Line Oldsmobile Alero 2001 Owner's Manuals

1-5
But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.

2-20
Passlock
Your vehicle is equipped with the Passlock
theft
-deterrent system.
Passlock is a passive theft
-deterrent system. Passlock
enables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder has not been
tampered with.
During normal operation, the SECURITY light will go
off approximately five seconds after the ignition key is
turned to ON and the engine is started.
If the SECURITY light flashes with the key to ON, wait
10 minutes until the light goes off. Then turn the
ignition to OFF before attempting to start the engine.
New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
NOTICE:
Your vehicle doesn't need an elaborate
ªbreak
-in.º But it will perform better in the long
run if you follow these guidelines:

Don't drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don't make full
-throttle starts.

Avoid making hard stops for the first
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren't yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking
-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.

Don't tow a trailer during break
-in.
See ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index for
more information.

2-23 Manual Transaxle
The gear selector should be in NEUTRAL and the parking
brake engaged. Hold the clutch pedal to the floor and start
the engine. Your vehicle won't start if the clutch pedal is
not all the way down
-- that's a safety feature.
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine warms up.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid
draining your battery or damaging your starter.
2. If the engine doesn't start in 10 seconds, or if the
weather is very cold (below
-20
F or -29
C), push
the accelerator pedal about one
-quarter of the way
down while you turn the key to START. Do this until
the engine starts. As soon as it does, let go of the key.
3. If your engine still won't start (or starts but then stops),
it could be flooded with too much gasoline. Try pushing
your accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and
holding it there as you hold the key in START for a
maximum of 15 seconds. This clears the extra gasoline
from the engine. If the engine still won't start or starts
briefly but then stops again, repeat Step 1 or 2,
depending on temperature. When the engine starts,
release the key and the accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer. If you don't,
your engine might not perform properly.

2-53
Sunroof (Option)
If your vehicle has a sunroof, the switch is located on
the headliner between the sun visors. The sunroof will
only operate when the ignition is in ON.
The sunroof can be opened to a vent position or it can be
express
-opened all of the way.
To open the sunroof to the vent position, you must first
open the sunshade by hand. Then push the switch back
and release it.
To fully open the sunroof, push the switch back again
and release it.
In both the vent and fully open positions, the air flow
can be adjusted for driving comfort by pushing and
holding the switch forward until the sunroof moves to
the desired position.To close the sunroof, push the switch forward and hold
it until the sunroof is closed. The sunroof will stop if the
switch is released during operation. Remember to close
the sunshade by hand.
The sunroof glass panel cannot be opened or closed if
your vehicle has an electrical failure.
NOTICE:
Do not attempt to force the sunshade forward of
the sliding glass panel. Damage will occur and the
sunroof may not open or close properly.

3-22 Personal Choice Radio Controls
(If Equipped)
With this feature, your vehicle will recall the latest radio
settings as adjusted the last time your vehicle was
operated. This feature allows two different drivers to
store and recall their own radio settings for AM and FM
presets, last tuned station, volume, tone and audio
source (radio, cassette or CD). The settings recalled by
the radio are determined by which transmitter was used
to enter the vehicle. After the UNLOCK button is
pressed on the transmitter and the ignition is in ON,
the radio settings will automatically adjust to where
they were last set by the identified driver. All vehicles
are shipped with this feature on. This feature can be
disabled by your dealer if desired.
Theft-Deterrent Feature RDS Radios
THEFTLOCK
is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning a
portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOCKED will be displayed.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not
operate if stolen.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and go.
Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal can be
loud and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.

3-24
When using a scrubbing action, non-abrasive cleaning
cassette, it is normal for the cassette to eject because
your unit is equipped with a broken tape detection
feature and a cleaning cassette may appear as a broken
tape. If the cleaning cassette ejects, insert the cassette
at least three times to ensure thorough cleaning.
You may also choose a non
-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject on its own. A non
-scrubbing action cleaner may
not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type cleaner.
The use of a non
-scrubbing action, dry-type cleaning
cassette is not recommended.
After you clean the player, press and hold EJECT for
five seconds to reset the CLN indicator. The radio will
display
--- to show the indicator was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your Compact Disc Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with
lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Backglass Antenna
Your AM-FM antenna is integrated with your
rear window defogger, located in the rear window.
Be sure that the inside surface of the rear window is
not scratched and that the lines on the glass are not
damaged. If the inside surface is damaged, it could
interfere with radio reception.

3-25
NOTICE:
Do not try to clear frost or other material from
the inside of the rear window with a razor blade
or anything else that is sharp. This may damage
the rear defogger grid and affect your radio's
ability to pick up stations clearly. The repairs
wouldn't be covered by your warranty.
Because this antenna is built into your rear window,
there is a reduced risk of damage caused by car washes
and vandals.
If you choose to add a cellular telephone to your vehicle,
and the antenna needs to be attached to the glass, be sure
that you do not damage the grid lines for the AM
-FM
antenna. There is enough space between the lines to
attach a cellular telephone antenna without interfering
with radio reception.
Chime Level Adjustment
The radio is the vehicle chime producer. The chime is
produced from the driver's side front door speakers.
To change the volume level, press and hold pushbutton
six with the ignition on and the radio power off.
The chime volume level will change from the normal
level to loud, and LOUD will be displayed on the radio.
To change back to the default or normal setting, press
and hold the pushbutton six again. The chime level will
change from the loud level to normal, and NORMAL
will be displayed. Each time the chime volume is
changed, three chimes will sound as an example of the
new volume selected. Chime level adjustment is only
available on RDS radios. Removing the radio and not
replacing it with a factory radio or chime module will
disable vehicle chimes.

4-13
Off-Road Recovery
You may find that your right wheels have dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to one
-quarter turn
until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down
the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two
-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two
-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:

ªDrive ahead.º Look down the road, to the sides and
to crossroads for situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for a better time.

Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it's all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.

4-14

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you're awaiting an opportunity. For
one thing, following too closely reduces your area
of vision, especially if you're following a larger
vehicle. Also, you won't have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.

When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don't get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have
a ªrunning startº that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.

If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)

Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two
-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.

Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.

If you're being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.

6-3
CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.

Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.

Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your dealer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher.
It is recommended that the gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and endorsed by the
Canadian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association for
better vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasolines
meeting the AAMA specification could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasolines.
In Canada, look for the
ªAuto Makers' Choiceº
label on the fuel pump.
Canada Only