OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1997 Owners Manual
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Malfunction  Indicator  Lamp (Service  Engine  Soon Light) 
SERVICE 
ENGINE 
SOON 
Your Oldstnobile is 
equipped 
with a  computer 
which monitors operation 
of the  fuel,  ignition and 
emission  control systems. 
This  system  is called 
OBD IT (On-Board 
Diagnostics-Second  Generation)  and 
is intended to 
assure  that emissions  are at acceptable  levels for the life 
of  the  vehicle,  helping 
to produce  a  cleaner 
environment.  The  SERVICE ENGINE  SOON light 
comes  on 
to indicate  that there  is a problem and  service 
is required.  Malfunctions  often will be indicated  by the 
system  before any problem  is apparent.  This  may 
prevent  more  serious  damage  to your vehicle.  This 
system  is 
also designed  to assist your  service technician 
in correctly  diagnosing  any malfunction. 
I NOTICE: 
If you keep driving your vehicle  with this light 
on,  after  a while, your emission controls  may not 
work 
as well,  your fuel economy  may not be as 
good and your engine  may not run  as smoothly. 
This could  lead to costly repairs that  may  not  be 
covered  by your  warranty. 
This light should  come on! as a check to show  you it is 
working,  when  the  ignition is  on and the  engine is  not 
running. 
If the  light  doesn’t  come on, have it repaired. 
This light  will also  come  on  during a mal.function in one 
of two ways: 
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition  has  been 
detected. 
A misfire increases vehicle  emissions and 
may  damage  the emission control system on your 
vehicle.  Retailer or qualified  service center diagnosis 
and  service  is required. 
Light On Steady -- An  emission  control system 
malfunction  has been detected on your vehicle. 
Retailer  or qualified  service center diagnosis  and 
service  may  be  required. 
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If the Light Is Flashing 
The  following may prevent more serious damage to 
your vehicle: 
0 Reducing  vehicle speed. 
0 Avoiding hard accelerations. 
0 Avoiding  steep uphill grades. 
0 If you are towing  a trailer, reduce the amount  of 
cargo being  hauled as soon as it  is possible. 
If  the light stops flashing and remains  on steady,  see 
“If 
the Light Is On Steady”  following. 
If the light continues to flash,  when it is safe to  do so, 
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to  park your vehicle. 
Turn  the  key 
off, wait at least 10 seconds  and restart the 
engine. 
If the light remains on steady, see  “If  the Light 
Is On Steady”  following.  If the light  is  still flashing, 
follow the previous steps,  and drive  the vehicle to  your 
retailer  or qualified service center  for  service. 
If the Light Is On Steady 
You may  be  able to correct the emission system 
malfunction  by considering  the following: 
Did  you  recently put fuel into your vehicle‘? 
If so, reinstall  the fuel  cap,  making  sure to fully install 
the  cap. 
The diagnostic system can determine  if the  fuel 
cap  has been  left  off  or improperly installed.  A loose  or 
missing fuel  cap will allow  fuel to evaporate into the 
atmosphere. 
A few driving trips with the  cap properly 
installed should turn  the light  off. 
Did you just  drive through a deep  puddle  of water? 
If so, your electrical system  may  be wet. The condition 
will usually be corrected  when the electrical system 
dries out. 
A few  driving  trips should turn the light off. 
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Have you recently  changed  brands of fuel‘? 
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality  fuel (see 
“Fuel”  in the  Index).  Poor  fuel quality will cause your 
engine  not 
to run as efficiently as designed.  You may 
notice this as stalling after start-up,  stalling  when you 
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation 
on 
acceleration  or stumbling on acceleration.  (These 
conditions  may go  away  once  the engine  is warmed up.) 
This  will 
be detected  by the system and cause the  light 
to  turn  on. 
If you experience  one  or more  of these  conditions, 
change  the fuel brand  you use. 
It will  require  at least one 
full tank of the  proper fuel to turn the light off. 
If none of the above  steps  have made  the light turn off, 
have your retailer  or qualified  service  center check the 
vehicle.  Your retailer has 
the proper  test equipment  and 
diagnostic  tools to fix any mechanical 
or electrical 
problems  that  may have  developed. 
