1998 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE brakes

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BAllERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BAllERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever
your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
WARNING
A
HAZARD
FLASHER
FOG LAMPS
$0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
These symbols
are used on
warning and indicator lights:
ENGINE E*
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some other symbols you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
m
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
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Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PRND321
PARK (P): This position locks your front wheels. It’s
the best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle can’t move easily.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine.
Your vehicle has Brake-Transaxle
Shift Interlock (BTSI). You must fully
apply your
regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in RUN.
As you step on the
brake pedal, while in PARK (P), you may hear a click
from the solenoid of the BTSI.
This ensures that the
BTSI is operating properly.
I
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you wish. See
“Shifting Out of PARK (P)” in this section.
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK
(P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on
fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the
shift lever to PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is
for normal driving. If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, but it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD
(3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
0 When towing a trailer (so there is less shifting
0 When going down a steep hill.
between gears).
SECOND (2): This
position gives you more power, but
lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as
you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to
use
your brakes off and on.
I NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 25 miles
(40 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (90 km/h), or
you can damage your transaxle. Use THIRD
(3) or
AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) as much as
possible. Don’t shift into SECOND (2) unless you
are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h) or you
can damage your engine.
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NOTICE:
If’ your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly, or
if it seems not to shift gears as you go faster,
something may be wrong with a transaxle system
sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use
SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than
35 mph (55 km/h) and THIRD (3) for
higher speeds. FIRST
(1): This position
gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is put in
FIRST (1), the transaxle won’t
downshift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slow enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with
only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into PARK
(P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.
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Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot
and push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on. See “Brake System Warning Light” in
the Index.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot while you push down
on the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
(To
release the tension on the parking brake cable, you will
need to apply about the same amount of pressure to the
parking brake pedal as you did when you set the parking
brake.) When you remove your foot from the parking
brake pedal,
it will pop up to the released position.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK
(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock
(BTSI). You have to fully
apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P), when the ignition
is
in RUN.
As you step on the brake pedal, while in PARK
(P), you
may hear a click from the solenoid
of the BTSI. This
ensures that the BTSI
is operating properly. See
“Automatic Transaxle Operation” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you want. If you ever
hold the brake pedal down but still can’t shift out of
PARK (P), try this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Turn the ignition key to OFF.
Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
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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.
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If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index
.)
I A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light
is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light
is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and it will stay on
for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with
your
regular brakes. Pull off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.)
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