Oldsmobile Alero 2002 Owner's Manuals

3-4
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 button pressed in. The system
directs slightly warmer air to your lower body.
Heating
On cold days, use floor mode and the outside air button
with the temperature knob all the way in the red area.
The system will bring in outside air, heat it and send it to
the floor outlets.
Your vehicle has heat ducts that are directed toward
the rear seat. Keep the area under the front seats clear
of obstructions so the heated air can reach the rear
seat passengers.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you can use
it to help your system provide warm air faster when it's
cold outside (0
F (
-18
C) or lower). An engine coolant
heater warms the coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See ªEngine Coolant
Heaterº in the Index.
Defogging and Defrosting Windows
Your system has two settings for clearing the front and
side windows. For each setting, adjust the temperature
knob as desired.To defrost the front window quickly, turn the
temperature knob all the way in the red area. Use front
defroster and adjust the fan to the highest speed. To
warm passengers while keeping the front window clean,
use defog. When you switch to defog or defrost modes
your system will automatically move from recirculation
into outside air. When you move the mode knob back to
vent or bi±level, the system will move back into
recirculation. When the car is turned off and back on the
system will default to outside air automatically.
The recirculation setting in cold weather should be used
only for outside odor control so that fog formation on
the windows is reduced.
Your vehicle is equipped with side window defogger
vents. The side window defogger vents are located
above the side instrument panel vents. To defrost the
side windows, turn the temperature knob all the way in
the red area. Use floor mode and adjust the fan to the
highest speed.
To defog the side windows while using air conditioning,
use bi
-level and adjust the fan to the highest speed and
press the A/C button so that the indicator light is glowing.
For added airflow to the side windows, aim the side vents
toward the windows and close the center vents.

3-5 Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear window.
The button is located
at the bottom, on the right
of the climate controls.
Press the defogger button. The indicator light will glow.
The rear window defogger will turn itself off after about
10 minutes after the first time the button is pressed, and
after five minutes each additional time the button is
pressed. You can turn the defogger off by pressing the
button again or turning off the ignition.Do not attach a temporary vehicle license across the
defogger grid on the rear window.NOTICE:
Don't use a razor blade or anything else sharp
on the inside of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn't be covered by your warranty.
Ventilation System
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use vent mode and direct outside air
through your vehicle. Your vehicle also has the
flow
-through ventilation system.
Your vehicle's flow
-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning
fan is running.

3-6
You will find air outlets in the center and on the sides of
your instrument panel.
You can direct the airflow side to side by moving the
sliding levers. The outlet louvers can also be tilted up
and down. To control the amount of airflow through the
outlets, turn the thumbwheel.Ventilation Tips

Keep the hood and the area around the windshield
wipers free of ice, snow or any other obstruction,
such as leaves. The heater and defroster will work
better, reducing the chance of fogging the inside
of your windows.

Keep the air path under the front seats clear
of objects to help air circulate throughout
your vehicle.

When an objectionable odor outside the vehicle is
encountered, the recirculation setting can prevent the
odor from being drawn into the vehicle through the
ventilation system. For example, this usage of
recirculation can be helpful when driving through a
long tunnel with poor ventilation. However,
extended use of recirculation in cold or cool
weather can cause window fogging.

3-7
Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your
audio system even after the ignition is turned off.
See ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º in the Index.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears.
The letters AM or PM will appear on the display. Then,
press and hold MN until the correct minute appears.
The clock may be set with the ignition on or off.
To set the clock to the time of an FM station
broadcasting Radio Data System (RDS) information,
press and hold HR and MN at the same time until
UPDATED appears on the display. If the time is not
available from the station, NO UPDATE will appear on
the display instead.
AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player
with Programmable Equalization and
Radio Data System (RDS)
Playing the Radio
POWER: Press this knob to turn the system on and off.
VOLUME: Turn the knob clockwise to increase
volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

3-8
SCV (Speed-Compensated Volume): 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 higher 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 speed. The volume
level should always sound the same to you as you drive.
If you don't want to use SCV, select OFF.
RCL (Recall): Press this button to display the time
with the ignition on or off. When the radio is playing,
press this knob to display the station frequency.
Finding a Station
BAND: 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 right or left arrow to go to the
next or previous station and stay there. The radio will
seek to stations with a strong signal only. The sound
will mute while seeking.


SCAN
: Press and hold either arrow for two
seconds until SC appears on the display and you hear
a beep. The radio will go to a station, play for a few
seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either
arrow again to stop scanning. The radio will scan to
stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute
while scanning.
To scan preset stations, press and hold either SCAN
arrow for more than four seconds, PRESET SCAN will
appear on the display. You will hear a double beep and
the P will blink with the preset number. The radio will
go to the first preset station stored on your pushbuttons,
play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset
station. Press either SCAN arrow again to stop scanning
presets. The radio will scan preset stations with a strong
signal only. The sound will mute while scanning.

