1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Owner's Manuals

To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
/1 CAUTION.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
codd cause an electrical shock
Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts.
E you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends
on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your retailer
in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The retailer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
2-17

Automatic ’hansaxle Operation
k Tour automatic transaxle has a shift lever located on the
console between the seats.
PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the e&&e
is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re
on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. I€
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
2-18

Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Oldsmobile has a
Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock (BTSI). You have to
apply your regular brake before you can shift from
PARK
(P) when the ignition key is in the RUN position.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the
shift lever -- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P)
-- as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you wish. (Press the
shift lever button before moving the shift lever.) See
“Shifting Out of PARK
(P)” later in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle,
see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine
doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use
NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racings’ (running
at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal; your vehicle cdd move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out
of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
NOTICE: I
Do not shift out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
with the engine racing. Your transaxle can be
damaged
by doing this and will not be covered by
your warranty. Shift your transaxle according to
the instructions in this manual.
2-19

~ ~~~~~~
~~ ~~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~ ~ ~ AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):This position is for
normal driving.
If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down. You’ll shift down to
the next gear and have more power.
NOTICE:
If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly, or
if it seems not to shift gears as you go faster,
something may be wrong with
a transaxle system
sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use SECOND
(2) when you are driving less
than
35 mph (56 kmh) and AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE
(D) for higher speeds.
~ .~ ~~
~~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D). Here
are some times you might choose THIRD
(3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND
(2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND
(2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you
go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes
off and on.
between gears.
2-20

NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for m,ore than
25 miles (41 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) ‘or
THIRD (3) as much as possible. Don’t shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going slower than
65 mph (105 kmk) or you can damage
your engine.
SECOND (2) will select either first or second gear
depending on vehicle speed. If your vehicle is slowing,
the transaxle will downshift to first gear at
20 to
25 miles per hour (32 to 40 km/h) for engine braking.
You may notice some variation in shift speed in
SECOND
(2) when accelerating or braking.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy)
than SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the selector lever is put in FIRST (1)’ the transaxle
won’t
shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If’ your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand
or mud or were up against a solid
object. You can damage your transaxle.
Also,
if‘ you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into PARK
(P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.

Second-Gear Start
Your vehicle is equipped with a second-gear start
feature. Place the shift lever in SECOND
(2) gear to
provide more traction when you are starting on ice or
other slippery surfaces. The transaxle will be in
SECOND
(2) gear when the vehicle begins to move.
After starting in SECOND
(2) gear, place the shift lever
in THIRD
(3) or DRIVE (a).
This feature is for improved traction only when the road
surface is slippery
and is not intended for continuous use
or when the vehicle is stuck
in sand, mud, ice, snow
or gravel.
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on,
the brake system warning
light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot. Push down on the
parking brake pedal with your left foot.
If the parking
brake is not released when you begin to drive, a chime
will sound warning you that the parking brake is still on.

NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
“Towing a Trailer”
in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer
fkom moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
L
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2-23

Leaving Your Vehicle With the
.;Engine Running
I
~ , . .. . - ~~~ ~ ,.-‘.“~‘,’7 ,2-- .v7.! jT.-<--. , . ~ , -
2. Move the shift lever into PARM (P) lilce this:
. . Hold jn the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
your vehicle.
3. move the ignition key to OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the key in-your hand, your
veKcle
is in PARK (P).
It cm be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle
with the engine running, it could,
overheat and even catch fire. You
or others could
be.injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine
running unless you have to.
I
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into
PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the
shift lever away from
PARK (P) without first pushing
the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t fully
locked into
PARK (p).