tow OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1998 User Guide

Sliding Door
To open the sliding door from outside the vehicle, pull
the handle out and then pull the door toward the rear. If
you slide the door all the way back, the door will rest in
a detent position.
The door must overcome this detent
when closing.
To move the door forward, you must first pull the door
past the open detent position.
If your vehicle is facing downward on a steep
grade
(15 percent or more), the door may not
stay open and could slam shut, possibly injuring
someone.
To make sure the door does not slam
shut, be sure to hold it open until everyone is
clear of the door, and only then allow
it to
slowly close.
Does your vehicle have a sliding door on the driver’s side?
If it does, this door is designed to open only a little if the
fuel door is open.
If this ever happens, don’t try to force
the sliding door. Just close the driver’s side sliding door.\
Then when the
fuel filler door is closed, the driver’s side
sliding door can be opened normally.
Sliding Door Lock
Lock the sliding door from inside the vehicle by moving
the manual locking lever down. Unlock it by moving the
lever up.
With power door locks, the sliding door lock has a delay
feature. See “Power Door Locks” or “Locks and
Lighting Choices” in the Index.
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A CAUTION:
If your vehicle is facing downward on a steep
grade
(15 percent or more), the door may not
stay open and could slam shut, possibly injuring
someone.
To make sure the door does not slam
shut, turn on the power sliding door feature.
Then
if the door closes, it will close under the
control of the power door system.
To manually close the power sliding door when the
override feature is disabled, pull the inside or outside
handle or the edge of the door. Move the door about
4 inches (10 cm) toward the closed position and release.
The door will close completely and latch for you.
To manually close the power sliding door when the
override feature is enabled, pull the inside or outside
handle and slide the door all the way forward to the
latched position.
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Nuisance Alarms New Vehicle “Break-In”
If you experience nuisance alarms (alarms which are not
caused by the opening of a door or the liftgate and are
not desirable), you may need to reduce the damage
detection sensitivity. Try programming the Content
Theft-Deterrent to Mode
1.
If you continue to experience nuisance alarms, you may
want to try turning
off damage detection by
programming your Content Theft-Deterrent to Mode
2.
If you are still having trouble with nuisance alarms, you
can
turn off the Content Theft-Deterrent system by
programming your Content Theft-Deterrent to Mode
3.
See “Locks and Lighting Choices” in the Index for more
information. See
your retailer or qualified technician
for service.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But
it will perform better in the long
run
if you follow these guidelines:
0 Don’t drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow
this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
See “Towing
a Trailer’’ in the Index for
more information.
Avoid making hard stops for the first
0 Don’t tow a trailer during break-in.
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Ignition Positions
With the ignition key in the ignition switch, you can turn
the switch to five positions.
C
ACCESSORY (A): This is an on position in which you
can operate your electrical power accessories. Press in
the ignition switch as you turn the top
of it toward you.
LOCK (B): This is the only position in which you can
remove the key. This locks your steering wheel, ignition
and transaxle.
OFF (C): This position unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition and transaxle, but does not send electrical
power to any accessories. Use this position if your
vehicle must be pushed or towed, but never try to
push-start your vehicle.
A warning chime will sound if
you open the driver’s door when the ignition is off and
the key is in the ignition.
RUN (D): This is an on position to which the switch
returns after you start your engine and release the
switch.
The switch stays in RUN when the engine is
running. But
even when the engine is not running, you
can use RUN to operate your electrical power
accessories, and to display some instrument panel
warning lights.
START (E): This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to RUN for normal driving.
Note that even
if the engine is not running, the positions
ACCESSORY and RUN are positions that allow you to
operate your electrical accessories, such as the radio.
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2.
3.
If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn’t start in three seconds (or starts
but then stops), push the accelerator pedal about one-quarter
of the way down for 12 more seconds, or
until it starts.
If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try this:
Wait
15 seconds to let the starter motor cool down.
Then push your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor. Hold it there. Then hold the key
in START.
This clears the extra gasoline from the engine. When
the engine starts, let go
of the key and the accelerator
pedal.
If the engine still doesn’t start, wait another
15 seconds and repeat this step.
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 retailer. If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part of this manual that tells how to
do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PRND321
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.
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine.
Your vehicle has Brake-Transaxle
Shift Interlock (BTSI). You must fully
apply your
regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in RUN.
As you step on the
brake pedal, while in PARK (P), you may hear a click
from the solenoid of the BTSI.
This ensures that the
BTSI is operating properly.
I
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you wish. See
“Shifting Out of PARK (P)” in this section.
It is 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 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.
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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
“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.
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine
is cLracing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and
hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE: I
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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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is
for normal driving. If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, but it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD
(3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
0 When towing a trailer (so there is less shifting
0 When going down a steep hill.
between gears).
SECOND (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 25 miles
(40 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (90 km/h), or
you can damage your transaxle. Use THIRD
(3) or
AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) as much as
possible. Don’t shift into SECOND (2) unless you
are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h) or you
can damage your engine.
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Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot
and push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on. See “Brake System Warning Light” in
the Index.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot while you push down
on the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
(To
release the tension on the parking brake cable, you will
need to apply about the same amount of pressure to the
parking brake pedal as you did when you set the parking
brake.) When you remove your foot from the parking
brake pedal,
it will pop up to the released position.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Shifting Into PARK (P)
It can be 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. 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, use the steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
1, Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake with your left
foot
0 Pull the lever toward you.
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