1998 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE brake light

Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
TRAC
OFF
If the warning light stays
on, or comes on when
you’re driving, there may
be a problem with your
Enhanced Traction System
and your vehicle may
need service. The
Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
e
0
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
0
If you turn the system off by pressing the button on
the console, the warning light will come on and stay
on.
To turn the system back on, press the button
again. The warning light should
go off. (See
“Enhanced Traction System” in the Index
for
more information.)
The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running, and it will
stay on if
your parking brake doesn’t release fully. If
the system is turned on and the warning light stays
on after your parking brake is
fully released, it
means there’s a problem with the system.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn
off and
the warning light will come on.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light comes
on and stays on for an extended period
of time when the
system is turned on and the parking brake is fully
released, your vehicle needs service.
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Low Traction Light
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
If you have
the Enhanced Traction System, this light will
also come on when the system is limiting wheel spin. You
may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
Slippery road conditions may exist if the low traction light
comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light
will stay
on for a few seconds after the anti-lock system
stops adjusting brake pressure or the Enhanced Traction
System stops limiting wheel spin.
If the light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it will
be there to tell you when the anti-lock brake system or
Traction Control System is active.
Slippery road conditions may exist
if the low traction
light comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
\C
You have a gage that shows
the engine coolant
temperature. If
the gage
moves into the red area,
your engine
is too hot.
The low traction light also comes on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to ON. If the light doesn’t come on
then, have
it fixed so it will be there to tell you when the
anti-lock brake system or Enhanced Traction System
is active.
For the optional Traction Control System, the low
traction light comes on briefly when you turn the
ignition to ON. That
reading means the same thing
as the warning light.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop your
vehicle and
turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if
you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to
stop and the brake pedal
will be harder
to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
on or flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If
you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on. See
“Low Traction Light” in
the Index.
Enhanced Traction System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may
also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin.
See “Low Traction Light” in the Index. You may feel or
hear the system working, but this is normal.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only when
necessary. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
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When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s a
problem with the system.
TRAC
OFF
See “Enhanced Traction System Warning Light’’ in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need
to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
To turn the system on
or
off, press the button
on the console.
Your Enhanced Traction System is automatically
activated when you turn the ignition on. This switch
will activate/deactivate the Enhanced Traction System.
If you need to disable the system, such as when you
are stuck and are rocking your vehicle back and forth,
push this switch. See “Stuck:
In Sand, Mud or Snow”
in the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
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A CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through
a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure
in one or
more is low.
It can happen if a lot of water is standing
on the road. If you can see reflections from trees,
telephone poles or other vehicles, and raindrops
“dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher
speeds. There
just isn’t
a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice
is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
I NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of
your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in
the Index.)
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Brakes
Brake Fluid
goes back up. The other reason is that fluid is leaking out
of the brake system. If it is, you should have your brake
system fixed, since a leak means that sooner or later your
brakes won’t work
well, or won’t work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’ your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won’t correct
a leak. If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll have too much
fluid when you get new brake linings. You should add
(or remove) brake fluid,
as necessary, only when work is
done on the brake hydraulic system.
Your brake master cylinder reservoir
is here. It is filled
with
DOT-3 brake fluid.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level
in the
reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake fluid
goes down to
an acceptable level during normal brake
lining wear.
When new linings are put in, the fluid level
If’ you have too much brake fluid, it can spa on the
engine. The fluid
will burn if‘ the engine is hot
enough. You or others could be burned, and
your
vehicle could be damaged. Add brake fluid only
when work
is done on the brake hydraulic system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See “Brake System Warning
Light”
in the Index.
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Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except when
you are pushing on the brake
pedal firmly).
- m--
A CAUTION:
I
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to
GM specifications.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See “Brake System Inspection” in Section
7 of this manual
under Part
C “Periodic Maintenance Inspections.”
Brake Pedal Travel
See your retailer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is
a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
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