Oldsmobile Achieva 1998 Owner's Manuals

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
or clutch pedal 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 Out of Cruise Control
Exterior Lamps
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal or push the clutch
pedal,
if you have a manual transaxle; OR
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasine the Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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Rotate the turn signal lever middle ring up one position
to turn on:
0 Parking Lamps
0 Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
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Rotate the turn signal lever middle ring up two positions
to turn on: The
DRL system
will make your high-beam neadlamps
come
on at a reduced brightness when:
0 Headlamps
0 Parking Lamps
0 Sidemarker Lamps
0 Taillamps
0 License Plate Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
Rotate the switch to
OFF to turn all of the lamps off.
Lamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door and turn off the
ignition 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.
0 The engine is running,
0 The headlamp switch is in the OFF position,
0 The light sensor detects daytime light,
0 The parking brake is released and
0 The shift lever is not in PARK (P).
When the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker,
park lamps and instrument panel lights will not
be illuminated.
The
DRL and the ALC systems will remain off any
time your vehicle is in
PARK (P) and the parking
brake is engaged.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
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Automatic Light Control (ALC)
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic light sensor
on top
of the instrument panel under the defroster grill,
so be sure it is not covered which will cause the
nighttime lights to be on continuously.
When it
is dark enough outside, your ALC will turn on
your headlamps that you were last using at the normal
brightness along with other lamps such as the taillamps,
sidemarker, park lamps and instrument panel lights.
There is a 20-second delay in the transition between
daytime and nighttime operation
of the DRL and the
ALC systems.
If the light sensor senses a reduction in
lighting that lasts longer than 20 seconds, it will activate
the nighttime lamps. If you are driving through a
parking garage, heavy overcast weather, a tunnel or
fueling your vehicle in a low light area, the ALC will
turn on your low-beam headlamps at a normal
brightness along with
the taillamps, sidemarker, park
lamps and the instrument panel lights. The radio lights
will be dimmer.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
You can brighten or dim the instrument panel cluster
lights by rotating the INT
LIGHTS switch.
Rotating the wheel to
MAX will turn on the
courtesy lamps.
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Illuminated Entry System
When you lift the outside handle of either front door or
open either rear door, the lamps inside your vehicle will
go on. These lamps will fade out after about
40 seconds,
or when the ignition is turned on after all doors have
been closed. If the ignition was recently turned off, the
lamps will fade out after four seconds. These lamps will
also
go on when you press the DOOR or UNLOCK
button on the optional remote lock control transmitter.
Front Reading Lamps (If Equipped)
If the ignition has been off for less than two minutes,
the lamps inside your vehicle will stay on for about
15 seconds after your key is removed from the ignition
to provide an illuminated exit.
These lamps and the interior courtesy lamps will come
on when you open the doors.
To turn on a reading lamp when the doors are closed,
press the button. Press it again to turn the lamp off.
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Rear Reading Lamps (If Equipped)
These overhead lamps and the interior courtesy lamps
will come on when you open the doors.
To turn on a reading lamp when the doors are closed,
push the button. Push
it again to turn off the lamp.
Trunk Lamp
The trunk lamp comes on when you open your trunk.
Battery Saver
Your Oldsmobile is equipped with a battery saver
feature designed to protect your vehicle’s battery.
When any interior lamp (trunk, reading, footwell or
glove box) is left on when the ignition
is turned off, the
battery saver system will automatically shut the lamp off
after
20 minutes. This will avoid draining the battery.
To reactivate the interior lamps, either:
The ignition must be turned on,
The activated lamp switch must be turned off and
then on or
0 A front door must be opened.
The battery saver feature will also be activated when
any door of your vehicle is
left open.

Mirrors
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lights behind you, move the lever
toward
you to the night position.
Power Remote Control Mirror
(If Equipped)
This selector knob, located
on the driver’s door,
controls both outside
rearview mirrors. Select
the mirror
you want to adjust by rotating the knob
to the left or right. Adjust each mirror
so that you can
just see the side
of your vehicle when you are sitting in a
comfortable driving position.
Turn
the knob to the center to turn the remote control
mirror off.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface
is curved so you can see more from
the driver’s seat.
% CAUTION:
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A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut
too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before changing lanes.
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Storage Compartments
Glove Box
Use one of the vehicle’s keys to lock and unlock
the glove box.
To open, pull the glove box handle
toward you.
Center Console Storage Area
The armrest opens into a storage area for cassette tapes,
gloves, etc.
To open it, lift up on driver’s side front portion
of the armrest. A tissue holder is located under
the lid
of the armrest. There is also an accessory power
outlet located in the front storage armrest.
To use the
accessory power outlet, see “Accessory Power Outlet”
later in this section.
Center Console Cupholder
The console provides space for holding a cup or soft
drink. To access the cupholder, pull the lid forward.
Sunglasses Storage
Place your sunglasses in the open area located above
you in the overhead console, or front compartment in
the center console.
Rear Seat Cupholder
The rear seat cupholder is located on the back of the
center console. To access the rear seat cupholder, pull
the door down.
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Ashtray and Lighter
Lift the cover to reveal the front ashtray in the front
storage armrest.
To open the rear ashtray, rotate it in either direction.
Lift it out
by pushing down on the snuffer.
NOTICE:
Don’t put papers or other flammable things
into your ashtrays.
Lit cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite them, causing
a
damaging fire.
To use the lighter, just push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
I NOTICE:
If you hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while
it is heating, it won’t be able to back away
from the heating element when it’s ready. That
can make
it overheat, damaging the lighter and
the heating element.
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Sunvisors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors.
You can also swing them
to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Open the visor cover to expose the vanity mirror.
Accessory Power Outlet
The accessory power outlet is located in the front
storage armrest. You can use it to plug in an additional
electrical accessory. Just open the armrest lid and
remove the plug from the outlet. Be sure to follow the
proper installation instructions that are included with
any electrical accessory you install. The accessory
power outlet
is protected by a fuse and has a maximum
current level.
Garment Hook
Push down on the tab
marked with a hanger
symbol
to fold down
the garment
hook.

Instrument Panel
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