ignition OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1996 Owner's Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: OLDSMOBILE, Model Year: 1996, Model line: AURORA, Model: OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1996Pages: 388, PDF Size: 20.24 MB
Page 120 of 388

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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Page 121 of 388

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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Page 122 of 388

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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Page 125 of 388

If the coolant temperature is over 261 OF ( 127 O C), the
message HOT
... STOP ENGINE will appear. It means
that your engine coolant has overheated. If you have
been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do, See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
If your coolant level is low, the message LOW ENGINE
COOLANT will appear on the Driver Information
Center. Check your coolant level as soon as possible.
See “Engine Coolant” in the Index.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON
Your Aurora is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called
OBD I1 (&-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. (In Canada,
OBD I1 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The SERVICE ENGINE SOON
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, which
may prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle. This
system is also designed
to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
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Page 126 of 388

The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle: I NOTICE:
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.
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. Retailer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service
is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Retailer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
0 Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
If 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.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine.
If
the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On
Steady” following. If the light is still flashing, follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your retailer or
qualified service center for service.
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Page 128 of 388

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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Page 129 of 388

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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Page 130 of 388

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.
2-74
~
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Page 133 of 388

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.
2-77
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Page 134 of 388

Distance to Destination
This feature acts as a reverse trip odometer by counting
backward from an estimated distance which you enter
before starting your trip. It also uses that information to
determine the estimated time of arrival.
To set, press DEST, then RESET and enter a maximum
of four digits for the length
of your trip. (Always use
whole miles or kilometers.) Then press ENTER. The
system will only accept the last four digits you enter as
your distance to destination.
The system will display the total distance to destination,
such as:
365 MI TO DEST or
587 KM TO DEST
When the system counts down to zero distance
remaining, even if you’re in another display, a chime
will sound and the display will show:
TRIP COMPLETE
The TRIP COMPLETE message will
go off when you
press any button, or when you turn your ignition
off,
then on. The display returns to the mode displayed prior
to the interruption.
Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
ETA is based on the average speed, the date and time of
the day, and the estimated distance to your destination.
After you have entered your distance to destination,
press ETA
to display estimated time of arrival, such as:
ETA TUE
1256 PM
Press ETA again to display the time to destination. The
display will show the current time
as the hours and
minutes to destination, such as:
1250 TIME TO DEST
If the time to destination calculation is seven days or
greater, the display will read:
TRIP OVER
7 DAYS
When the trip is complete a chime will sound and the
display will show:
TRIP COMPLETE
The trip complete message will
go off when you press
any button, or when you turn your ignition
off, then on.
The display returns to the mode displayed prior to the
interruption.
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