2000 Oldsmobile Alero index

2-64
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel
(see ªFuelº in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause
your engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You
may notice this as stalling after start
-up, stalling when
you put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation
on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.

2-66
CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil problems
can be costly and is not covered by your warranty.
Low Oil Light (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped
with a 3400 V6 engine, then
you will have a LOW OIL
light in your instrument
panel cluster.
This light will come on briefly when you start your vehicle.
If the light stays on after starting your vehicle, or comes
on and chimes while you are driving, your engine oil
level should be checked.
Prior to checking the oil level, be sure your vehicle has
been shut off for several minutes and is on a level
surface. Check the oil level on your dipstick and bring it
to the proper level. See ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
A false LOW OIL light may be generated when parking
on steep grades.

2-67
The oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between when the key is on and
the engine is cranking. It does not monitor engine oil
level when the engine is running. Additionally, an oil
level check is only performed if the engine has been
turned off for a considerable period of time allowing the
oil normally in circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
Change Oil Light
The CHANGE OIL light
should come on briefly
as a bulb check when you
start the engine. If the
light doesn't come on,
have it serviced.
If the CHANGE OIL light comes on and stays on after
you start the engine, have the oil changed.
For additional information, see ªEngine Oil, When to
Changeº in the Index. To reset the oil life monitor,
see ªEngine Oil Life Monitorº in the Index.
Security Light
This light will come on
when you turn the key to
ON and will stay on until
the vehicle starts.
If you're driving and the security light comes on and
remains on, your Passlock

system is not working
properly. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock and
you should see your dealer.
Cruise Light (If Equipped)
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you set your
cruise control.

3-4 Heating
On cold days, use FLOOR and the outside air button
with the temperature knob all the way in the red area.
The system will bring in outside air, heat it and send
it to the floor outlets.
Your vehicle has heat ducts that are directed toward the
rear seat. Keep the area under the front seats clear of
obstructions so that the heated air can reach the rear
seat passengers.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you can use
it to help your system provide warm air faster when it's
cold outside (0
F (
-18
C) or lower). An engine
coolant heater warms the coolant your engine and
heating system use to provide heat. See ªEngine
Coolant Heaterº in the Index.
Defogging and Defrosting Windows
Your system has two settings for clearing the front and
side windows. For each setting, adjust the temperature
control as desired.
To defrost the front window quickly, turn the temperature
control knob all the way in the red area. Use FRONT
DEFROST and adjust the fan to the highest speed.
To warm passengers while keeping the front window
clean, use DEFOG.
If you select RECIRCULATION while in VENT,
BI
-LEVEL or FLOOR modes, humid air can recirculate
inside the vehicle and allow moisture to form on the
windows. If this happens, either press the A/C button
to on or select DEFROST or the DEFOG modes.
Your vehicle is equipped with side window defogger
vents. The side window defogger vents are located on the
outside of the side instrument panel vents. To defrost the
side windows, turn the temperature control knob all the
way in the red area. Use FLOOR and adjust the fan to the
highest speed. To control fogging of the windows, turn
the temperature control knob all the way in the red area.
Use DEFOG and adjust the fan to the highest speed.

3-13
TONE: Press this button to select a tone while playing
a cassette. The tone that you set will be activated each
time you play a cassette tape.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to search for the
next or previous selection on the tape. Your tape must
have at least three seconds of silence between each
selection for SEEK to work.
SCAN: Press this button to listen to each selection for a
few seconds. The tape will go to the next selection, stop
for a few seconds, then go on to the next selection. Press
this button again to stop scanning. The sound will mute,
SCAN will appear on the display and the tape direction
arrow will blink while scanning.
AM FM: Press this button to play the radio when a
tape is in the player. The tape will stop but remain in
the player.TAPE AUX: If you have a tape inserted and the radio is
playing, press TAPE AUX to play your tape. To return
to the radio while a tape is playing, press AM
-FM.
The inactive tape will remain safely inside the radio for
future listening.
EJECT: Press this button to remove the tape.
The radio will play. EJECT may be activated with either
the ignition or radio off. Cassettes may be loaded with
the radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage
to the tapes and player. See ªCare of Your Cassette Tape
Playerº in the Index. After you clean the player, press
and hold EJECT for five seconds to reset the CLN
indicator. The radio will display
--- to show the
indicator was reset.

3-18
EJECT: Press this button to remove the tape.
The radio will play. EJECT may be activated with either
the ignition or radio off. Cassettes may be loaded with
the radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage
to the tapes and player. See ªCare of Your Cassette Tape
Playerº in the Index. After you clean the player, press
and hold EJECT for five seconds to reset the CLN
indicator. The radio will display
--- to show the
indicator was reset.
Playing a Compact Disc
With the ignition on, insert a disc partway into the slot,
label side up. The player will pull it in and the disc
should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD
when the ignition is off, first press EJECT or RCL.
The CD player will play either normal
-size discs or
the smaller 8 cm discs with an adapter.
Note that when the disc is inserted, CD will be displayed.
When the disc is playing, a box will appear around CD
on the display. If you select a tone setting for your CD,
it will be activated each time you play a CD.As each new track starts to play, the track number
will appear in the display.
If E (error) and a number appear on the radio display
and the disc comes out, it could be that:

E20: The road is too rough. The disc should
play when the road is smoother.

E20: The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or
upside down.

E20: The air is very humid. If so, wait about
an hour and try again.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, please contact your dealer. If your radio
displays an error number, write it down and provide
it to your dealer when reporting the problem.
REV (1): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume.
The display will show elapsed time.
FWD (2): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume.
The display will show elapsed time.
RDM (5): Press this button to hear the tracks in random,
rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the
display when you press this button.

4-2
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See ªSafety Beltsº in the Index.)Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear
-end collisions are about the most preventable
of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It's the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to
brake or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the floor
-- makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.

4-6
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle. (Also see ªEnhanced Traction Systemº
in the Index.)
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That's perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and do it. That's reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second.
But that's only an average. It might be less with one
driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.