1998 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA engine

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
0 Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill). engine
oil. axle lubricant, belt, cooling system
and brake adjustment. Each
of these is covered in this
manual, and‘the Index will help you
find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight
,
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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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5-2
5-3
5-8
5-13
Hazard Wwning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5-22 If a Tire
Goes Flat
5-22 Changing a Flat Tire
5-3 1 Compact Spare Tire (If Equipped)
5-32 If You're Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
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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 procedure. Put an automatic transmission vehicle
in
PARK (P) and a manual transmission vehicle in
NEUTRAL (N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter, or accessory power outlets,
if you have this
option. Turn
off all lamps that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid sparks and help to save
both batteries. In addition,
it could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repair wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
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.
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4. Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
/A CAUTION:
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 Delco Freedom@ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler 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.
5. 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 basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to an unpainted
metal engine part or
a body metal surface. Don’t
connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other
parts too. And don’t connect the negative
(-) to
negative
(-).
6. Connect the red positive
(+) cable to the positive
(+) terminal of the
vehicle with the
dead battery.
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7. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect it
to the positive
(+)
terminal of the
good battery.
8. 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.
9. 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.
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10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and rLm
the engine for
a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it
won’t start after a few tries, make sure all
connections are good.
If it still won‘t start, it
probably needs service.
I A CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can in,jure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
12. 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
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle's instrument panel. See "Gages" in the Index.
1 [f Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it
cools down. Wait until
there is no sign
of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire.
You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is
cool.
I NOTICE: I
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered
by your warranty.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam,
the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign
of steam, push the accelerator until
the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal idle
speed. Bring the engine speed back to normal idle speed
after two or three minutes. Now see if the warning stops.
But then, if you still have the warning, turn oflthe
engine
and get evrryone out of the vehicle until it
cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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