1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass fuel

Door Ajar Light
When the ignition is on, this
light will stay on until all
doors are closed and
completely latched.
You will hear a brief chime if a door
is unlatched after
the engine is started and the vehicle is not
in PARK (P)
or NEUTRAL (N).
Fuel Gage
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Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left, when the ignition
is on. When the indicator
nears empty, the light will come on and you will hear a
chime. You still have a little
fuel left, but you should get
more soon. Here are four things that
some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
0 It takes a little more or less fuel to
fill up than the
the gage reads full.
gage indicated.
For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more
or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or, I
The gage goes back to empty when you turn off
speed up.
the ignition.

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+’ FLOOR: In this position most of the airflow
comes through the floor outlet. The rest of the
air comes
through the windshield and side window vents. Set the
center control knob to the temperature desired.
+# DEFOG: This position divides the airflow
between the floor outlets and the windshield
defroster vent.
we
DEFROST This position directs most of the
airflow through the windshield defroster vent. Some of
the air goes to the floor outlets. The air conditioning
compressor will run automatically
in this position when
it is needed to help dry the air in the vehicle.
Air Conditioning Compressor Button
Press A/C to operate the air conditioner compressor.
The indicator light will glow when the button is pressed
to indicate that the
air conditioning system has been
turned on.
Recirculation Button
Press REClRCULATION to close all outside vents.
The indicator light on the button will glow when
it is
pressed. RECIRCULATION is available in
all modes,
except DEFOG and DEFROST. It
is not recommended to use
this button in the floor
mode with heat. It
is useful to quickly cool the vehicle
on hot days.
&b Outside Air
Press OUTSIDE AIR to allow the circulation of outside
air in the vehicle. The indicator light on the button
will
glow when pressed. OUTSIDE AIR is available in all
modes including
OFF and is automatically activated in
DEFOG and DEFROST.
Air Conditioning
The air conditioner and heater work best if you keep
your windows closed while using them. Your vehicle also has the flow-through ventilation system described
later in
this section.
On very hot days, open the windows
long enough to
let hot inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes
for your vehicle to cool down, which should help
fuel economy.
On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body, but your lower
body may not be wm enough.
You can use
BI-LEVEL with the temperature knob in
the middle and the A/C button pushed in. The system
will bring in outside
air and direct slightly warmer air to
your lower body.
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Here are some things you can check before a trip:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lumps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires
all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
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-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.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
You can tow your vehicle behind another vehicle for use
at your'destination. Be sure to use the proper towing
equipment designed for recreational towing. Follow the
instructions for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
There are two ways to tow your vehicle from the front.
To tow your vehicle with a dolly, follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
2. Put the vehicle in PARK (P).
3. Set the parking brake and then remove the key.
4. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position
with a clamping device designed for towing.
5. Release the parking brake.

MFDBYGENERALMOTORSCORP DATE GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR
RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S. FEDERAL
MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER, AND
THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS IN EFFECT
ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
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The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity
of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle,
all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle. And,
if you do have a heavy
load, you should spread
it out. Don’t carry more
than 132 lbs. (60 kg) in
your trunk.
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR,
or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle.
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Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information
in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later
in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers.
So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag
of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
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There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You can ask
a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first
1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle
or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 Ian) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle.
This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 lun/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s
parts.
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You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you
try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “Ehglish” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or
fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your retailer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. At a minimum, it should meet specifications
ASTM
D4814 in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93
in Canada. Improved gasoline specifications .have been
developed by the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association (MA) for better vehicle performance
and engine protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to
other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane
is at least 87. If the octane is
less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive.
If it’s bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at
87 octane or higher and you
hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service. But don’t worry if you hear a
little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t have to buy a higher octane fuel to get rid\

of pinging. It’s the heavy’ constant knock that means
you have
a problem.
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I If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
j Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications. If such fuels are not available
' in states adopting California emissions standards, your
1 vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
1 performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs, return
to your authorized Oldsmobile retailer for diagnosis to
determine the cause of failure. In the event it is
1 determined that the cause of the condition is the type of
1 fuels used, repairs may not be covered by your warranty,
~ Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT); ask your service station operator whether or not
his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
~ use of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
, malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel i may turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
i Oldsmobile retailer for service, To
provide cleaner
air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forrning
in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have to add
anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
help clean the
air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines
if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don't use it. It can corrode
metal parts in'your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn't
be covered under your warranty.
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