1998 Oldsmobile Aurora light

e You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn of special problems. Examples are long
grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks
area or winding roads.
Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter
dri .vlng:
e Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or
a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.

Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Loading Your Vehicle
Fhl OCCUPANTS
VEHICLE CAP. WT.
7
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
FRT. CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT
XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE
SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSliKPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PSIj28KPa
SEE OWNER’S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label,
found on the rear edge
of the driver’s door, tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressure
for the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.

Making Turns
I NOTICE: 1
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider
turns than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t
strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other
objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal
well in advance.
Tbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind
you are seeing your signal when they
are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle may have bulb warning messages. When
you plug a trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s
lighting system, its bulb warning messages may not let
you know if one
of your lamps goes out. So, when you
have a trailer lighting system plugged in, be sure to
check your vehicle and trailer lamps from time to time
to be sure they’re all working. Once you disconnect the
trailer lamps, the bulb warning messages again can tell
you if one of your vehicle lamps is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start
to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
4-36

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 - . - . - . . - . . . , - .
1
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

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.)
I
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.
5-5

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking”
can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire
or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible.
Don’t
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
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 fiont wheels.
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
I
I

NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your retailer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type, it may not fit properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light
and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged. See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
FYng a Portable Fuel Container
I-
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor. You can
be badly burned and your vehicle damaged if
this
occurs. To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
CAUTION: (Continued)
I
!
Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
inside of the fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.
Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under the Hood
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
6-8