tow Oldsmobile Alero 2003 s User Guide

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 on page 4-36.
1g Inti Park (P)
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
It can be dangerous to get t of yc r vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t
move, even when you’re on fairly level ground,
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
6.E p& yt :G#436;i’. if ye.;’;e p6~w.~zg
If your vehicle is an automatic transaxle, do the following
to shift into PARK (P):
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
Hold in the button on the shift lever.
Push the shift lever all the way toward the front
of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle
is in PARK (P).
2-27

It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To
be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, always set your parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
I
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See
Shifting Into Park (P) on page 2-27.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a trailer,
also see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-36.
2-31

Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
The mirror can be adjusted two ways. First, to adjust
the height
of the mirror, adjust the arm that connects the
mirror to the windshield. Second, adjust the angle
of
the mirror, by moving the mirror to a position that allows
you to see out
of the back window.
To reduce glare from headlamps behind you, move the
lever toward you to the night position. To return the
mirror
to the daytime position, move the lever away
from you.
Outside Remote Control Mirror
The outside rearview mirror should be adjusted so you
can see a little
of the side of your vehicle when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Adjust the driver’s outside mirror with the control lever
on the driver’s door.
To adjust your passenger’s mirror, sit in the driver’s seat
and have a passenger adjust the mirror for you.
2-32

Storage Areas
Glove Box
To open, pull the glove box latch toward you.
Cupholder(s)
Pull down the door on the rear of the center console to
use the rear seat cupholders.
Center Console Storage Area
The center console has two separate storage areas. To
open, pull up on the lid.
2-34

Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit and enter
your vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
I I
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move the wheel
to a comfortable
position and release
the iever to iock the wheei in piace. The
lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Flash-to-pass
For information on the exterior lamps. See
Exterior
Lamps on page 3-13 later in this section.
3-7

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the turn is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction
of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by itself
when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change,
if the arrows
flash rapidly, a signal bulb may be burned out and other
drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident.
If the arrows don’t go on at all when you signal
a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and then check the
fuse. See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-81.
Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the
turn signal.
To turn off the chime, move the turn signal
lever to the
off position.
Headlamps 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.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high
beam, push the turn signaVmultifunction lever away
from you.
When the high beams are
on, a light on the
instrument panel cluster
will come on
if the ignition
is in
ON.
To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.
3-8

Flash-to-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want
to pass.
To use it, pull the turn signaVmultifunction lever toward
you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then
release the lever to turn them
off.
Windshield Wipers
Use this lever located on the right side of the steering
wheel
to operate the windshield wipers.
OFF: Move the lever to OFF to turn off the windshield
wipers.
INT (Intermittent): Move the lever to INT to choose a
delayed wiping cycle. Turn the INT ADJ band down
for a longer delay or up for a shorter delay. The further
the INT ADJ band is turned upward, the shorter the
delay will be and the further the INT ADJ band is turned
downward, the longer the delay will be. The wiper
speed can only be adjusted when the lever is in the INT
position. Use this position for light rain or snow.
LO
(Low Speed): Move the lever up to the first setting
past INT, for steady wiping at low speed.
HI (High Speed): Move the lever up to the second
setting past INT, for steady wiping at high speed.
MIST: Move the lever all the way down to MIST for a
single wiping cycle. Hold it there until the windshield
wipers start; then let go. The windshield wipers will stop
after one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the
band on mist longer.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent you
damage, be sure
to clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If they’re frozen to the
windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them.
If your blades
do become damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or Ice can overload your wiper motor-
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear
away snow or ice
to prevent an overload.
t--- -,-:,, ... - 11 ---..-.L L- -I.-:.,- --&-I., T, -.,-:A IIUIII ~GGII ~y VVGII GI wuy~ I LW UIIVC; aalC;;ly. I u avulu
3-9

Climate Controls
Climate Control System
With this system you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation for your vehicle.
Operation
Io change the current mode, select one of the following:
2 (Vent): This mode directs air to the instrument
panel outlets.
+2 (Bi-Level): This mode directs half of the air to the
instrument panel outlets, and then directs most of
the remaining air to the floor outlets. Some air may be
directed toward the side windows.
(Floor): This mode directs most of the air to the
floor outlets with some air directed to the side windows.
The right knob can also be used to select defog or
defrost modes. Information on defogging and defrosting
can be found later in this section.
@? (Fan): Turn the left knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or decrease the fan speed.
a (Outside Air): Press this button to turn the
outside air mode on or
off. When this mode is on,
outside air will circulate throughout your vehicle. The
outside air mode can be used with all modes, but
it cannot be used with the recirculation mode.
(Recirculation): This mode keeps outside air from
coming in the vehicle. It can be used
to prevent outside
cool the air inside your vehicle more quickly. Press this
button to turn the recirculation mode on or
off. The
air-conditioning compressor will come on. The
recirculation mode cannot be used with the outside air
mode. Recirculation is not available when
in the defog or
defrost modes or when the fan
is off.
5i-d UdUI-s ~IUI-II er-lietirly ywur veilicie ur iw ileip i~eai ur
3-1 9

Up-Shift Light
SHIFT
If your manual transaxle
vehicle has this feature
this light comes on
when you need to shift to
the next higher gear.
See
Manual Transaxle
Operation on page
2-25.
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
United States
Canada This light should
come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to
ON. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
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.
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 on page
4-3 1.
Your brake system r y 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.
I
3-28

This system is called OBD I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE ENGINE SOON or
CHECK
ENGINE light comes on to indicate that there is a
problem and service is required. Malfunctions often will
be indicated by the system before any problem is
apparent. This may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle. This system is also designed to assist your
service technician in correctly diagnosing any
malfunction.
Notices If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
Notices Modifications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come
on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result
in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test. This light should
come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction
in one of two ways:
Light Flashing - A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center
diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady - An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady’’ following.
3-32