engine OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1995 User Guide
Page 73 of 372
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Aurora has a brake-transaxle
shift interlock. You have to fully
apply your regular
brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition key is in the
ON position. If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever--push
the shift lever all the way into PARK (P) and also
release the shift lever button as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever into the gear you
wish. (Press the shift lever button.) See “Shifting Out of
PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
’ NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL
(N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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Forward Gears
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@): This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power
for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
NOTICE:
If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly, or
if it seems not to shift gears as you go faster,
something may be wrong with a transaxle system
sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use
SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than
35 mph (56 km/h) and OVERDRIVE (a)
for higher speeds.
THIRD GEAR (3): This is like OVERDRIVE (a), but
you never
go into Overdrive. Here are some times you
might choose THIRD (3) instead of OVERDRIVE (@):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
0 When going down a steep hill.
SECOND GEAR (2): This position gives you
more power but lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use your brakes
off and on.
I NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
5 miles (8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 kndh), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use
OVERDRIVE (@) or THIRD (3) as much
as possible.
Don’t shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going
lower than
65 mph (105 kmh), or you can
damage your engine.
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Page 75 of 372
FIRST GEAR (1): This position gives you even more
power (but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST
(11, the transaxle
won’t shift into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck
in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P)
to hoId your vehicle in position on a hill.
Selectable Shift
This button lets you
change from a normal
driving mode to a
power mode. For
general driving
conditions, use the
normal mode.
Press the button on your shift lever
so that it’s either in
the NORMAL or POWER position. When it’s in the
NORMAL position, the line on the button will be
showing. When
in POWER, the line is not showing.
In the NORMAL position, the transaxle shifts at lower
engine speeds.
For increased performance, you may
choose the POWER mode.
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Page 78 of 372
I
i
I
I
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
*running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly
set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means the shift lever wasn’t fully locked
into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle.
You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you
are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
before you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur, you may need
to have
another vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the transaxle,
so you can pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
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Engine Exhaust Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
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HomeLink TM Universal Transmitter
(Option)
This transmitter allows you to consolidate the functions of
up to three individual hand-held transmitters. It will operate
garage doors and gates, or with the accessory package,
other devices controlled by radio frequency such as
home/office lighting systems and security systems.
The transmitter will learn and transmit the frequencies
of most current transmitters and is powered by your
vehicle’s battery and charging system. This device complies with
Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation
is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Programming the Transmitter
Do not use the HomeLink” Transmitter with any
L earage door opener that does not have the “stop and
reverse” safety feature. This includes any garage door
opener model manufxtured before April
1, 1982.
Be SLW~ that people Lrnd objects are clear of the garage
door you cue progrcunu~ir’rg!
Your vehicle’s engine should be turned off while
programming your transmitter. Follow these steps
to
program up to three channels:
1. If you have previously programmed a HomeLink
channel, proceed to Step
2. Otherwise, hold down
the two outside buttons on the HomeLink
Transmitter
until the red light begins to flash rapidly
(approximately
20 seconds). Then release the
buttons. This procedure initializes the memory and
erases any previous settings for all three channels.
2. Hold the end of your hand-held transmitter against
the bottom surface
of the HomeLink Transmitter so
that you can still see the red light.
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Page 114 of 372
@
EMiUM UNLEAOED FUEL ON C
Your trip odometer tells you how far you have driven
since
you last reset it. Press the trip button located next
to the trip odometer, below the fuel gage.
Your Aurora has a tamper resistant odometer.
If you see
silver lines between the numbers, you’ll know someone
has probably tampered with it and the numbers may not
be true.
You
may wonder what happens if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If the new one can be set to the
mileage total
of the old odometer, then it must be. But if
it can’t, then it’s set at zero and a label must be put on
the driver’s door to show the old mileage reading when
the new odometer was installed.
Tachometer
2
The tachometer displays the engine speed in revolutions
per minute
(RPM).
If your engine speed equals or exceeds the safe limit for
operation, the message HOT
... REDUCE ENGINE RPM
is displayed on the information center.
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Page 115 of 372
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
warning lights work together to let you know when
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer there’s a txoblem with your vehicle.
NOTICE: with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
in the red area, or when the message
HOT ... REDUCE ENGINE RPM is displayed.
Engine damage may
occur.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one
of the gages shows
there may be
a problem, check the section that tells you I I what to do about it, Please follow this manual’s advice.
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages on your
vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could
also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there
may be or is a
problem with one
of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see
in the details on the next few pages, some warning
lights come on briefly when
you start the engine just to let
you know they’re worlung.
If you are familiar with this
section, you should not be alarmed when this happens. Waiting
to do
repairs can be costly -- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They‘re a big help.
Your vehicle
also has a Driver Information Center that
works along
with the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information Center”
in the Index.
To
turn off messages on the center, except LOW OIL
PRESSURE, LOW BRAKE FLUID, PARK BRAKE
SET and the hot engine warnings, press any button on
the Driver Information Center.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANT’- (@)
LOCK
With the anti-lock
brake system, this light
will come
on when
you start your engine
and may stay
on for
several seconds. That’s
normal. If the light
doesn’t come on, have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition off. Or, if the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on
again while you’re driving, your Aurora needs service.
If
the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you
still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If
the regular brake system warning light is also on, you
don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with
your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light’’
earlier in this part.
Traction Control System Warning Light
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should come on briefly as you start
the engine.
If the warning light doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a
problem. If it stays
on, or comes on when you’re
driving, there may be a problem with your traction
control system and your vehicle may need service.
When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
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The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
0
0
0
If you turn the system off by pressing the
TRACTION CONTROL button located on
the
center console, the warning light will come on and
stay
on. To turn the system back on, press the button
again. The warning light should go
off. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index for more
information.)
If there’s
a brake system problem that is specifically
related
to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come on.
If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system is affected
by an
engine-related problem,
the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on
for an extended period of time when the
system
is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Traction Control System Active Light
TRACTION
ACTIVE
When your traction control system is limiting wheel
spin, the TRACTION ACTIVE light will come on.
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on, so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for a few seconds after the traction control
system stops limiting
wheel spin.
The TRACTION ACTIVE light also comes on briefly,
as a bulb check, when the engine is started. If the light
doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be there to
tell
you when the system is active.
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