light Oldsmobile Achieva 1997 s Workshop Manual

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.
If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles
or standing water, water can come in through
your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
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0 Turn on your low-beam headlamps -- not just
your parking lamps
-- to help make you more
visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have
good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
4-20

City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals. Here are ways
to increase your safety in city driving:
0 Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get
a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of
the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
0 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection
or may be running the
red light.

Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If
it needs service,
have
it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts in
Oldsmobile retail facilities all across North America,
They’ll be ready and willing
to help if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full?
Are all windows clean inside and outside?
Wil2er Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lumps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated
to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Oldsmobile in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and
a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
4-26

Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need
a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
There may be times when you want to tow your
Oldsmobile behind another vehicle for use at your
destination. Be sure to use the proper towing equipment
designed for recreational towing. Follow the instructions
for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
Follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
I NOTICE: I
Do not tow your vehicle with the front wheels in
contact with the ground, or the automatic
transaxle could be damaged.

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash on and
off.
Move the switch to the right
to make your front and rear
turn signal lights flash on
and off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key
is in, and even if the key isn't in.
To turn off the flashers, move the switch to the left.
When the hazard warning flashers
are on, your turn
signals won't work.
5-2

2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Oldsmobile, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured if the vehicles roll. Set the
parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put an automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual
transaxle in NEUTRAL
(N) .
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlet. Turn
off all
lamps that aren’t needed, as well as radios. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. In
addition, it could save your radio.
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
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An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
5-4

A CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this, and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery
has enough water. You don’t
need to add water to the Delco Freedom@ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there.
If it is low, add water to take
care of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too. Before you
connect the cables, here are some things
you should
know. Positive (+) will go to positive (+) and
negative
(-) will go to negative (-) or a metal engine
part. Don’t connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or
you’ll get a short that would damage the battery and
maybe other
parts, too.
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
5-5

Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Oldsmobile’s instrument panel. See “Engine Coolant
Temperature Gage” in the Index.
You will also find a
LOW COOLANT level warning light on your
Oldsmobile’s instrument panel. See “Low Coolant
Warning Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
/r CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even
if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it
off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before
you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
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NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution. is
If you
let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 kdh) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels.
If your vehicle
has the Enhanced Traction System, you should turn
the system off. (See “Enhanced Traction System”
in the Index.) Then
shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear (or with a manual
transaxle, between F’IRST
(1) or SECOND (2) and
REVERSE (R)), spinning the wheels as little as
possible. Release the accelerator pedal while you shift,
and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when the
transaxle is in gear. If that doesn’t get you out after
a
few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you do
need to be towed out, see “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.