6-40

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.) The
grades
are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver
or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and a
half
(1 1/2) times as well on the government course
as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction -- A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B,
and C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based
on braking (straight ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
ENGINE/ 1998 T ASSEMBLY
CODE MODEL YEAR PLANT
This is the legal identifier for your vehicle. It appears
on a plate in the front corner of the instrument panel, on
the driver’s side. You can see it if you look through the
windshield from outside your vehicle. The
VIN also
appears on the Vehicle Certification and Service Parts
labels and
the certificates of title and registration.
Engine Identification
The 8th character in your VIN is the engine code. This
code will help you identify your engine, specifications
and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identification Label
You’ll find this label on the bottom of your spare tire
cover. It’s very helpful
if you ever need to order parts.
On this label is:
your VIN,
0 the model designation,
0 paint information and
a list of all production options and
Be sure that this label is not removed from the vehicle.
special equipment.
Electrical System
Add-on
Electrical Equipment
I NOTICE:
Don’t add anything electrical to your vehicle
unless you check with your retailer first. Some
electrical equipment can damage your vehicle
and the damage wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Some add-on electrical equipment
can keep other components from working as
they should.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
add anything electrical
to your vehicle, see “Servicing
Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the Index.
6-52

Tires ....................................... 6-49
Vinyl
....................................... 6-46
Wheels
..................................... 6-49
Windshield and Wiper Blades
................... 6-47
Climate Control System
........................... 3-2
Clock. Setting the
................................ 3-6
Comfort Controls
................................ 3-2
Compact Disc Care
............................. 3-20
Compact Disc Player
............................ 3- 1 1
Compact Disc Player Care ........................ 3-20
Compact Spare Tire
............................. 5-36
Control of a Vehicle
.............................. 4-6
Convex Outside Mirror
.......................... 2-42
Coolant Heater. Engine
............................... 2-17
Surge Tank Pressure Cap
....................... 6-25
Cooling System
................................ 5-17
Courtesy Transportation
........................... 8-6
Cruise Control
................................. 2-33
Cruise Light
................................... 2-59
Customer Assistance Information
................... 8- 1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure .................... 8-2
SurgeTank
.................................. 5-17
Customer Assistance for
Text Telephone Users ......... 8-4
Damage. Finish
............................... 6-50
Damage. Sheet Metal
............................ 6-50
Daytime Running Lamps
......................... 2-38
DeadBattery
................................... 5-3
Defects. Reporting Safety ..................... 8.8. 8.9 Defensive Driving
............................... 4-2
Defogger. Rear Window
.......................... 3-5
Defogging
..................................... 3-4
Defrosting ..................................... 3-4
Dimensions. Vehicle
............................ 6-59
Dolby
B Noise Reduction ........................ 3-14
DoorLocks
..................................... 2-4
Driver Position
................................. 1 . 12
Driving
City
........................................ 4-20
Defensive
.................................... 4-2
Drunken
..................................... 4-3
Freeway
.................................... 4-21
InaBlizzard
................................. 4-27
In Foreign Countries
........................... 6-5
IntheRain .................................. 4-17
Night
...................................... 4-15
OnCurves
.................................. 4-10
On Grades While Towing
a Trailer ............... 4-38
On Hill and Mountain Roads
.................... 4-23
OnSnowandIce
............................. 4-26
Throughwater
............................... 4-19
WetRoads .................................. 4-17
Winter
...................................... 4-25
With a Trailer
................................ 4-37
Drunken Driving
................................ 4-3
Electrical Equipment. Adding
..... 2- 15. 2- 16. 3-19. 6-52
Electrical System
............................... 6-52
9-3

Second Gear. Automatic Transaxle ................. 2-22
Service
........................................ 6-2
Bulletins. Ordering
............................ 8- 10
Manuals. Ordering
............................ 8- 10
Parts Identification Label
....................... 6-52
Publications. Ordering
......................... 8- 10
Work. Doing Your Own
......................... 6-2
Service and Appearance Care
...................... 6-1
Service and Owner Publications
................... 8- 10
Service Publications
............................. 8- 10
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Oldsmobile
........ 1-27
Sheet Metal Damage
............................ 6-50
ShiftLever .................................... 2-18
Shifting
Automatic Transaxle
.......................... 2- 18
Into Park (P)
................................. 2-24
OutofPark
.................................. 2-26
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
..................... 1 - 15
Signaling Turns
................................ 2-30
Skidding
...................................... 4-14
Sound Equipment. Adding
........................ 3- 19
Spare Tire. Compact.
............................ 5-36
Specifications and Capacities
...................... 6-58
Specifications. Engine
........................... 6-58
Speech Impaired. Customer Assistance
............... 8-4
Speedometer
................................... 2-49
Stains. Cleaning
................................ 6-45
Starter Switch Check
............................ 7-32
Starting Your Engine .................. 2- 14.2-15. 2- 16
Steam
........................................ 5-15
Steering ...................................... 4-10
SRS ......................................... 1-21 In
Emergencies
............................... 4- 11
Power
...................................... 4-10
Tips
........................................ 4-10
Wheel. Tilt
.................................. 2-29
Storage Compartments
........................... 2-43
Storage. Vehicle
................................ 6-31
Stuck: In Sand. Mud. Ice or Snow
.................. 5-37
Sunvisors
.................................... 2-45
Sunglasses Storage .............................. 2-43
Supplemental Restraint System
.................... 1-21
Surge Tank. Coolant
............................. 5-17
Surge
Tank Pressure Cap ......................... 6-25
Symbols. Vehicle
.................................. v
Tachometer .................................. 2-50
Taillamp Bulb Replacement
....................... 6-34
TapePlayerCare
............................... 3-19
Theft
......................................... 2-11
Theft-Deterrent Feature. CD Player
................ 3-16
THEFTLOCK"
................................ 3-16
Thermostat
.................................... 6-25
Third Gear. Automatic Transaxle
................... 2-21
Tilt Steering Wheel ............................. 2-29
Time. Setting the
................................ 3-6
Tirechains
.................................... 6-43
TireLoading
................................... 4-31
Tire-Loading Information Label
.................... 4-31
Tires
......................................... 6-36
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-42
BuyingNew
................................. 6-40
Chains
..................................... 6-43
9-9