2003 Oldsmobile Bravada light

The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy
rain can make it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road
and even people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment
in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips of rubber start
to
separate from the inserts. Driving too fast through large
water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But
if you can’t, try to slow down before you
hi tem.
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Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control
of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
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Hydroplaning C ‘vir T’ lough --
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen
if the road is wet enough and
you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can
if
your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low.
It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reflections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t
a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice
is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come
in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If
you can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
owing W
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:er
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Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces.
If you try to drive through flowing
water, as you might
at a low water crossing,
your vehicle can be carried away.
As little as
six inches of flowing water can carry away
a
smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other
vehicle occupants could drown. Don’t ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be very
cautious about trying to drive through flowing
water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared
to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires
on page 5-52.
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City Driving One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount
of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety
in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into
an unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
most large cities. You’ll save time and energy.
See
Freeway Driving on page 4-32.
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough
to need it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles
that have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
e Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
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Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to
move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the
proper lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit, do
not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are
going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
- such as after a day’s
work
- don’t plan to make too many miles that first
part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes
you can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in dealerships all across North America. They’ll be
ready and willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
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e
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservior full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red
cloth and reflective warning triangles. And,
if you will be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or
a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You’ll have a
lot less traction or “grip” and will need to
very careful.
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Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
floor mats
- anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
-.-
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful. Snow can trap ~,,raust
,,ses u..,er your
vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside.
CO could
overcome you and
kill you. You can’t see it or
smell
it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window
just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will
help keep
CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
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
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
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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.
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or
Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don’t want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as “rocking” can
help you get out when you’re stuck, but you must
use caution.
If
,-u let yo^. -..,s spin a’. ..igh speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be injured. And, the transmission or other parts
of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an engine compartment fire or other damage.
CAUTION: (Continued)
I 1
When you’re stuc , sp : wneels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above
35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice: Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, see
Tire Chains on page 5-60.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear,
spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release
the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal when the transmission
is
in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward
and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking
motion that may free your vehicle.
If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see Towing Your
Vehicle on page 4-4 1.
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Don’t leave an unsecured child resL,int in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you
can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
There’s also important loading information for off-road
driving in this manual.
Electronically Controlled Air
Suspension System
Your vehicle may be equipped with an electronically
controlled air suspension system that automatically
keeps your vehicle level as you load and unload. The
system includes a compressor, two height sensors
and two air springs supporting the rear axle. The system also has an internal clock to prevent
overheating.
If the system overheats, all leveling function
stops until the system cools down. During this time, the
indicator light on the air inflator system will be flashing.
The ignition has
to be on for the system to inflate, in
order
to raise the vehicle to the standard ride height after
loading. The system can lower the vehicle
to the
standard ride height after unloading with the ignition on
and also for up
to 30 minutes after the ignition has
been turned
off.
You may hear the compressor operating when you load
your vehicle, and periodically as the system adjusts
the vehicle
to the standard ride height.
Load leveling will not function normally with the inflator
hose attached
to the inflator outlet. Remove the
inflator hose from the outlet during loading and
unloading.
If the vehicle is parked for an extended period of time,
some bleed down of the suspension is normal. Upon
starting the vehicle, proper height will be achieved.
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