2003 Oldsmobile Alero heater

Section 2 Features and Controls
Keys ............................................................... 2.2
Remote Keyless Entry System
......................... 2.3
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation
.......... -2-4
Doors and
Locks ............................................. 2-7
Door Locks
................................................... -2-7
Power Door Locks
.......................................... 2-8
Delayed Locking
............................................ -2-8
Programmable Automatic Door Locks
................................................ 2.8
Rear Door Security Locks
.............................. 2-10
Lockout Protection
........................................ 2.11
Leaving Your Vehicle
.................................... 2-1 1
Trunk .......................................................... 2-1 1
Windows .......................... ...................... -2-1 4
Manual Windows
...................................... -2-1 4
Power Windows
............................. ....... 2.15
Sun Visors
............................................... 2.15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
.................................. 2.16
Passlock@
@ ................................................. 2.16
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
................ 2.17
New Vehicle Break-In
.................................... 2.17
Ignition Positions
.......................................... 2.17 Starting
Your Engine
................................. 2.18
Engine Coolant Heater
.................................. 2.20
Automatic Transaxle Operation
....................... 2.22
Manual Transaxle Operation
........................... 2.25
Parking Brake
.............................................. 2.26
Parking Your Vehicle/Key Removal
.................. 2-29
Engine Exhaust
............................................ 2-30
Running Your Engine While You Are Parked
.... 2-30
Mirrors
........................................................... 2-32
Manual Rearview Mirror
................................. 2-32
Outside Remote Control Mirror
....................... 2-32
Outside Power Mirrors
................................... 2-33
Outside Convex Mirror
................................... 2-33
Storage Areas
................................................ 2-34
Glove Box
................................................... 2.34
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d-34
Center Console Storage Area ......................... 2-34
Sunroof
......................................................... 2.35
Shifting Into
Park
(P) ..................................... 2-27
Shifting Out
of Park (P) ................................. 2-28
Parking Over Things That Burn
....................... 2-29
n e’ ................................................
2- 1

3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for a maximum of 15 seconds. This clears
the extra gasoline from the engine.
If the engine
still won’t start or starts briefly but then stops again,
repeat Step
1 or 2, depending on temperature.
When the engine starts, release the key and the
accelerator pedal.
Notice: Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way the
engine operates. Before adding electrical equipment,
check with your dealer.
If you don’t, your engine
might not perform properly.
Engine Coolant Heater
2-20

3400 V6 Engine
In very cold weather,
0°F (-18°C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater,
if your vehicle has this feature, can
help. You'll get easier starting and better fuel economy
during engine warm-up. Usually, the coolant heater
should be plugged in a minimum of four hours prior to
starting your vehicle. At temperatures above
32°F (OOC),
use of the coolant heater is not required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. On
the 2.2L L4
ECOTECTM engine, the engine coolant
heater cord is located in front of the coolant
surge tank on the passenger's side
of the engine
compartment. On the
3400 V6 engine, the
engine coolant heater cord is located near the
engine air cleaner/filter. See
Engine Compartment
Overview on page
5-12 for more information on
location.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 1 IO-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded ou' t
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind
of extension cord could overheat
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong
11 0-volt AC outlet. If the cord
won't reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least
15 amps.
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2-2 1

4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be
damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your automatic transaxle
has a shift lever located
on the console between
the seats.
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.
It igerous 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.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift
lock control system. You have to apply your regular brake
before you can shift from PARK
(P) when the ignition key
is
in ON. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease
pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application.
2-22

When you switch to the defog or defrost modes the
system will automatically move from recirculation to
outside air. When you move the mode knob back to
another mode, the system will move back into
recirculation. When the car is turned off and back on the
system will default to outside air automatically.
Temperature Control: Turn the center knob clockwise
or counterclockwise to manually increase or decrease
the temperature inside your vehicle.
When it’s cold outside
0°F (-18°C) or lower, use the
engine coolant heater,
if equipped, to provide warmer air
faster to your vehicle. An engine coolant heater warms
the coolant that the engine uses to provide heat to
warm the inside of your vehicle. For more information,
see
Engine Coolant Heater on page 2-20.
A/C (Air Conditioning): Press this button to turn the
air-conditioning system on or off. When
A/C is pressed,
an indicator light in the button will come on to let you
know that air conditioning is activated.
The fan knob must be set to a speed for the air
conditioning to operate.
On hot days, open the windows to let hot inside air
escape; then close them. This helps to reduce the time
it takes for your vehicle to cool down. It also helps
the system to operate more efficiently. For
quick cool down
on hot days:
1. Select the vent mode.
2. Select the highest fan speed.
3. Select A/C.
4. Select the recirculation mode.
5. Select the coolest temperature.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside of your vehicle to become too
dry. To prevent this from happening, after the air in
your vehicle is cooled, turn the recirculation mode off.
The air-conditioning system removes moisture from
the air,
so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling or
after turning off the engine. This is normal.
Defogging and Defrosting
There are two modes to choose from to clear fog or
frost from your windshield. Use the defog mode to clear
the windows of fog or moisture and warm the
passengers. Use the defrost mode to remove fog or
frost from the windshield more quickly.
Turn the right knob to select the defog or defrost mode.
3-20

Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a iiliie
faster than iust idle. That is, push the accelerator Ice or Snow
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly need to spin the wheels, but you don’t want to spin your
for signaling later
on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while. In
order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
wheels too fast. The method known as “rocking” can
help you get out when you’re stuck, but you must
use caution.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost all
the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again and
repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable from
the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the fuel
as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes. _~OU let your tires spin __ -..gh speed, they
injured. And, the transaxle or other parts
of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment fire or other damage.
When you’re stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above 35 mph
f55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
can expbde, and you or others could be
4-29

Notice: When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant will require change sooner
-- at 30,000 miles
(50,000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs first.
Damage caused by the use of coolant other
than DEX-COOL@
is not covered by your new vehicle
warranty.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable wafer and
one-half
DEX-COOL@ coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts.
If you use this coolant mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else. Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain
water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the proper coolant mixture.
With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you wouldn’t get
the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a
50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL@ coolant.
Notice: If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty.
Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
Notice: If you use the proper coolant, you don’t
have to add extra inhibitors or additives which claim
to improve the system. These can be harmful.
5-24

Steam from an overheated engine can burn
you badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away from the engine if you see or hear steam
coming from
it. Just turn it off and get
everyone away from the vehicle until
it cools
down. Wait
until there is no sign of steam or
coolant before you open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine
is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You
or others could be badly burned. Stop your
engine
if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle
until the engine is cool.
Notice: If your engine catches fire because you
keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle can
covered by your warranty.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant light, can
indicate a serious problem. See
Low Coolant Warning
Light
on page 3-31.
If you get an engine overheat warning with no low
coolant light, but see or hear no steam, the problem may
not be too serious. Sometimes the engine can get a
little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N)
while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road,
engine idle.
speed and open the window as necessary.
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2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
5-27