ECO mode Oldsmobile Alero 2001 Owner's Manuals

2-9
When your vehicle was shipped from the factory it was
programmed in Mode 1. To determine the current mode
or to change to a different mode, do the following:
1. Put an automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual
transaxle in REVERSE (R) with the parking brake
engaged and turn the ignition to ON.
2. Press and hold the lower part of the power door lock
switch for 10 seconds. Release the switch when you
hear the chime.
3. Count the number of chimes you hear. The number
of chimes tells you which mode your vehicle is in.
You can change the mode by pressing and holding
the lower part of the power door lock switch (two
chimes for Mode 2, three chimes for Mode 3 and
four chimes for Mode 4).
4. Repeat Step 2 until you hear the number of chimes
that matches the mode you want.
The mode you selected is now set.Delayed Locking
This feature will allow the driver to delay the actual
locking of the vehicle. This feature will not operate if
the key is left in the ignition. See ªAnti
-Lockout
Protectionº later in this section.
When the lower part of the driver's power door lock
switch is pressed, with the key removed from the
ignition and the driver's door open, three chimes will
be heard. The doors will not lock. Seven seconds
after the driver's door has been closed, all of the doors
will lock and the parking lamps will flash. The horn
will also chirp if the horn chirp feature is enabled.
See ªProgrammable Horn Chirpº in the Index for
more information.
If the driver opens another door before the seven
seconds, the doors will not lock until seven seconds
after the last door is closed.
If the lower part of the power door lock switch is
pressed twice when leaving the vehicle, or the
LOCK button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
is pressed, the doors will lock immediately.
If the power door lock switch is pressed to unlock,
the doors will not lock automatically.

3-3
FRONT DEFROSTER: This position directs
most of the airflow through the window defroster vent.
Some of the air goes to the floor outlets. The air
conditioning compressor will run automatically in
this position when it is needed to help dry the air
in the vehicle.
Mode Buttons
: Press A/C to operate the air conditioner
compressor. The indicator light will glow when the
button is pressed to indicate that the air conditioning
system has been turned on. The fan knob must be
set to a speed for the air conditioning to operate.
OUTSIDE AIR: Press this button to force
the system to use outside air.
Pressing the OUTSIDE AIR button will cancel the
RECIRCULATION button.
RECIRCULATION: Press this button to limit
the amount of outside air entering your vehicle. This is
helpful when you are trying to limit odors entering your
vehicle. Press it again to turn off the recirculation.
Pressing the RECIRCULATION button will cancel the
OUTSIDE AIR button.RECIRCULATION is not available when the DEFOG
or FRONT DEFROSTER mode is selected, or when the
fan is off. When RECIRCULATION is selected, the air
conditioning compressor will run automatically to help
dry the air in the vehicle.
Air Conditioning
The air conditioner and heater work best if you keep
your windows closed while using them. Your vehicle
also has the flow
-through ventilation system described
later in this section.
For normal cooling on hot days, use UPPER with the
temperature knob in the blue area and the A/C indicator
light glowing.
On very hot days, open the windows long enough
to let hot inside air escape. This reduces the time it
takes for your vehicle to cool down, which should
help fuel economy.
On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body, but your lower body may not be warm enough.
You can use BI
-LEVEL with the temperature knob
in the middle and the A/C indicator light glowing. The
system directs slightly warmer air to your lower body.

3-8
SCV: Your system has a feature called
Speed
-Compensated Volume (SCV). With SCV,
your audio system adjusts automatically to make up
for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume
at the desired level. Press this button to select MIN,
MED or MAX. Each choice allows for more volume
compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then, as you
drive, SCV automatically increases the volume, as
necessary, to overcome noise at any particular speed.
The volume level should always sound the same to you
as you drive. If you don't want to use SCV, select OFF.
Finding a Station
AM FM: Press this button to switch between AM,
FM1 and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Turn this knob to select radio stations.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to go to the next
higher or lower station and stay there. The sound will
mute while seeking.SCAN: Press and hold the SEEK button for two seconds
until the SC icon appears on the display and you hear a
beep. Use SCAN to listen to stations for a few seconds.
The radio will go to a station, stop for a few seconds,
then go on to the next station. Press the SEEK button
again to stop scanning. If you press SEEK for more than
four seconds, the radio will change to PRESET SCAN
mode. The sound will mute while scanning.
PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons let
you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to
18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press AM FM to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press AUTO EQ to select the equalization that best
suits the type of station selected.
5. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons
until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that
numbered button, the station you set will return
and the equalization that you selected will also be
automatically selected for that button.
6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

