towing OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1995 Owners Manual

If you accidentally use a key that has a damaged or
missing resistor pellet, the starter won’t work and the
SECURITY light
will flash and the CLEAN KEY. ..
WAIT 3 MINUTES message will appear. But you
don’t have to wait three minutes before trying another
ignition key.
See your Aurora retailer or a locksmith who can service
the PASS-Key@II to have a new key made.
If you’re ever driving and the SECURITY light comes
on or PASS-KEY SYSTEM FAULT appears, you will
be able to restart your engine if you turn it off. Your
PASS-Key@II system, however,
is not working properly
and must be serviced by your Aurora retailer. Your
vehicle
is not protected by the PASS-Key@II system.
If you lose or damage a PASS-Key@II ignition key, see
yo~~r Aurora retailer or a locksmith who can service
PASS-Key@II to have a new key made.
New Vehicle 44Break-In”
NOTICE:
Your modern Aurora doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But it
will perform better in the long
run if you follow these guidelines:
0 Don’t drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (804 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
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.
0 Don’t tow a trailer during “break-in.” See
“Towing
a Trailer” in the Index for more
information.
Avoid making hard stops for the first
2-14
ProCarManuals.com

I 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.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START for about three seconds at a time until your
engine starts. Wait about
15 seconds between each
try to help avoid draining your battery.
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 about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the same thing.
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 fuel injection system operates. Before adding
electrical equipment, check with your retailer. If
you don’t, your engine might not perform
properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part
of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
2-17
ProCarManuals.com

Forward Gears
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@): This position is for
normal driving. If you need more power
for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
NOTICE:
If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly, or
if it seems not to shift gears as you go faster,
something may be wrong with a transaxle system
sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged.
So, if this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use
SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than
35 mph (56 km/h) and OVERDRIVE (a)
for higher speeds.
THIRD GEAR (3): This is like OVERDRIVE (a), but
you never
go into Overdrive. Here are some times you
might choose THIRD (3) instead of OVERDRIVE (@):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
0 When going down a steep hill.
SECOND GEAR (2): This position gives you
more power but lower fuel economy. You can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use your brakes
off and on.
I NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
5 miles (8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(88 kndh), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use
OVERDRIVE (@) or THIRD (3) as much
as possible.
Don’t shift into
SECOND (2) unless you are going
lower than
65 mph (105 kmh), or you can
damage your engine.
2-22
ProCarManuals.com

Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left
foot. If the ignition is on,
the parking brake indicator
light will come on.
If
you try to drive off with the parking brake on, the
parking brake indicator light stays on. The PARK
BRAKE SET message will appear in the Driver
Information Center, and a chime will sound until you
release the parking brake
or recycle the ignition. This
vehicle has
a PUSH TO RELEASE parking brake
pedal. To release
the parking brake, hold the regular
brake down and push
the parking brake pedal with your
left foot. This will unlock the pedal. When you lift your
left foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it
to the
released position.
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 any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That part shows
what
to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
2-24
ProCarManuals.com

Power Windows
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. Switches
on the driver’s armrest control each
of the
windows when the ignition is on. In addition, each
passenger door
has a switch for its own window.
The driver’s window switch has an express down
feature.
When it is held rearward for more than half a
second, the window will lower completely. The window
can be opened
in smaller amounts by pressing the switch
rearward and releasing
it immediately.
To stop the window while it is lowering, press the
switch again, then release. To raise the window, hold the
switch forward.
ProCarManuals.com

If the light and chime come 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” in
the Index.)
Parking Brake Indicator Light
p-l PARK
This light will come
on when
you set your
parking brake, and it
will stay on if your
parking brake doesn’t
release
fully. If you try
to drive
off with the
parking brake set, a
chime will also come
on until you release
the parking brake.
This light should also come on briefly as you start the
vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready
to remind you if the parking brake hasn’t
released
fully.
2-66
ProCarManuals.com

Towing a Trailer
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your Aurora
retailer for important information about towing
a trailer with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle,
you
should read the information in "Weight of the Trailer"
that appears later
in this section. But trailering is
different
than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes
in handling, durability, and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That's the reason for this part.
In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many
of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies, and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag
of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What's more, the
trailer adds considerably
to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
4-30
ProCarManuals.com

If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
0
0
0
0
0
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. M, cl k e sure
your rig
will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using
a sway control. You can ask a hitch
retailer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first
1,000 miles
( I 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 kdh) and
don’t make starts
at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear
in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed
limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive fdster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 km/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle‘s parts. Three
important considerations have to
do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer’ safely be?
It should never weigh more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg).
But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude. road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used
to pull a
trailer are
all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have
on your vehicle.
You can ask your retailer for
OLI~ trailering information
or advice, or you can write
LIS at:
Customer Assistance Representative
Oldsnlobile Central Office
920 Townsend Street
P.O.
Box 30095
Lansing, MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
I908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
LIH 8P7.
4-31
ProCarManuals.com

Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road,
you'll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight
of the
trailer. And always keep
in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before
you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lights, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by Imnd to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your
trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lights and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You'll need more passing distance up ahead when
you're towing a trailer. And, because you're a good deal
longer, you'll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before
you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move yo~~r
hand to the right. Always back
up slowly and, if
possible. have someone guide you.
4-34
ProCarManuals.com

Making Turns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you‘re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in
advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a
different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked
up,
the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other drivers
you‘re about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing
a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus. you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure
the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear h4for-c you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
ProCarManuals.com