2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette light

2-51
Parking Brake
The parking brake is located
on the driver's side, under
the instrument panel.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push down on the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on. See ªBrake System Warning Lightº
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 ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.

2-59
Headlamp High/Low-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 panel cluster
will also be on.
Your fog lamps will turn off when you switch
to high beams. Using your high beams in fog is
not recommended.
Flash-to-Pass
When the headlamps are off, pull the lever toward you
to momentarily switch on the high beams (to signal that
you are going to pass). When you release the lever, they
will turn off.
Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
marked WIPER.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
band on mist longer.
For delayed wiping cycles, you can set the wiper speed
for a long or short delay between wipes. This can be
very useful in light rain or snow. Turn the band to
choose the delay time. The closer to LOW, the shorter
the delay time.
For steady wiping cycles, at low speed, turn the band
away from you to the LOW position. For high
-speed
wiping, turn the band further to HIGH. To stop the
wipers, turn the band to OFF.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid
damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If they're frozen to the
windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them. If your
blades do become damaged, get new blades or
blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.

2-64
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal, or

move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp control is located to the left of the
steering column.

2-65
Turning the control to this setting turns on the
following:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the control to this setting turns on the
headlamps, together with the following:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the control 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. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully
functional daytime running lights are required on all
vehicles first sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes
the DRL work, so be sure it isn't covered. The DRL
system will make your front parking and turn signal
lamps come on in daylight when the following
conditions are met:

The ignition is on,

the headlamp control is off, and

the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your front parking and
turn signal lamps will be on. Your instrument panel
won't be lit up.
When it's dark enough outside, the exterior lamps will
come on automatically. When it's bright enough outside,
the exterior lamps will turn off and the DRL will turn
on. Of course, you may still turn on the headlamps
any time you need to.

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To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then start
the vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps switch is
located in the instrument
panel switchbank. Push the
fog lamp symbol on the
switch to turn on the lamps.The indicator light will glow when the fog lamps are on.
Push the top part of the switch to turn them off.
The indicator light will go off.
Your parking lamps or headlamps must be on for your
fog lamps to turn on.
When your DRL are on, the headlamps control must
first be turned from the off position before the fog
lamps can be turned on. At night, when the light sensor
automatically turns on your headlamps, the fog lamps
can be turned on when the headlamps control is in
any position.
Your fog lamps will go off when you switch to
high beams. Using your high beams in fog is
not recommended.

2-67
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
Turn the thumbwheel, located below the headlamps
control, clockwise to increase the brightness of the
instrument panel lights, and counterclockwise to
decrease the brightness. Turn the thumbwheel all the
way counterclockwise to turn them off.
Interior Lamps Control
Turn the thumbwheel all the way clockwise to turn on
the interior lamps, if the interior lamps override switch
is off. Turn the thumbwheel counterclockwise to turn
the lamps off.
Interior Lamps Override Switch
This switch is located
in the overhead
console switchbank.
Press the symbol on the bottom of the switch to
override control of the interior lamps and turn off power
to the courtesy lamps, reading lamps, visor vanity lamps
(if equipped) and glove box lamp. This feature allows
you to have the lamps off when any door is open.
Press the top of the interior lamps override switch to
turn power back on to the interior lamps. This will
allow the lamps to stay on when any door is open.

2-68 Illuminated Entry
With illuminated entry, the interior of your vehicle is
illuminated so that you can see inside before you enter
your vehicle. The lamps will come on for 40 seconds if
you unlock your door using your key or the optional
remote keyless entry transmitter and the ignition is in
LOCK or OFF. After 40 seconds have passed, the
interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps will turn
off before the 40 seconds if you do one of the following:

Lock all the doors using the key,

press LOCK on the power door lock switch, or

press LOCK on the optional remote keyless
entry transmitter.
When any door is opened, illuminated entry is cancelled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door or the
liftgate is open, and slowly fade out when all doors and
the liftgate are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not been
locked. See ªDelayed Illuminationº next in this section.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº
in the Index.
Delayed Illumination
The delayed illumination feature will continue to
illuminate the interior for 25 seconds after all doors have
been closed so that you can find your ignition and buckle
your safety belt at night. Delayed illumination will not
occur while the ignition is in RUN or ACCESSORY.
After 25 seconds have passed, the interior lamps will
slowly fade out. The lights will fade out before the
25 seconds have passed if you do one of the following:

Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY,

lock all doors using the optional remote keyless
entry transmitter, or

lock all the doors using the power door lock switch
or the key.
To turn the delayed illumination feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº
in the Index.

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Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on for
about 25 seconds whenever you remove the key from
the ignition. If you turn the ignition key to RUN or
ACCESSORY, the lamps will fade out. The lamps
will also fade out if you lock the doors with the
power door lock switch or the optional remote keyless
entry transmitter.
When any door is opened, exit lighting is cancelled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door or the
liftgate is open, and slowly fade out when all doors
and the liftgate are closed.
The interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds
after all doors have been closed if they have not
been locked. See ªDelayed Illuminationº earlier in
this section.
To turn the exit lighting feature off or on, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº
in the Index.
Front Reading Lamps
There are two reading lamps in the overhead console.
To turn either reading lamp on or off, press the lens
of the lamp. These lamps will come on each time you
open a door, unless you turn on the interior lamps
override feature. See ªInterior Lamps Override Switchº
in the Index.