1998 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA brakes

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can‘t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
as well in a quick
stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control
of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen
if the road is wet enough and you’re
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often.
But it can if your
tires
do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low.
It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.
If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles
or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning
LISLI~~Y happens at higher speeds. There
just
isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when
it is raining.
L qoing fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
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Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
If
you drive regularly in steep country, or if you're
planning to visit there, here are some tips that
can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable. (See "Off-Road
Driving" in the Index
for information about driving
off-road.)
0
0
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and
also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transmission. These
parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
Know how to
go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let
your engine do some of the
slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when
you go
down a steep or long hill.
If you don't shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn't work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going
down
a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on
a steep I
1 downhill slope.
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Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down
a hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to
a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your
engine and transmission, and you can climb the
hill better.
0 Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center
of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something
in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
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.
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What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because
it may offer the
least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing
(32°F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there. Whatever
the condition
-- smooth ice, packed
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
Accelerate gently. Try
not to break the fragile
If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels wil
polish the surface under the tires even more.
, blowing
traction.
.I spin and
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when
you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have an anti-lock braking system, you‘ll
want to begin stopping sooner- than
you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock“
in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps
of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve
or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear.
If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are
on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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Payload
The payload capacity is shown on the CertificaticdTire
labe!. This
is the maximum load capacity that your
vehicle can carry. Be sure
to include the weight of the
occupants
as part of your load. If you added any
accessories or equipment after your vehicle left the
factory, remember to subtract the weight
of these things
from the payload. Your retailer can help you with this.
Add-on Equipment
When you carry removable items, you may need to put a
limit on how many people you carry inside your vehicle.
Be sure to weigh your vehicle before you
buy and install
the new equipment.
NOTICE:
Your warranty doesn’t cover parts or
components that fail because of overloading.
I
Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull a
trailer.
For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
Pull
a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps
in this section. Ask your retailer for advice
and information about towing a trailer with
your vehicle.
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Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if it becomes separated from
the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow
the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg)
loaded, then it needs its own brakes
-- and they must
be adequate. Be sure to read and follow the instructions
for the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, ad-just
and maintain them properly. Your
trailer‘s brake system can tap
into the vehicle’s
hydraulic brake system only
if:
The trailer parts can withstand 3,000 psi
(20 650 kPa) of pressure.
The trailer’s brake system will use less than
0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicle‘s
master cylinder. Otherwise, both braking systems
won’t work well. You could even lose your brakes.
If everything checks out this far, then make the brake
fluid tap at
the port on the master cylinder that sends
fluid to the rear brakes. But don’t use copper tubing for
this. If
you do, it will bend and finally break off. Use
steel brake tubing.
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Driving with a Trailer
If you have a rear-most window open and you
pull
a trailer with your vehicle, carbon monoxide
(CO) could come into your vehicle. You can’t see
or smell CO. It can cause unconsciousness or
death. (See “Engine Exhaust”
in the Index.) To
maximize your safety when towing a trailer:
Have your exhaust system inspected for leaks,
and make necessary repairs before
starting on your trip.
Keep the rear-most windows closed.
0 If exhaust does come into your vehicle
through
a window in the rear or another
opening, drive with your front, main
heating or cooling system on and with the
fan on any speed. This will bring fresh,
outside air into your vehicle.
Do not use
MAX A/C because it only recirculates the
air inside your vehicle. (See “Comfort
Controls” in the Index.) Towing
a trailer requires a certain amount
of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel
of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep
in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now
a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working.
This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your
trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure,
and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
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When towing a trailer, the 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.
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.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
You should use THIRD
(3) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in THIRD
(3) when towing a
trailer will minimize heat buildup and extend the life
of
your transmission.
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.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet. Then turn your wheels into the
curb
if facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
5. Release the regular brakes.
brake and shift into
PARK
(P).
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