engine Oldsmobile Aurora 1997 s User Guide

Engine Coolant Heater (Option)
A r ~UTIO: :
I- -
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
In very cold weather,
0 “F (- 18 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum
of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord as it was before to keep
it away from moving
engine parts.
If you don’t, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your Aurora retailer in the area where you’ll be parking
your vehicle. The retailer can give you the best advice
for that particular area.
To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
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Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
‘ A CAUTION:
It is 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 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, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index. If
you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in the PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your Aurora has a
brake-transaxle shift interlock. You have to fully
apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in RUN. If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever -- push the
shift lever all the way into PARK
(P) and also release
the shift lever button on floor shift console models as
you maintain brake application. Then move the shift
lever into the gear you wish. (Press
the shift lever button
before moving the shift lever on floor shift console
models.) See “Shifting Out
of PARK (P)” in this section.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and
forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
“Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine
doesn’t connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
Shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly.
You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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Selectable Shift
This button lets you change from a normal driving mode
to a power mode.
For general driving conditions, use the
normal mode.
Press the button
on your shift lever so that it’s either in
the
NORMAL or POWER position. When it’s in the
NORMAL position, the line on the button will be
showing. When in POWER, the line is not showing.
In the NORMAL position, the transaxle shifts at lower
engine speeds. For increased performance,
you may
choose the POWER mode.
Parking Brake
Setting 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.
Releasing the parking brake: You will need to use the
PUSH
TO RELEASE parking brake pedal. 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.
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If you try to drive with the parking brake on, the parkin
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.
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.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
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.
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, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing
a Trailer’’ in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake by pushing down the parking
brake pedal with your left
foot.
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2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position
as
follows:
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK
(P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the
ehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire.
You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Hold in the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
your vehicle.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
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).
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 PARK
(P), 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).
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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
t
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under
your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves, dry grass
or other things that
can burn.
A CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving
over high points on the road
or over
road debris.
or
different.
Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
modified improperly.
blow
out any CO; and
I
2-32

Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
A CAUTION:
-
Idling the engine with the climate control system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in
a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is
at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is
a garage. Exhaust -- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
‘
A CAUTION:
I
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).
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.
2-33

Twilight Sentinel
TWILIGHTSENTINEL I
Twilight sentinel hlms your
headlamps, taillamps and
parking lamps on and
off by
sensing how dark it
is outside.
To operate it, leave the headlamp switch off and move
the twilight sentinel control toward
MAX. The control is
located to the left of the steering column.
If you move the control all the way to MAX, your lamps
will remain on for three minutes after
you turn off your
engine. If
you move the control toward MIN, the lamps
will go off quickly when
you turn off your engine. You
can set this delay time for only a few seconds or up to
three minutes.
Light Sensor
Your twilight sentinel and daytime running lamps work
with the light sensor on top
of the instrument panel.
Don't cover
it up. If you do it will read "dark" and the
headlamps will come on.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
INTERIOR LIGHTS TWILIGHT SENTINEL
C A
You can brighten or dim your instrument cluster, radio
and climate control displays and control lights by
rotating the INTERIOR
LIGHTS control between LO
and HI when your lights are on. Rotate the control all
the way to HI and you will turn on the interior
courtesy lamps.
2-46

Your vehicle’s engine should be turned off while
programming your transmitter. Follow these steps to
program up to three channels:
1.
2.
3.
4.
- -
If you have not previously programmed a universal
transmitter channel, proceed to Step
2. Otherwise,
hold down the two outside buttons on the universal
transmitter until the red light begins to flash rapidly
(approximately
20 seconds). Then release the
buttons. This procedure initializes the memory and
erases any previous settings for all three channels.
Hold the end
of your hand-held transmitter against
the bottom surface of the universal transmitter
so
that you can still see the red light.
Decide which one of the three channels you want to
program. Using both hands, press the hand-held
transmitter button and the desired button on the
universal transmitter. Continue to hold both buttons
through Step
4.
Hold down both buttons until you see the red light
on the universal transmitter flash slowly then rapidly.
The rapid flashing, which could take up to
90 seconds, indicates that the universal transmitter
has been programmed. Release both buttons three
seconds after the light starts
to flash rapidly. If
you have trouble programming the universal
transmitter, make sure that you have followed the
directions exactly
as described and that the batteries in
the hand-held transmitter are not dead. If you still
cannot program it, rotate your hand-held transmitter end
over end and try again. The universal transmitter may
not work with older garage door openers that do not
meet current Federal Consumer Safety Standards. If you
cannot program the transmitter after repeated attempts,
consult your Aurora retailer.
Be sure to keep your original hand-held transmitter in case
you need to erase and reprogram the universal transmitter.
Note to Canadian Owners: During programming, your
hand-held transmitter may stop transmitting after one or
two seconds. If you are programming from
one of these
transmitters, you should press and re-press the button on
the hand-held transmitter every two seconds without
ever releasing
the button on the universal transmitter.
Release both buttons three seconds after the red light on
the universal transmitter begins to flash rapidly.
Operating the Transmitter
Press and hold the appropriate button on the universal
transmitter. The red light comes on while the signal
is
being transmitted.
Note that the effective transmission range
of the
universal transmitter may differ from your hand-held
transmitter and also from one channel to another.
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