3-10
Using RDS Mode
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful
new features. With RDS, the radio can:

seek only to stations with the types of programs
you want to listen to,

seek to stations with traffic announcements,

receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies and

receive and display messages from radio stations.
RDS features are only available for use on FM stations
which broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of
your radio rely upon receiving specific RDS information
from these stations. These features will only work when
the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio
station may broadcast incorrect information that will
cause the radio features to work improperly. If this
happens, please contact the radio station.
When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name
will appear on the display, instead of the frequency.
Most RDS stations provide their station name, the
time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their
current programming.TRAF: Press this button to receive traffic
announcements. The traffic announcement brackets will
appear on the display. TRAF will appear on the display
if the tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements.
If the current tuned station does not broadcast traffic
announcements, the radio will seek to a station that
does. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts
traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is
found, NONE FOUND will appear on the display.
When a traffic announcement comes on the tuned
radio station or a related network station, you will hear
it, even if the volume is muted or a compact disc is
playing. If the compact disc player was being used,
the compact disc will stay in the player and resume
play at the point where it stopped.
INFO: If the current station has a message, INFO
will appear on the display. Press this button to see
the message. If the whole message does not appear
on the display, parts of the message will appear every
three seconds until the message is completed. To see
the parts of the message faster than every three seconds,
press this button again. A new group of words will
appear on the display. Once the complete message has
been displayed, INFO will disappear from the display
until another new message is received.

3-11
P-TYPE: This button is used to turn on and off
Program Type (PTY) select. The PTY icon and the light
next to the button will turn on. The last selected PTY
will appear on the display for five seconds. Turn the
P
-TYPE knob to select the PTY you want to listen to.
Press SEEK or SCAN to find radio stations of the PTY
you want to listen to. The last PTY selected will be used
for seek or scan modes. If a station with the selected
PTY is not found, NONE FOUND will appear on the
display. If both P
-TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio
will search for stations with traffic announcements and
the selected PTY.
To use the P
-TYPE interrupt feature, press and hold the
P
-TYPE button until you hear a beep on the PTY you
want to interrupt on. When you are listening to compact
disc, the last selected RDS FM station will interrupt play
if that selected PTY format is broadcast.
PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons
let you return to your favorite Program Types (PTYs).
These buttons have factory PTY presets. You can set
up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Press P
-TYPE, if it is not already on.
2. Press AM FM to select FM1 or FM2.
3. Turn the SELECT knob to select a PTY.4. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons until
you hear a beep. Whenever you press that numbered
button, the PTY you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
ALERT!: This type of announcement warns of national
or local emergencies. You will not be able to turn off
alert announcements. ALERT! appears on the display
when an alert announcement plays. When an alert
announcement comes on the tuned radio station, you
will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a compact
disc is playing. If the compact disc player is playing,
play will stop for the announcement and resume when
the announcement is finished.
ALTERNATE FREQUENCY: This feature allows
the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same
program type. Press and hold AM FM for two seconds
to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on
the display. The radio may switch to stronger stations.
Press and hold AM FM again for two seconds to
turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on
the display. The radio will not switch to other stations.
When you turn the ignition off and then on again,
the alternate frequency feature will automatically be
turned on.

3-14 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Programmable
Equalization and Radio Data System (RDS)
(If Equipped)
Playing the Radio
VOLUME
-PWR: Press this knob to turn the system
on and off. To increase volume, turn the knob clockwise.
Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.
SCV: Your system has a feature called
Speed
-Compensated Volume (SCV). With SCV, your
audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road
and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the
desired level. Press this button to select MIN, MED
or MAX. Each choice allows for more volume compensation
at faster vehicle speeds. Then, as you drive, SCV
automatically increases the volume, as necessary, to
overcome noise at any particular speed. The volume
level should always sound the same to you as you drive.
If you don't want to use SCV, select OFF.
Finding a Station
AM FM: Press this button to switch between AM,
FM1 and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Turn this knob to select radio stations.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to go to the next
higher or lower station and stay there. The sound will
mute while seeking.
SCAN: Press and hold the SEEK button for two seconds
until the SC icon appears on the display and you hear a
beep. Use SCAN to listen to stations for a few seconds.
The radio will go to a station, stop for a few seconds,
then go on to the next station. Press the SEEK button
again to stop scanning. If you press SEEK for more than
four seconds, the radio will change to PRESET SCAN
mode. The sound will mute while scanning.

