light Oldsmobile Alero 2002 s Service Manual

2-74 Security Light
This light will come on
when you turn the key to
ON and will stay on until
the vehicle starts.
If you're driving and the security light comes on and
remains on, your Passlock

system is not working
properly. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock and
you should see your dealer.
Cruise Light
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you set your
cruise control.
Low Washer Light
United States Canada
This light will come on briefly when you turn on the
ignition. It will also stay on, or come on and a chime
will sound, if the windshield washer fluid reservoir is
less than one
-third full.

2-75 Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
briefly when you turn
on the ignition.
It will stay on, or come on and a chime will sound if it
detects a problem on the vehicle, such as a Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) or an Automatic Light Control
(ALC) malfunction. If this happens, see your dealer as
soon as possible.
Fuel Gage
United States CanadaYour fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you
have left, when the ignition is on. When the indicator
nears empty, the light will come on and you will hear a
chime. You still have a little fuel left, but you should get
more soon.
Here are four things that some owners ask about.
None of these show a problem with your fuel gage:

At the service station, the gas pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.

It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank's capacity to fill
the tank.

The indicator moves a little when you turn a corner
or speed up.

The gage goes back to empty when you turn off
the ignition.

3-3
Mode Buttons
A/C (Air Conditioning): Press A/C to operate the
air conditioning. The 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 this 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 this 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 vent mode with the
temperature knob in the blue area and the A/C button
pressed in.
On very hot days, begin by opening 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.
For quicker cool
-down on very hot days, use vent mode
with the temperature knob all the way in the blue area
and the A/C button pressed in. Begin with the outside air
button pressed for a few minutes, or until the vehicle
begins to feel cool. Then push the recirculation button.
If the recirculation setting is used for long periods of
time, the air in your vehicle may become too dry.

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.

3-11
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.

3-18
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. 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 clockwise or
counterclockwise to select the PTY you want to
listen to. The list is alphabetical. If you select ANY
TYPE your radio will seek to the first PTY available.
3. Press the right SEEK arrow to find radio stations for
that PTY. 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. 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. An asterisk will appear next to the
PTY name (for example CLASSICAL*). 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.
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.

3-24
Compact Disc Messages
CHECK CD: If this message appears on the radio
display and the disc comes out, it could be for one of the
following reasons:

The road is too rough. The disc should play when the
road is smoother.

The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or upside down.

The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason,
try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.Theft-Deterrent Feature
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.

3-26 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren't, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN
PLAYR to indicate that you have used your tape player
for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If
this message appears on the display, your cassette tape
player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent
damage to your tapes and player. If you notice a
reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to
see if it is the tape or the tape player at fault. If this other
cassette has no improvement in sound quality, clean the
tape player.The recommended cleaning method for your cassette
tape player is the use of a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn.
The recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealer (GM Part No. 12344789).
When cleaning the cassette tape player with the
recommended non
-abrasive cleaning cassette, it is
possible that the cassette may eject, because the cut tape
detection feature on your radio may recognize it as a
broken tape. To prevent the cleaning cassette from being
ejected, use the following steps.
1. Turn the ignition to ON or ACC.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press and hold the TP CD button for five seconds.
4. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette.
5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer's
recommended cleaning time.

3-27
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 the eject
button for five seconds to reset the CLEAN PLAYR
indicator. The radio will display CLEANED 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 signal surface 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.