1998 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE instrument panel

NOTICE:
Be sure there are no overhead obstructions, such
as a garage door, before you open the liftgate.
You could slam the liftgate into something and
break the glass.
To close the liftgate, pull down on the handle, then
firmly shut the liftgate. Don’t drive with the liftgate
open, even slightly. See “Engine Exhaust”
in the Index.
A light on your instrument panel will warn you if the
liftgate
is not completely closed (see “Door Ajar
Warning Light” in the Index).
It can be dangerous to drive with the liftgate open because carbon monoxide
(CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the liftgate open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and
the liftgate:
0 Make sure all windows are shut.
Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed
with the setting
on bi-level (outside air button is pressed).
That will force outside air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the
way.
See ‘(Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
2-21
ProCarManuals.com

Content Theft-Deterrent (Option)
11 your vehicle has this option, it has a theft-deterrent
alarm system.
A light located on top of your instrument panel (near the
center of the vehicle,
next to the windshield) will flash
slowly to let you know that the system has been armed.
While armed, the doors will not unlock with the power
lock switch. Once armed,
the alarm will go off if
someone tries to
enter the vehicle (without using the remote lock control
transmitter or
a key), breaks a window, tries to damage
the vehicle or turns the ignition on. The horn will sound
and your vehicle’s parking lamps will flash for up to two
minutes. The system will also cut off the fuel supply,
preventing the vehicle from being driven.
When the alarm is armed, the liftgate may be opened
with the remote lock control transmitter or with a key.
Arming with the Power Lock Switch
Your alarm system will arm when you use either power
lock switch to lock the doors while any door or the
liftgate is open and the key is removed from the ignition
(if you would like to turn off power lock switch arming,
see “Locks and Lighting Choices”
in the Index).
The security light flashes quickly to let you know when
the system is ready
to arm with the power door lock
switches. The security light will stop flashing and stay
on, when
you press the rear of the power lock switch, to
let you know the system is arming. After all doors and
the liftgate are closed and locked, the security light will
begin flashing at
a very slow rate to let you know the
system is armed.
2-23
ProCarManuals.com

Ignition Positions
With the ignition key in the ignition switch, you can turn
the switch to five positions.
C
ACCESSORY (A): This is an on position in which you
can operate your electrical power accessories. Press in
the ignition switch as you turn the top
of it toward you.
LOCK (B): This is the only position in which you can
remove the key. This locks your steering wheel, ignition
and transaxle.
OFF (C): This position unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition and transaxle, but does not send electrical
power to any accessories. Use this position if your
vehicle must be pushed or towed, but never try to
push-start your vehicle.
A warning chime will sound if
you open the driver’s door when the ignition is off and
the key is in the ignition.
RUN (D): This is an on position to which the switch
returns after you start your engine and release the
switch.
The switch stays in RUN when the engine is
running. But
even when the engine is not running, you
can use RUN to operate your electrical power
accessories, and to display some instrument panel
warning lights.
START (E): This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to RUN for normal driving.
Note that even
if the engine is not running, the positions
ACCESSORY and RUN are positions that allow you to
operate your electrical accessories, such as the radio.
2-26
ProCarManuals.com

Entering Programming Mode
To program features, your vehicle must be in the
programming mode. Follow these steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Content Theft-Deterrent system (if equipped)
must be disarmed. See “Content Theft-Deterrent
System” in this section.
Remove the BCM PRGRM fuse from the instrument
panel fuse block, located to the right
of the glove
box. (See “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the Index.)
Close the driver’s door.
Turn the ignition switch towards you to
ACCESSORY.
Count the number of chimes you hear.
You will hear
two
to four chimes depending on the features your
vehicle is equipped with. Refer to the chart
shown previously.
You can now program your choices.
10 exit the programming mode, follow the steps
listed under “Exiting Programming Mode” later in
this section.
Delayed Illumination and Exit Lighting
With Delayed Illumination, the interior lamps will stay
on for about
25 seconds after all the doors and the
liftgate are closed.
With Exiting Lighting, the interior lamps will come on
and stay on for about
25 seconds whenever you remove
the key from the ignition.
To customize these features to your preference, see
“Programmable Modes” following.
Programmable Modes
Your vehicle can be programmed to one of the
following modes.
Mode 1: Both Features Off (The interior lamps will turn on
or
off at the same instant that a door is opened or closed.)
Mode 2: Delayed Illumination Only (The interior lamps
will stay
on for about 25 seconds after all the doors and
liftgate are closed, or until you lock the doors.)
2-41
ProCarManuals.com

Exiting Programming Mode
To exit programming mode, just turn the key from
ACCESSORY to
OFF and put the BCM PRGRM fuse
back into the instrument panel fuse block.
NOTE: After programming a feature, you can exit the
programming mode at anytime.
Windows
Power Windows
The switches on the driver’s door armrest control
the front windows (when the ignition is in
RUN or
ACCESSORY). The left switch controls the
driver’s window. The right switch controls the
passenger’s window.
The driver’s power window switch has two down
positions. Push the switch to the first position to lower
the window normally.
To activate the auto-down feature, push the switch all
the way down, then release. The window will lower
completely. To stop the window from lowering all the
way, pull up the front of the switch.
To raise the window, pull up the front of the switch.
2-50
ProCarManuals.com

Turn and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a
turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
turn is finished, the lever will retwn automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel will flash in the
direction of the turn
or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrow
flashes faster than normal, a signal bulb may be burned
out and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident.
If the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and check the
fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers”
in the Index). If
you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps, the signal indicator will flash at a
normal rate even
if a turn signal bulb is burned out.
Check the front and rear turn signal lamps regularly to
make sure they are working.
Turn Signal On Chime
If either turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound to let the driver know to
turn it off.
If the you need to leave the signal on for more than
3/4 mile (1.2 km), turn off the signal and then turn it
back on.
Headlamp HigWLow Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from high to low beam, or low
to high, simply pull the turn signal lever all the way
toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument cluster will also
be on.
2-53
ProCarManuals.com

Rear Window Washermiper
7
C
C
C
(
L
The rear window
wiper switch is located
in the instrument
panel switchbank.
I
Push the wiper symbol on the bottom of the button to
turn on the intermittent wiper. To turn
off the wiper,
gently push the top
of the button.
To wash and wipe the rear window, push in the washer
symbol on the top of the button. Washer fluid will spray
as long as the button is held in. When the top of the
button is released, the wiper will continue to cycle three
more times. To
wash the rear window when the rear wiper
is already
on, push on the top
of the button with the wash symbol
on it. Push in the bottom
of the button to continue the
intermittent wiper cycle after the washing cycle
is completed.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 kdh) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control disengages.
2-55
ProCarManuals.com

Exterior Lamps
500: Turning the dial to this setting turns on:
0 Parking Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
Instrument Panel Lights
@ Turning the dial to this setting turns on the
headlamps, together with:
. Parking Lmps
Sidemarker Lamps
0 Taillamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
0 Turning the dial to this setting turns off all the lamps
and lights.
Lamps On Reminder
If the driver’s door is opened and you turn the ignition
to
OFF or LOCK while leaving the lamps on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day.
DlU can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
2-59
ProCarManuals.com