Engine Oil Pressure Gage 
OIL 0- 
The oil pressure  gage  shows 
the  engine  oil pressure 
in 
psi  (pounds  per square  inch) 
when  the engine  is running. 
Oil pressure may vary  with  engine  speed,  outside 
temperature  and 
oil viscosity, but readings  above the 
low pressure  zone indicate the normal  operating range. 
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A reading in the low pressure zone  may  be caused by a 
dangerously  low oil level or other problems causing low 
oil pressure. 
Don’t  keep  driving if the oil pressure  is low. If 
you do,  your  engine  can  become so hot  that  it 
catches  fire. You or  others  could  be  burned. 
Check  your 
oil as  soon  as  possible  and  have  yo1 
vehicle  serviced. 
NOTICE: 
Damage  to  your  engine  from  neglected  oil 
problems  can  be  costly and  is  not  covered  by 
your  warranty. 
Daytime  Running  Lamps  Indicator  Light 
:::(-J 0.0 
Check Gages  Light 
CHECK 
GAGES 
You may have t.his light on 
the instrument panel. 
It goes on whenever the 
DRL are on,  the  ignition is 
on, the headlamp switch  is 
off and the parking brake 
is  released. 
The 
CHECK GAGES light 
will  come  on briefly  when 
you are starting  the engine. 
If the  light  comes on and 
stays  on while 
you are 
driving,  check  your  coolant 
temperature and  engine oil 
pressure gages  to see 
if they 
are 
in the warning zones. 
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Fuel Gage 
Gate Ajar 
GATE 
AJAR 
This  light  will come  on 
briefly  when  you are 
starting  your  engine. 
If  it stays  on,  you’re  liftgate 
is  ajar. 
Try closing the 
liftgate  again.  Never drive 
with the  liftgate  even 
partially  open. 
i?‘ 
E 
EB 
When the ignition is on,  the 
fuel  gage  tells 
you about 
how much  fuel you 
have  remaining. 
Here  are  four  things that  some  owners  ask  about.  None 
of  these 
show a problem  with your fuel  gage: 
0 
0 
0 
0 
At the gas  station,  the gas pump shuts off before the 
gage  reads 
FULL (F). 
It takes a little more  or  less fuel  to fill up than the 
gage  indicated.  For  example, the gage  may have 
indicated  the tank was  half full,  but it actually took  a 
little more  or  less than half the tank’s capacity  to fill 
the tank. 
The  gage  moves 
a little when  you  turn a corner  or 
speed up. 
The  gage  doesn’t 
go back to EMPTY (E) when  you 
turn  off  the ignition. 
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bb NOTES 
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Section 3 Comfort  Controls  and  Audio  Systems 
In this section,  you’ll find  out how  to  operate  the comfort  control  and audio  systems  offered with your  Oldsmobile. 
Be  sure  to read about the particular  systems supplied  with your vehicle. 
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3-3 
3-3 
3-4  3-5 
3-5 
3-6 
3-6  Comfort  Controls 
Air 
Conditioning 
Heating 
Ventilation  System and Tips 
Tips for  Defogging  and Defrosting 
Rear  Window  Defogger 
Setting  the Clock 
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette  Tape Player 
and  Equalizer  3-9 
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3-15  3-15 
3- 15 
3-16 
3- 
16 
3-16 
AM-FM Stereo  with Compact  Disc Player 
and Automatic Tone Control 
Theft-Deterrent  Feature 
Adding  Sound Equipment to  Your  Vehicle 
Understanding  Radio Reception 
Tips  About  Your Audio System 
Care  of  Your  Cassette  Tape Player 
Care  of  Your  Compact  Discs 
Antenna 
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Comfort  Controls Temperature  Knob 
With this system, you can control  the heating, cooling 
and  ventilation 
in your vehicle. 
Climate  Control  System 
Fan  Control 
The switch with the fan symbol changes the fan  speed. 
To increase the fan speed, move the switch upward 
toward 
HI. To decrease  the fan  speed,  move the switch 
downward toward 
LO. 
