2003 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE tow

Running Your Engine While You
Are
Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, hpre are some things
to know.
Idling the engine with the climate co~,.,ol
system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
“Engine Exhaust.”
Also, idling
in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even
if the fan
is at the highest settin:,. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust - with
CO - can come in easily. NEVEt3 park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. See “Winter Driving” in the Index.
It can De 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’ve 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).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 2-40.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see Towing a Trailer on
page 4-36.
2-44

Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lights behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position). To return the mirror to
the day position, push the lever away from you.
Outside Power Mirrors
The control located on the
driver’s door operates both
outside rearview mirrors. Turn
the control counterclockwise to select the driver’s
side rearview mirror, or clockwise to select the
passenger’s side rearview mirror.
Then use the control to adjust each mirror
so that you
can see a little
of the side of your vehicle and the
area beside and behind your vehicle when you are
sitting in a comfortable driving position.
If you are not adjusting either mirror, leave the control
in the center
off position. This prevents moving the
mirrors accidentally once you have them adjusted.
Both outside mirrors can be folded forward or rearward.
In the rearward position, they will fold almost flush
with the vehicle. This feature
is particularly useful in
automatic car washes.
2-45

Storage Areas
Your vehicle's large carrying capacity can store many
items.
If you have the extended wheelbase version, you
can carry things as large as a
4' x 8' piece of plywood.
You can also use the floor pins that are used to
attach the seats, to secure larger loads.
Glove Box
Your vehicle has a glove box below the instrument
panel.
To open the glove box, lift the latch release.
The glove box door has a detent to prevent the door
from lowering too far. Open the glove box until the door
is partway open, then pull the door down if you need
it fully open. To close the glove box, the door must
be pushed up past the detent.
Cupholder(s)
There are cupholders located below the center
instrument panel switchbank. The cupholders have a
removable liner for larger size cups and for cleaning
the cupholders.
To use the cupholders, simply pull out the tray.
Keep the tray stowed in when not in use. Your
vehicle also has cupholders on the bottom inboard
side of the second row driver's side captain's chairs
and the seatbacks have cupholders that can be
used when the seatbacks are folded forward.
Compact Overhead Console
The front overhead console includes two reading lamps,
a storage compartment and a switchbank.
2-54

Overhead Console
Your vehicle may have this feature. The front overhead
consoie has reaciirly ianlps, a swi\iiici-,Gaiik, skrsg~
compartments, Onstar@ System buttons, Driver
Information Center
(DIC) and HomeLink@ Transmitter
buttons. For information
on the features listed see each
of them in the Index.
Front Seat Storage Net
There may be a storage net that stretches between the
front seats. Pull the hooks towards the passenger’s
seat and insert them into the holes.
When not in use,
it is recommended that you unhook
the net to extend its life and retain its elasticity.
2-55

Convenience Center
If a.., removable convenience item isn’t
secured properly, it can move around in a
collision or sudden stop. People in the vehicle
could be injured. Be sure to secure any such
item properly.
Your vehicle may have a convenience center. It comes
with the stowable seat. It provides extra storage
space for the rear of the vehicle.
To open the convenience center, pull up on the door latch
located
in the front. The convenience center cover has
two automatic prop rods to hold it up and in place.
To close the convenience center cover you must pull
one of the prop rod linkages toward you while holding
onto the door latch and lower the convenience
center cover to close it.
Removing the Convenience Center
1. Make sure that all items are off of the convenience
2. Turn the hand knob counterclockwise until the knob
3. Lift up on the hand knob to grab a hold of the
4. Lift up on the convenience center while pulling it
center and that it is
empty.
is loose.
convenience center.
toward you and pull it out.
Replacing the Convenience Center
1. Make sure the stowable seat is properly installed in
the vehicle. See
Stowable Seat on page 1-78 for
more information. If the stowable seat is not in
the vehicle with the convenience center, the
convenience center will not be locked into the
correct position in the vehicle.
2. Make sure that the convenience center is closed.
3. Lift the convenience center up and into the rear
of the vehicle.
2-60

I
I’
4. Put the tray sill, located on the back of the
convenience center, in the upright position.
5. Slide the convenience center in and align it so that
the forks, located on the bottom rear of the
convenience center, slide into the seat anchors.
6. PESS dc>jc? c?n the frnnt cf the ccnv~nience center
so the center locates on the sill mounting bracket.
7. Turn the hand knob clockwise until it is tight.
8. Pull up on the convenience center to make sure it
is locked into place. The
tray sill can be folded down onto the stowable seat
to close the space between the two when the stowable
seat
is folded down. To do this, flip the sill plate up
and over toward the stowable seat.
The cover of the convenience center can be left in its
upright position while the vehicle is moving.
The convenience center has six hooks on the inside
cover for hanging items on. The prop rods can hold
up to
49 Ibs. (21.8 kg) on the cover of the convenience
center while in its upright position.
The convenience center and the stowable seat both
have a maximum weight capacity of
400 Ibs. (181.6 kg).
Nofice: Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that fail because
of overloading.
2-6 1

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. When the turn is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
-1 An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by itself
when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change,
if the arrow
flashes faster than normal, a signal bulb may be
burned out and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don’t go on at all when you signal
a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and check the
fuse. See
Bulb Replacement on page 5-52 and Fuses
and Circuit Breakers on page
5-96.
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps, the signal indicator will flash at a normal
rate even
if a turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the
front and rear turn signal lamps regularly to make sure
they are working.
Turn Signal On Chime
If either turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound to let the driver know to
turn
it off.
If you need to leave the signal on for more than 3/4 mile
(1.2 km), turn off the signal and then turn it back on.
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.
3-8

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
To operate the windshield wipers turn the band marked
WIPER, located on the multifunction lever.
MIST: Turn the band to MIST for a single wiping cycle.
Hold it there until the wipers start. Then let
go. The
wipers will stop after one wipe.
If you want more wipes,
hold the band on mist longer.
OFF: Turn the band to
OFF to turn off the
windshield wipers.
LOW: Turn the band to LOW, for steady wiping at
low speed.
HIGH: Turn the band to HIGH, for steady wiping at
high speed.
DELAY: Turn the band away from you to one of the
five sensitivity settings between
OFF and LOW, to
choose the delayed wiping cycle. The further the band
is turned toward LOW, the shorter the delay will be.
Use this setting tor light rain or snow. 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.
Windshield Washer
To wash your windshield, press and hold the windshield
washer paddle. The washers and wipers will operate.
When you release the paddle, the washers will stop, and
the wipers will continue
to operate for two cycles, unless
your wipers had already been on. In that case, the wipers
will resume the wi--
- r speed you had selected earlier.
I I
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
3-9