weight OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1995 Owners Manual

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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
*running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly
set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means the shift lever wasn’t fully locked
into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle.
You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you
are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
before you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur, you may need
to have
another vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the transaxle,
so you can pull the shift
lever out
of PARK (P).
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Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every
year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
0 Attentiveness
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving.
In recent years, some 18,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol,
with more than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under
2 1, it’s
against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much”
if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here is some general information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
How much alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
The length of time it’s taken the drinker to consume
the alcohol
According to the American Medical Association,
a
I 80-pound (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks
if each had 1- 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent.
A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have
a
somewhat lower BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage
of body water than men.
Since alcohol is carried
in body water, this means that a woman generally
will reach a higher BAC level than
a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number of drinks.
The law
in many U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of
0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada,
the limit is 0.08 percent. In some
other countries it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers
in the U.S. is 0.04 percent.
The BAC
will be over 0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of
many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05
percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the. chance of being
in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05
percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06
percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision.
At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having
a collision is twelve times greater; at a
level of
0. I5 percent, the chance is twenty-five times
greater!
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Loading Your Vehicle
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAP. WT
FRT. CTR. RR. TOTAL
LBS. KG
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY
WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI;KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PSI.'28KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
[ INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found on the rear edge of the driver's door tells
you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It also gives YOLI
important information about the number of people that
can be
in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes the weight of
all occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GVWR GAWR
FRT GAWR RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS IN EFFECT
ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver's door.
It tells you the gross
weight capacity
of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes
the weight of the vehicle, all occupants, f~~el and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the
front of rear
axle.
And,
if you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it out. Don't carry more than I76 lbs. (80 kg) in your
trunk.
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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.
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If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
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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.
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Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because
it affects the total capacity
weight of your vehicle. The capacity weight includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo you may carry
in
it, and the people who will be riding in the vehicle. And
if you will tow a trailer, you must subtract the tongue
load from your vehicle’s capacity weight because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading
Your Vehicle”
in the Index for more information about
your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
B A
If you’re using a “dead-weight” hitch, the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 10% of the total loaded trailer weight
(B). If you have a “weight-distributing” hitch, the trailer
tongue
(A) should weigh 12% of the total loaded trailer
weight (B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately, to see
if the weights are
proper.
If they aren’t, YOLI may be able to get them right
simply by moving some items around
in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the
recommended pressure for cold tires. You’ll find these
numbers on the Certification label at the rear edge of the
driver’s door or see “Loading Your Vehicle”
in the
Index. Then be sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit
for your vehicle, including the weight of the trailer
tongue.
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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.
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Tracrion Control System Active Light ........... 2.68. 4-8
Traction Control System Warning Light
............. 2-67
Trailer Brakes
.................................. 4-33
Trailer Towing
................................. 4-30
Transaxle. Automatic
............................ 2-20
Fluid
...................................... 6-16
Fluid Life Monitor ........................... 2-75
Transmitter. HomeLink Universal
.................. 2-48
Trip Odometer
................................. 2-6 1
Trunk
Access Panel ................................ 2-55
Convenicnce
Net ............................. 2-52
Lock
...................................... 2-10
Release. Remote
............................. 2-1 1
Security Override ............................ 2- I 1
Turn Signal/Mllltifunctioll Lever ................... 2-33
Indicator
................................... 2-73
Reminder
................................... 2-34
Twilight Sentinel
............................... 2-42
underbody MainLenawe
........................ 6-49
Unleaded Gasoline
............................... 6-2
Upholstery
Care ................................ 6-43
Used Oil Disposal
.............................. 6- 14 Ventilation
..................................... 3-8
Vinyl . Cleaning ................................ 6-45
Visor Vanity Mirror
............................. 2-53
warning Flashers. Hazard
........................ 5-1
Warning Lights ................................. 2-63
Air Bag ............................... 1 . 18.2-64
Anti-Lock Brake System
.................. 2-67.4-6
Battery ..................................... 2-65
Brake
...................................... 2-65
Check Oil Message
........................... 2-76
Door A-ial-
................................... 2-4
Engine Oil
.................................. 2-70
Low Coolant
................................ 2-49
Low Fuel ................................... 2-71
Oil Pressure
................................. 2-70
Salety
Belt ................................. 2-64
Security
.................................... 2- 1-7
Service Engine Soon (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) . 2-70
Traction Control Systcm
....................... 2-67
Washer Fluid Low
............................ 2-32
Washer
. Windshield ........................ 2-32. 6-22
Washing
Your Vehicle ........................... 6-47
Weatherstrips
.................................. 6-47
Engine Coolant Tcmperature
................... 2-69
Variable Assist Steering 4-
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Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) 6-5 1
Vehicle Storage ................................ 6-27 Weight
......................... .............. Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) 4-28
Gross Vehiclc Weight Rating (GVWR)
........... 4-28
Trailer
..................................... 4-31
...............
Vehicle Loading ................................ 4-28
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