ABS Oldsmobile Achieva 1995 Owner's Manuals

you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don‘t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine
stops, you
will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up,
it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will
be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Oldsrnobile has an advanced electronic braking
system that
will help prevent a braking skid.
I LOCK @)
ANTI-
CHECK
OABES
This light on the
instrument panel
will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle. When you
start yo~~r vehicle, or when
you begin to drive
away, you may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves a little while this is going on.
This is the ABS
system testing itself.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system
warning light
will stay on or flash.
See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index.
4-6

Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps
out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes
at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal. If you get too
close to the vehicle
in front of you, you won’t have time
to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
4- I

Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In
any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited
to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
Oldsmobile’s three control systems. In the braking skid
your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering
skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration
skid too much throttle causes
the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If
your vehicle starts to slide,
ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way
you want the
vehicle to go. If
you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material
is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving
on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to
a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn
to recognize warning clues --
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface’’ -- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only
the braking skid.
4-12
-

Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long
or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get
hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, use the highest gear possible.
If
you cannot maintain posted speeds, driving at a lower
speed may help avoid overheating your engine and
transaxle.
If you have a manual transaxle with fifth gear,
it’s better
not to use fifth gear. Just drive in fourth gear (or, as
you
need to, a lower gear).
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached,
on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if
you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how
to do it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK
(P) yet, or into gear for a manual transaxle.
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When the wheel chocks are
in place, release the
regular brakes until
the chocks absorb the load.
Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK
(P), or REVERSE (R)
for a manual transaxle.
Release the regular brakes.
4-37

-L- El
F/P IN.1 e,
iNST LPS GAUGES
I I
H3LP CIRCUIT BREAKER
~ CIRCUIT PWR WDO
BREAKER
PWA ACC
BREAKEI? - CIRCUIT
Fuse Usage
PRNDL
F/P INJ
STOP HAZ
AIR BAG
INST. LPS Circuitry
Electronic PRNDL display (automatic transaxle)
Fuel
Pump, Fuel Injectors
Hazard/Stop Lamps
Power Door Locks, Power Mirrors, Cigar Lighter
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
Interior Lamps Dimming
Fuse
GAUGES
HORN
ALARM
HTR-A/C
RDO
TURN DR
LK
TAIL LPS
WDO
WIPER
ERLS DR UNLK
FTP
ACC
AIR BAG PCM CRUISE
HDLP Circuitry
Rear Window Defogger,
Gauges, Warning
Lights
Horn, Fog Lamps
Chime, Interior Lamps, Automatic Door
Locks, Remote Lock Control
Heater, Air Conditioning, Anti-Lock Brakes
(ABS), Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
(Canada)
Radio
Turn Signals
Automatic Door Locks
Fog Lamps, Tail Lamps, Marker Lamps,
License Lamp
Power Windows, Sunroof (Circuit Breaker)
Windshield Wipersmashers
Engine Controls, Back-up Lamps
Automatic Door Unlock (Remove
to Disable)
Flash-to-Pass
(U.S.)
Rear Window Antenna, Power Seats, Rear
Window Defogger, Power Sunroof (Circuit
Breaker)
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
Powertrain Control Module, Ignition System
Cruise Control
Headlamps (Circuit Breaker)
6-52