brake light Oldsmobile Achieva 1998 Owner's Manuals

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
ACID COULD
&
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have to
do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
PAEJN&
pf
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
RUNNING
.‘:**o
DAYTIME LAMPS
***
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols are. on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
TEMP -
CHARGING BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
Wb
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER
HORN
)b.
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
V

Section 2 2s and COI :- 11s
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained
are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2-2
2-4
2-6 2-10
2-11
2- 12
2-13
2-13
2- 14
2-
17
2-18
2-23
2-24 2-26 Keys
Door Locks
Remote
Lock Control
(If Equipped)
Trunk
Theft
Passlock@
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions”
Starting Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P) 2-26
2-27
2-27
2-28
2-29 2-29
2-30
2-37
2-39
2-42
2-43 2-45
2-46
2-50 Parking Over
Things That
Burn
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked
Windows
Horn
Tilt Wheel
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Interior Lamps
Mirrors Storage Compartments
Accessory Power Outlet
Instrument Panel
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2-1

Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right
foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left
foot. If the ignition is on,
the brake system warning
light will come on.
To release
the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down. Pull the
BRAKE RELEASE lever.
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 a hill, see
“Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first
to keep the trailer from moving.
2-23

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.
I
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
2-37

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.
2-38

If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
It could indicate that you have a loose generator drive
belt or another electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn
off all your accessories, such as the radio
and
air conditioner.
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to
RUN. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes
on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer
to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
I I I I
United States Canada Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you’ve
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when
you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released,
it means you have a brake problem.
2-52

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system,
this light will
come on when you start
your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
ETS
OFF
With the Enhanced Traction
System (ETS),
this warning
light should come on briefly
as you start the engine.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to
OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle needs
service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
brakes.
If the regular brake system warning light is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System
Warning Light” earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem. If
the warning light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the warning light stays on, or comes on when you’re
driving, there may be a problem with your Enhanced
Traction System and your vehicle may need service.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the button the
warning light will come on and stay on. To turn the
system back on, press the button again. The warning
light should go
off. (See “Enhanced Traction
System” in the Index for more information.)
2-53

0 The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running, and it will
stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release fully.
If the system is turned on and the warning light
stays on after your parking brake
is fully released, it
means there’s a problem with the system.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light comes
on and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system
is turned on and the parking brake is fully
released, your vehicle needs service.
Enhanced Traction System Active Light
LOW
TRAC
When your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin, this light
will come on.
Slippery road conditions may exist
if the Enhanced
Traction System active light comes
on, so adjust your
driving accordingly. The light will stay
on for a
few seconds after the
Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel spin.
The Enhanced Traction System active light also comes
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
there to tell you when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves
into the red area, your
engine is too hot! It means
that your engine coolant
has overheated.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems
on the Road,’’ this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, 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 vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. 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.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Enhanced Traction System
If your vehicle has the optional four-speed automatic
transaxle, it also has an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This
is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one
or both of the front wheels are spinning
or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power and may also upshift
the
transaxle to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See “Enhanced
Traction System Active
Light” in the Index.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only when
necessary. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
31 When the system is on and
ETS
OFF
the parking brake is fully
released, this warning light
will come on
to let you
know if there’s a problem
with the system.
See “Enhanced Traction System Warning Light’’ in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-9