3-9
Setting Preset Stations
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), by performing the
following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press BAND to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
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 pushbuttons
until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that
numbered pushbutton, the station you set will return
and the equalization that you selected will also be
automatically selected for that pushbutton.
6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
AUDIO: Press and release the AUDIO button until
BASS, MID or TREB appears on the display. Press the
knob above the AUDIO button to extend it, then turn the
knob to increase or decrease. When you use this knob,
the radio's tone setting will switch to manual. If a station
is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble.
Pressing and holding the AUDIO button for at least
two seconds will return all tone settings, including
balance and fade, to flat.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalizer): This feature
allows you to choose preset bass, midrange and treble
equalization settings designed for country, jazz, talk,
pop, rock and classical program types.
The program type last chosen will appear on the display
when you first press AUTO EQ. Each time you press
this button, another program type will appear on the
display and AUTO EQ will switch to one of the preset
program types.
To return to the manual mode, press the AUTO EQ
button until MANUAL appears on the display. Then
you will be able to manually adjust the bass, midrange
and treble using the AUDIO button.

3-10
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO: To adjust balance between the right and left
speakers, press and release the AUDIO button until
BAL appears on the display. Press the knob above the
AUDIO button to extend it, then turn the knob to adjust
the sound to the left or right speakers. The middle
position balances the sound between the speakers.
To adjust fade between the front and rear speakers, press
and release the AUDIO button until FAD appears on the
display. Press the knob above the AUDIO button to
extend it, then turn the knob to adjust the sound to the
left or right speakers. The middle position balances the
sound between the speakers.
Pressing and holding the AUDIO button for at least two
seconds will return all tone settings, including bass and
treble, to flat.Using RDS
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful new
features. With RDS, the radio can do the following:

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, 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.

3-11
Finding a PTY Preset Station
To find a PTY preset station, perform the
following steps:
1. Press the P
-TYPE button to turn on PTY select, if it
is not already on. PTY will be displayed and the light
next to the button will turn on. The last selected PTY
will appear on the display for five seconds.
2. Turn the P
-TYPE knob either clockwise or
counterclockwise to select a program type. The list is
alphabetical. If you select ANY TYPE your radio
will seek to the first PTY available.
3. Push the SEEK button to activate search. The radio
will seek to the first RDS broadcaster of the selected
program type. If the radio cannot find the desired
program type, NOT FOUND will appear on the
display and the radio will return to the last station
you were listening to.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. An asterisk will appear next to the
PTY name (for example CLASSICAL*). When you are
listening to a compact disc, the last selected RDS FM
station will interrupt play if that selected PTY format is
broadcast.
BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency
allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the
same program type. Press and hold BAND 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 BAND 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.


SEEK
: Press the right arrow to go to a station
with the last selected PTY; TYPE and the last selected
PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already
showing. Press SEEK a second time to seek. If a station
with the selected PTY is not found, the radio will return
to the original station and display NOT FOUND.

3-12
Setting PTY Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your
favorite Program Types (PTYs). These pushbuttons have
factory PTY presets. You can set up to 12 PTYs (six
FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps:
1. Press BAND to select FM1 or FM2.
2. Press the P
-TYPE button to activate program
type mode.
3. Turn the P
-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons
until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that
numbered pushbutton, the PTY you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
RDS Messages
ALERT!: This message 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 current 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.TRAF (Traffic): Press this button to receive traffic
announcements. The traffic announcement brackets will
appear on the display. TRAF will appear on the display
if the current station broadcasts traffic announcements.
If the current 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,
NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display.
When a traffic announcement comes on the current
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 (Information): 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.

3-13
Playing a Compact Disc
With the ignition on, insert a disc partway into the
slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the
disc should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD
when the ignition is off, first press the eject button
or the RCL knob.
When the disc is inserted, the CD symbol will be
displayed. If you select an EQ setting for your CD,
it will be activated each time you play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
If an error appears on the display, see ªCompact Disc
Messagesº later in this section.
1 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release it to play the passage. The
display will show elapsed time.
2 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release it to play the passage. The
display will show elapsed time.4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM
and the track number will appear on the display.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalizer): Press AUTO EQ
to select the desired preset equalization setting while
playing a compact disc. The equalization will be
automatically set whenever you play a compact disc.
See ªAUTO EQº listed previously for more information.


SEEK
: Press the left arrow to go to the start of
the current track if more than eight seconds have played.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If you hold
either arrow or press them more than once, the player
will continue moving backward or forward through
the disc.


SCAN
: Press and hold either arrow for more than
two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you
hear a beep. The disc will go to the next track, play for a
few seconds, then go on to the next track. Press either
arrow again to stop scanning. The sound will mute while
scanning. SCAN and the track number will appear on
the display.