1998 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

Speedometer Odometer and Trip Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour
(M).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has been
driven in either miles (used in the United States) or
kilometers (used in Canada).
Your trip odometer tells you how
far you have driven
since you last reset it. Press the trip button located next
to the trip odometer below the fuel gage.
Your vehicle has a tamper resistant odometer.
If you see
silver lines between the numbers, you’ll know someone
has probably tampered with it and the numbers may not
be true.
You may wonder what happens
if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If the new one can be set to the
mileage total of the old odometer, then it must be. But
if
it can’t, then it’s set at zero and a label must be put on
the driver’s door to show the old mileage reading when
the new odometer was installed.
2-63

Tachometer
RPM X 1000
The tachometer displays the
engine speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
If
your engine speed equals or exceeds the safe limit for
operation, the message
HOT ... REDUCE ENGINE RPM
is displayed on the information center.
I NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in
the red area, or when the message
HOT. ..REDUCE ENGINE RPM is displayed.
Engine damage may occur.
Warning Lights, Gages
and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be
on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you
will see in the details
on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just to let
you know they’re working. If you
are familiar with this section, you should not be
alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to
let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
2-64
- -

When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one
of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a driver information system
that works along with the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System” in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay
on
for about 70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor
the light will come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows 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 modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag”
in the Index.
AIR BAG
This light will come on
when you start your engine,
and it will flash 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 ignition 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.
2-65
- ..

Battery Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you start the
vehicle, as a check to show
VOLTS
you it is working, then it
should go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
A warning chime and the message CHECK CHARGE
SYSTEM may also come on. 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 climate control.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one
part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
This light should come on
when you turn the ignition
BRAKE (o>
key to-START. If it doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem. FLUID
If this warning light stays on after you start the engine,
there could be a brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.

If the light and chime come on while you are driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light
is on. Driving with the
i brake warning light on can lead to an accident.
If the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have the vehicle
towed for service.
Parking Brake Indicator Light
When the ignition is on,
PARK
this light will come on when
you set your parking brake.
The light will stay
on if
your parking brake doesn’t
release fully.
If you try to drive off with the parking brake set,
a chime will also come on until you release the
parking brake.
This light should also come on when you turn the
ignition key to
START. If it doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed
so it will be ready to remind you if the parking
brake hasn’t released fully.

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) will
come on when you start
on for several seconds.
LOCK ANT’ - (@)
your engine and may stay
I I That’s normal.
Traction Control System Warning Light
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to
OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle needs
service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
brakes. If the regular brake system warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System
Warning Light” earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition 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. If
the warning light doesn’t corne on then, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem. If it
stays
on, or comes on when you’re driving, there may be
a problem with your traction control system and your
vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is
on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
2-68

The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
a
a
e
If you turn the system off by pressing the
TRACTION CONTROL button located on the
center console, the warning light will come on
and stay
on. To turn the system back on, press the
button again. The warning light should go off.
(See “Traction Control System” in the Index for
more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn
off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control system will turn
off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Traction Control System Active Light
When your traction control
system is limiting wheel
TRACTION I spin, this light will come on.
ACTIVE
Slippery road conditions may exist if the traction
control system active light comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
traction control system stops limiting wheel spin.
2-69
.-

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red warning zone,
your engine is hot.
To prevent engine overheating, the
air conditioning compressor will turn
off automatically,
a fast-pulsed chime will sound, and the message
ENGINE
HOT ... A/C OW will appear in the information
center.
As the engine cools down, the air conditioning
compressor will automatically turn back on. If
the coolant temperature is over
261 OF (127 “C),
the message HOT. ..STOP ENGINE will appear. It
means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
The section “Problems on the Road,”
in this manual
explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
If your coolant level
is low, the message LOW ENGINE
COOLANT will appear on the Driver Information
Center. Check your coolant level
as soon as possible.
See “Engine Coolant” in the Index.
2-70