1998 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

@ Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-3
5-3
5-8
5- 14
5- 17 Hazard Warning
mashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
Cooling System 5-24
5-24
5-33
5-34
If a Tire Goes Flat
Changing a Flat Tire
Compact Spare Tire
If You’re Stuck In: Sand,
Mud,
Ice or Snow
5-1

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash on and
off.
... .. ‘-... ...*....... * .... >::*.’.!:*.-....-:.:: ..*,. .... .. ..,.. .... Press down on the button - . - . - . . - . . . , - .
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The HAZARD light on the
instrument panel will also
HAZARD A I
come on.
Your hazard flashers work
I
no matter what position
your key is in, and even if
the key isn’t in.
To turn off the flashers, press the button down again.
When the flashers are on, your turn signals won’t work.
5-2

Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (1 00 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
vehicle. But please use the following steps to do
it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
burn
you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
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.
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2. 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 vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
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) before setting the parking brake.
3. 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.
4. Open the hoods and locate the other vehicle’s battery
and your vehicle’s remote positive (+)jump starting
terminal in the box on the passenger side
of the
engine compartment. (Your vehicle’s battery isn’t
under the hood.)
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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

5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery
or remote terminal. You should always
use the remote positive
(+) terminal instead of the
positive
(+) terminal on your battery.
To open the remote positive (+) terminal box, pull
the tab and open the cover.
r
6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some things
you should know. Positive
(+) will go to positive (+)
and negative (-) will go to a metal engine part. Don’t
connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other
parts too.
Using
a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You don’t need
to add water to the ACDelco Freedom@ battery
installed
in every new GM vehicle. But if a battery
has fder caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is
there.
If it is low, add water to take care of that first. If
you don’t, explosive gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
A CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
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7. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the remote
positive
(+) terminal of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
8. Don’t let the other end touch metal. Connect it to the
positive
(+) terminal of the good battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
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9. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end touch anything until the
next step. The other end
of the negative
(-) cable
doesn’t go to the dead
battery. It goes to a heavy
unpainted metal part on
the engine of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
10. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine parts that
move.
The electrical connection is just as good
there, but the chance
of sparks getting back to the
battery
is much less.
11. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
12. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.

13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine
Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a retailer or a professional towing service
tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance’’ in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero-skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before
you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
with
sling-type equipment.
0 The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can still move the shift lever.
0 If there was an accident, what was damaged.
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