warning OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1996 User Guide

Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when
you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what
to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a driver information system
that works along with the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System” in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
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Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more infoimation on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
AIR BAG
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition to RUN
or START. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays on, or comes
on when you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
Battery Warnlng Light
VOLTS
This light will come on
briefly when you start the
vehicle, as a check to show
you it is working, then it
should
go out. If it stays on,
or comes on while
you are
driving, you may have a
problem with the electrical
charging system.
A warning chime and the message CHECK CHARGE
SYSTEM may also come on. Have it checked right
away. Driving while this light is on could drain your
battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and climate control.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your Aurora’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.
This light should come on when you
turn the ignition
key to START.
If it doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there’s a problem. If
this warning light stays on
after you start the engine,
there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake
system inspected right away. 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.)
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light
is on. Driving with the
brake 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.
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Parking Brake Indicator Light
PARK
Vehicles with hydraulic
brakes have a parking brake
indicator light. When the ignition
is on, this light will
come
on when you set your
parking brake. The light 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 when you turn the
ignition key to START. 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.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
LOCK
ANT‘- (@)
With the anti-lock brake system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds. That’s
normal.
If the light stays on,
turn the ignition off. Or, if the light comes
on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while
you’re driving, your Aurora needs service.
If the regular
brake system warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, \
but you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake
System Warning Light” earlier
in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Traction Control System Warning Light
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine. If the warning
I TRACTION I
light doesn’t come on then,
have it fixed
so it will be
OFF
ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
If it stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there
may be a problem with your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. The
traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
0
0
0
If you turn the system off by pressing the
TRACTION CONTROL button located on the
center console, the warning light will come on and
stay on. To turn the system back on, press the
button again. The warning light should go
off.
(See “Traction Control System” in the Index for
more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come
on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn
off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
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Xkaction Control System Active Light
TRACTION ACTIVE
When your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin, this light will come on.
Slippery road conditions
may exist if the traction
control system active light
comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the traction
control system stops limiting wheel spin. If
the gage pointer moves into the red warning zone,
your engine is hot. To prevent engine overheating, the
air conditioning compressor will turn off automatically,
a fast-pulsed chime will sound, and the message
ENGINE
HOT ... A/C OFF will appear in the information
center.
As the engine cools down, the air conditioning
compressor will automatically turn back on.
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Oil Pressure Warning Light
OIL
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on when
you are driving.
A warning
chime and the message
LOW OIL PRESSURE may
also come on.
These indicate that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough
to keep it cool. The engine could be low
on oil, or could have some other oil problem. Have it
fixed right away.
The
oil light could also come on in three other
situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
the light will come on as a test to show you
it is
working, but the light will go out when you
turn the
ignition to START.
If it doesn't come on with the
ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, me
light may blink
on and off. This is normal.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment. This is normal.
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. ir
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your
oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
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Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left. Press any button
on the Driver Information Center to
turn off the warning.
Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
0
0
When you have approximately 2.6 gallons (9 L) of
fuel remaining, the message LOW FUEL will be
displayed and a chime will sound. You need to get
more fuel right away.
0
0
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads
“F” (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 gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The tank is not necessarily empty when the pointer is
over the
“E” (Empty) mark. There is a reserve of up
to
1.5 gallons (5.6 L) in the tank. You should still get
more fuel as
soon as possible.
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Driver Inf rmation Cent
The Driver Information Center (DIC) displays
information in either English or metric. When the
system is on or off, hold the
OFF button down for five
seconds to change the display between English and
metric. This will also change the digital screen for the
climate control system between English and metric.
In addition to the functions described in this part, the
DIC also displays various warning messages under
appropriate conditions. Turn
on the system
by pressing any button except
RESET, ENTER or
OFF. When you turn on the ignition,
the Driver Information Center will be in the mode last
displayed when the engine was turned off. Keep in mind
that this also applies to the
OFF mode.
To turn off messages on the DIC (except LOW
OIL
PRESSURE, LOW BRAKE FLUID, PARK BRAKE
SET and the hot engine warnings), press any button on
the DIC.
You will need to open the cover to access the control
buttons. To open the cover, push the button located to
the right
of the cover.
To close the cover, push it down to its closed position.
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When the remaining oil life or transaxle fluid life is low,
the system will alert you with a message:
CHANGE OIL SOON or
CHANGE TRNS
FLUID SOON
When the oil or transaxle fluid life is down to zero, you
will receive the message:
CHANGE
OIL NOW or
CHANGE TRNS FLUID NOW
To reset the
OIL LIFE reminder after an oil change
or the
TRNS FLUID LIFE reminder after a transaxle
fluid change:
With the ignition on, press the ENG button
so the OIL
LIFE percentage or the TRNS LIFE percentage is
displayed.
Press RESET and hold for five seconds. The word
RESET will appear, then OIL LIFE 100% or TRNS
FLUID 100%.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE or TRNS
FLUID yourself after each oil or transaxle fluid change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be careful not to reset the
OIL LIFE or TRNS FLUID accidentally at any time
other than when the oil or transaxle fluid
has just been changed.
It can’t be reset accurately until the next oil or
transaxle fluid change.
The Driver Information Center does not replace the need
to maintain your vehicle as recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule in this manual. Also, the oil
change reminder will not detect dusty conditions or
engine malfunctions that may affect the oil.
If you drive
in dusty areas, change your oil after every
3,000 miles
(5 000 km) or three months, whichever occurs first,
unless the DIC instructs you to do
so sooner. Also, the
oil change reminder does not measure how much oil you
have in your engine.
So, be sure to check your oil level
often. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
Check Oil Level Warning
When CHECK OIL LEVEL appears, it indicates that the
engine oil level is
1 to 1 1/2 quarts (0.9 L to 1.4 L) low.
The message will appear only if the engine is running
and it’s been at least eight minutes since the engine was
last running. If the message appears, check the oil
dipstick level. If
it reads low, your oil level should be
brought up to the proper level (see “Engine Oil” in the
Index). After bringing the oil to the proper level, the
ignition must be off for eight minutes to allow the
majority of oil to drain into the oil pan.
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