3-16
Using RDS Mode
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful
new features. With RDS, the radio can:

seek only to stations with the types of programs you
want to listen to,

seek to stations with traffic announcements,

receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies and

receive and display messages from radio stations.
RDS features are only available for use on FM stations
which broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of
your radio rely upon receiving specific RDS information
from these stations. These features will only work when
the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio
station may broadcast incorrect information that will
cause the radio features to work improperly. If this
happens, please contact the radio station.
When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name
will appear on the display, instead of the frequency.
Most RDS stations provide their station name, the
time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their
current programming.TRAF: Press this button to receive traffic
announcements. The traffic announcement brackets will
appear on the display. TRAF will appear on the display
if the tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements.
If the current tuned station does not broadcast traffic
announcements, the radio will seek to a station that
does. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts
traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is
found, NONE FOUND will appear on the display.
When a traffic announcement comes on the tuned
radio station or a related network station, you will hear
it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape or
compact disc is playing. If the cassette tape or compact
disc player was being used, the tape or compact disc
will stay in the player and resume play at the point
where it stopped.
INFO: If the current station has a message, INFO
will appear on the display. Press this button to see the
message. If the whole message does not appear on the
display, parts of the message will appear every three
seconds until the message is completed. To see the parts
of the message faster than every three seconds, press this
button again. A new group of words will appear on the
display. Once the complete message has been displayed,
INFO will disappear from the display until another new
message is received.

3-17
P-TYPE: This button is used to turn on and off
Program Type (PTY) select. The PTY icon and the light
next to the button will turn on. The last selected PTY
will appear on the display for five seconds. Turn the
P
-TYPE knob to select the PTY you want to listen to.
Press SEEK or SCAN to find radio stations of the PTY
you want to listen to. The last PTY selected will be used
for seek or scan modes. If a station with the selected
PTY is not found, NONE FOUND will appear on the
display. If both P
-TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio
will search for stations with traffic announcements and
the selected PTY.
To use the P
-TYPE interrupt feature, press and hold
the P
-TYPE button until you hear a beep on the PTY
you want to interrupt on. When you are listening to a
cassette or compact disc, the last selected RDS FM
station will interrupt play if that selected PTY format
is broadcast.
PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons let
you return to your favorite Program Types (PTYs).
These buttons have factory PTY presets. You can
set up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Press P
-TYPE, if it is not already on.
2. Press AM FM to select FM1 or FM2.3. Turn the SELECT knob to select a PTY.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons
until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that
numbered button, the PTY you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
ALERT!: This type of announcement warns of national
or local emergencies. You will not be able to turn off
alert announcements. ALERT! appears on the display
when an alert announcement plays. When an alert
announcement comes on the tuned radio station, you
will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette
tape or compact disc is playing. If the cassette tape
or compact disc player is playing, play will stop for the
announcement and resume when the announcement
is finished.
ALTERNATE FREQUENCY: This feature allows
the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same
program type. Press and hold AM FM for two seconds
to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on the
display. The radio may switch to stronger stations. Press
and hold AM FM again for two seconds to turn alternate
frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the display.
The radio will not switch to other stations. When you
turn the ignition off and then on again, the alternate
frequency feature will automatically be turned on.

8-7
In some cases, where service is impractical, the driver
may be authorized to obtain other service for which
reimbursement is provided.
In many instances, mechanical failures are covered
under Oldsmobile's comprehensive warranty. However,
when other services are utilized, our Roadside
Assistance Representatives will explain any payment
obligations you might incur.
For prompt and efficient assistance when calling,
please provide the following to the Roadside
Assistance Representative:

Location of vehicle

Telephone number of your location

Vehicle model, year and color

Mileage of vehicle

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Vehicle license plate number
Oldsmobile reserves the right to limit services or
reimbursement to an owner or driver when, in
Oldsmobile's judgement, the claims become excessive
in frequency or type of occurrence.While we hope you never have the occasion to
use our service, it is added security while traveling for
you and your family. Remember, we're only a
phone call away. Oldsmobile Roadside
Assistance
-- 1-800-442-OLDS (6537),
text telephone (TTY) users, call 1
-888-889-2438.
Canadian Roadside Assistance
Vehicles purchased in Canada have an extensive
roadside assistance program accessible from anywhere
in Canada or the United States. Please refer to the
separate brochure provided by the dealer or call
1
-800-268-6800 for emergency services.
Courtesy Transportation
Oldsmobile has always exemplified quality and value
in its offering of motor vehicles. To enhance your
ownership experience, we and our participating dealers
are proud to offer Courtesy Transportation, a customer
support program for new vehicles.
The Courtesy Transportation program is offered to
retail purchase/lease customers in conjunction with
the Bumper
-to-Bumper coverage provided by the
New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Several transportation
options are available when warranty repairs are
required. This will reduce your inconvenience during
warranty repairs.