1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass tow

Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve asu
included many other useful tips on driving.
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4-16 Defensive Driving
Drunken
Driving
Control
of a Vehicle
Braking Steering
Off-Road Recovery
Passing
Loss of Control
Driving at Night
Driving
in Rain and on Wet Roads 4-19
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4-32 City Driving
Freeway Driving
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis
Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading
Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
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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.

To tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground,
follow these steps:
m
A
1. Position the vehicle to tow and then secure it.
2. Turn &.ignition switch to OFF.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Remove the following fuses from the left side of the
instrument panel fuse block A) Radio, B)
Wiper,
H) Powertrain Control Module, K) Body Function
Control Module, Cluster.
This will prevent your battery
from
draining while towing. See “Instrument Panel Fuse
Block
- Left” in Section 6 for the location of these fuses.
5. Turn the ignition switch to ACC.
6. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Remember to replace the fuses once you reach your
destination.
To replace a fuse:
1. Set the parhg brake.
2. Remove the key from the
3. Replace the fuse. ignition switch.
I NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not exceed
65 mph (105 km/h), or your vehicle could be
badly damaged.
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I NOTICE:
Do not tow your vehicle from the rear. Your
vehicle could be badly damaged and the repairs:
would not be covered by your warranty.
. 5" :I .;: "
IF TIRES ARE 'HOT, ADD 4PS1128KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION !
-, 1 ,
.- Loading Your Vehicle
m. CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
I
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SA'ME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX CO'LD~TIRE
TIRE'SIZE SPED PRESSURE
RTG PSIKPa
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
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.

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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Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
0 the weight of the trailer tongue
and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than 1,000 lbs.
(450 kg). But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And,
it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have
on your vehicle. You
can ask your retailer for our trailering information
or advice, or you can write us at:
Oldsmobile Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 30095
Lansing, MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre
1908 Colonel
Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H
8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because
it affects the total or gross
weight of your vehicle. The Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW) includes the curb weight of the vehicle, any
cargo you may carry in it, and the people who
will be
riding in the vehicle. And
if you tow a trailer, you must
add the tongue load to the
GVW because your vehicle
will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading Your
Vehicle” in the
Index for more information about your
vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the
trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making nrns
NOTICE:
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 tums
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.
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Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need additional wiring. Check with your retailer. 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.
Driving On Grades
NOTICE:
Do not tow on steep continuous grades exceeding
6 miles (9.6 km). Extended, higher than normal
engine and transaxle temperatures may result
and damage your vehicle. Frequent stops are
very important to allow the engine and transaxle
to cool.
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 transaxle overheating.
Pay attention to the engine coolant gage. If the indicator
is in the red area, turn
off the air conditioning to reduce
engine load (see “Engine Overheating” in the Index).
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