1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass tow

Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5-2
5-2
5-3
5-8
5-12
Hazard Warning Flashers Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5- 15 Cooling System
5-22 Changing a Flat Tire
5-32 Compact Spare Tire
5-33 If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
5-22 If a Tire’Goes Flat
Ice or Snow
5-1

Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a retder or a professional towing service
tow your vehicle. They can provide the right equipment
and
know-how to tow your vehicle without damage.
(See ”Roadside Assistance”
in the Index.)
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftemarket items like
fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything,
turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the front or
rear with sling-type equipment, as described later
in
this section.
That your vehicle cannot be towed from the rear with
the front wheels on the ground.

To help avoid injury to you or others:
--
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn't
e
e
e
0
e
e
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
bemg towed.
Never tow faster than safe or posted,speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after
it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always secure the vehi'cle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing
it.
Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
5-9

Front Towing
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or fascia
damage will occur. Use wheel-lift or car-carrier
equipment. Additional ramping may be required
for car-carrier equipment. Use safety chains and
wheel straps.
NOTICE: (Continued) NOTICE:
(Continued)
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage, install
a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance
is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in
the T-hook slots.

Rear Towing
I NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper valance
will be damaged. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for carcarrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel
straps.
i NOTICE: (Continued) NOTICE: (Continued)
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to- ground
or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage, install a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in
the T-hook slots.
5-11

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:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
a Idle for long periods in traffic.
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
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (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, you can idle the engine
for
two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-14

~~ ~. ~~ ~
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual
for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here
are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that\

pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid.
In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
:, , ,::*,,
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. ’krn off the .engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks
at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the’ tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
5-22

Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change
a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an
emergency, you can use
a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire
brush later,
if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt
off.
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing a serious accident.
9. Replace the wheel nuts
with the cone end
of the
nuts toward the wheel.
Tighten each nut by
hand
or with the wheel
wrench until the wheel is held against the hub.