The  upper  knob  regulates  the  temperature of the  air 
coming  through  the  system.  Turn  the 
knob clockwise  for 
warmer  air.  Turn  the  knob  counterclockwise  for  cooler  air. 
Mode  Knob 
The lower knob allows  you to choose  the direction  of 
air delivery. 
OFF: This  setting turns the system off.  Some outside air 
will still enter  the vehicle whenever the vehicle is 
moving  forward. 
MAX A/C: This setting provides maximum cooling 
with the least amount of work. MAX A/C recirculates 
much  of  the  air inside your vehicle 
so it cools quickly. 
A/C: This setting cools the air  entering your vehicle and 
directs 
it through the  instrument panel outlets. 
+’ BI-LEVEL A/C: Air is delivered  through  the 
heater 
floor outlets as well  as  the  instrument  panel  outlets. 
/J VENT This  setting directs airflow through the 
instrument  panel outlets.  The  air conditioning 
compressor  is  not working when 
VENT is selected. 
+* 
+e 
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e 
+# HEATER: This  setting  directs warmed air through 
the  heater  floor  outlets  and windshield  defroster  outlets. 
we 
+# BLEND: Airtlow is divided  equally between the 
heater  floor outlet and the windshield  defroster  outlets. 
%? DEFROST This setting directs most air through 
the windshield  defroster  outlets  and some  through  the 
heater  outlets. 
Air  Conditioning 
On  hot  days, open the windows  long enough to let  hot 
inside  air escape.  This  reduces  the time 
it takes for your 
vehicle  to  cool  down.  Then keep your windows closed 
for  the  air  conditioner  to  work  its best. 
For quick  cool-down  on very  hot  days, use 
MAX A/C 
with  the temperature  knob turned  counterclockwise. 
This  setting  should be  used  to  keep  odors  and/or  dust 
from  entering  the vehicle.  For normal  cooling on  hot 
days,  use A/C  with  the  temperature  knob turned 
counterclockwise. 
On cool  but  sunny days, use BI-LEVEL  A/C to  deliver 
warm  air to the  floor and cooler  air  to the instrument 
panel  outlets. 
When  the  air conditioner  is on, 
you may  sometimes 
notice slight changes 
in your vehicle‘s  engine speed and 
power.  This is normal because  the system  is designed to 
cycle  the compressor  on and off to keep  the 
desired temperature. 
Heating 
The  heater works  best if you keep your windows closed 
while using 
it. On cold  days, use HEATER with the 
temperature  knob turned  clockwise. 
BLEND is useful in 
cool weather  when  you have fog  or  ice on the 
windshield  or side windows. 
If you  use  the  optional engine coolant  heater before 
starting  your engine,  your heating  system will produce 
warmer 
air faster  to heat  the passenger  compartment in 
cold weather.  See  “Engine Coolant  Heater” in the Tndex. 
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Ventilation  System 
For mild outside temperatures  when little heating or 
cooling  is needed,  use 
VENT to direct outside  air 
through your vehicle. Airflow  is through the instrument 
panel outlets. 
Your  vehicle’s ventilation system supplies outside  air to 
the  inside 
of your  vehicle when it is moving. When  the 
vehicle  is  not moving,  you can get outside  air to flow 
through  by selecting any mode and any 
fm speed.  You 
will find air outlets  in the center  and 
on the sides of 
your instrument panel. 
You can move the outlets to direct  the flow of air,  or 
close the outlets altogether. When  you close an  outlet, 
it 
will increase the flow  of air  coming  out of any  outlets 
that are open. 
Ventilation Tips 
0 
0 
0 
Keep the  hood and front air inlet  free of ice, snow  or 
any  other obstruction (such 
as leaves).  The heater 
and  defroster  will work far  better, reducing  the 
chance  of fogging  the inside  of your windows. 
When 
you enter a vehicle in cold weather,  move the 
fan  control to 
HI for a few moments before driving 
off.  This  helps clear the intake ducts  of snow and 
moisture,  and reduces the  chance of fogging  the 
inside  of your windows. 
Keep  the air  path under 
the front  seats clear  of 
objects.  This helps  air 
to circulate throughout 
your vehicle. 
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