light Oldsmobile Silhouette 2001 s Owner's Guide

2-37
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
Even if you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it's still best to lock it up and take your key.
But what if you have to leave your key? What if you
have to leave something valuable in your vehicle?

Put your valuables in a storage area, like your
glove box.

If your vehicle has a remote keyless entry system,
take the transmitter with you.

Lock all the doors except the driver's.
Content Theft-Deterrent (Option)
If your vehicle has this option, it has a theft-deterrent
alarm system.
A light located on top of your instrument panel (near the
center of the vehicle, next to the windshield) will flash
slowly to let you know that the system has been armed.
While armed, the doors will not unlock with the power
door lock switch.

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Once armed, the alarm will go off if someone tries to
enter the vehicle (without using the remote keyless entry
transmitter or a key), breaks a window, tries to damage
the vehicle or turns the ignition to ON. The horn will
sound and the parking lamps will flash for up to
two minutes.
When the alarm is armed, the liftgate may be opened
with the remote keyless entry transmitter or with a key.
Arming with the Power Lock Switch
Your alarm system will arm when you use either power
door lock switch to lock the doors while any door or the
liftgate is open and the key is removed from the ignition.
If you would like to turn on power door lock switch
arming, see ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting
Choicesº in the Index.
The security light flashes quickly to let you know when
the system is ready to arm with the power door lock
switches. The security light will stop flashing and stay
on when you press the rear of the power door lock
switch, to let you know the system is arming. After all
doors and the liftgate are closed and locked, the security
light will begin flashing at a very slow rate to let you
know the system is armed.
Arming with the Remote Keyless
Entry Transmitter
Your alarm system will arm when you use your remote
keyless entry transmitter to lock the doors, if the key is
not in the ignition. The security light will turn on to let
you know the system is arming. After all doors and the
liftgate are closed and locked, the security light will
begin flashing at a very slow rate to let you know the
system is armed.
Arming with Your Key
Your alarm system will arm when you use your key to
lock the doors. The security light will turn on to let you
know the system is arming. After all doors and the
liftgate are closed and locked, the security light will
begin flashing at a very slow rate to let you know the
system is armed. If you would like your key not to
arm the system, see ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and
Lighting Choicesº in the Index.

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Arming Confirmation
If remote unlock confirmation is on, your parking lamps
will flash to let you know when your alarm system has
disarmed. If you would not like the parking lamps to
flash, see ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting
Choicesº in the Index.
Disarming with the Remote Keyless
Entry Transmitter
Your alarm system will disarm when you use your
remote keyless entry transmitter to unlock the doors.
The security light will stop flashing to let you know the
system is no longer armed.
Disarming with Your Key
Your alarm system will disarm when you use your key
to unlock the doors. The security light will stop flashing
to let you know the system is no longer armed. If you
would like your key not to disarm the alarm system, see
ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº in
the Index.
Nuisance Alarms
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 ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº
in the Index for more information. See your dealer or
qualified technician for service.

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NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can't
turn it, be sure you are using the correct key;
if so, is it all the way in? If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while you turn the
key hard. But turn the key only with your hand.
Using a tool to force it could break the key or the
ignition switch. If none of this works, then your
vehicle needs service.
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 the 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.
If the engine is not running, ACCESSORY and RUN
are positions that allow you to operate your electrical
accessories, such as the radio.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
With RAP, the power windows, the power rear quarter
windows (if equipped), audio system and the optional
electronic level control (ELC) will continue to work up
to 10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to OFF
and none of the doors are opened.

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Parking Brake
The parking brake is located
on the driver's side, under
the instrument panel.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push down on the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on. See ªBrake System Warning Lightº
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 ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.

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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.
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
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
marked WIPER.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
band on mist longer.
For delayed wiping cycles, you can set the wiper speed
for a long or short delay between wipes. This can be
very useful in light rain or snow. Turn the band to
choose the delay time. The closer to LOW, the shorter
the delay time.
For steady wiping cycles, at low speed, turn the band
away from you to the LOW position. For high
-speed
wiping, turn the band further to HIGH. To stop the
wipers, turn the band to OFF.
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.

2-64
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal, or

move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp control is located to the left of the
steering column.

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Turning the control to this setting turns on the
following:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the control to this setting turns on the
headlamps, together with the following:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the control to this setting turns off all the
lamps and lights.
Lamps on Reminder
If the driver's door is opened and you turn the ignition
to OFF or LOCK while leaving the lamps on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during
the day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully
functional daytime running lights are required on all
vehicles first sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes
the DRL work, so be sure it isn't covered. The DRL
system will make your front parking and turn signal
lamps come on in daylight when the following
conditions are met:

The ignition is on,

the headlamp control is off, and

the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your front parking and
turn signal lamps will be on. Your instrument panel
won't be lit up.
When it's dark enough outside, the exterior lamps will
come on automatically. When it's bright enough outside,
the exterior lamps will turn off and the DRL will turn
on. Of course, you may still turn on the headlamps
any time you need to.

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To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then start
the vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps switch is
located in the instrument
panel switchbank. Push the
fog lamp symbol on the
switch to turn on the lamps.The indicator light will glow when the fog lamps are on.
Push the top part of the switch to turn them off.
The indicator light will go off.
Your parking lamps or headlamps must be on for your
fog lamps to turn on.
When your DRL are on, the headlamps control must
first be turned from the off position before the fog
lamps can be turned on. At night, when the light sensor
automatically turns on your headlamps, the fog lamps
can be turned on when the headlamps control is in
any position.
Your fog lamps will go off when you switch to
high beams. Using your high beams in fog is
not recommended.

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Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
Turn the thumbwheel, located below the headlamps
control, clockwise to increase the brightness of the
instrument panel lights, and counterclockwise to
decrease the brightness. Turn the thumbwheel all the
way counterclockwise to turn them off.
Interior Lamps Control
Turn the thumbwheel all the way clockwise to turn on
the interior lamps, if the interior lamps override switch
is off. Turn the thumbwheel counterclockwise to turn
the lamps off.
Interior Lamps Override Switch
This switch is located
in the overhead
console switchbank.
Press the symbol on the bottom of the switch to
override control of the interior lamps and turn off power
to the courtesy lamps, reading lamps, visor vanity lamps
(if equipped) and glove box lamp. This feature allows
you to have the lamps off when any door is open.
Press the top of the interior lamps override switch to
turn power back on to the interior lamps. This will
allow the lamps to stay on when any door is open.