tow Oldsmobile Aurora 1997 s User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: OLDSMOBILE, Model Year: 1997, Model line: Aurora, Model: Oldsmobile Aurora 1997Pages: 404, PDF Size: 20.75 MB
Page 86 of 404

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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Page 89 of 404

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.
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Page 91 of 404

Tilt Wheel hrn Signal/Multifunction Lever
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever toward you. Move the steering wheel
to a
comfortable level, then release the lever to lock the
wheel in place. The
lever on the left side
of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Cruise Control
0 Headlamp Highbow Ream
Parking Lamps
Flash-To-Pass Feature
Page 94 of 404

Headlamp High/Low Beam
To change the headlamps
from low beam to high or
high to low, pull the turn
signal lever all the way
toward you. Then release
it.
When the high beams are on, a light on the instrument
panel also will be on.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you.
If your headlamps are
off, your high-beam headlamps
will turn
on. They’ll stay on as long as you hold the
lever there. Release the lever to turn them
off.
If your headlamps are on, but on low beam, the system
works normally.
Just pull the lever until it clicks. Your
headlamps will shift to high beam and stay there. To
return to low beam, just pull the lever toward you.
If your headlamps are on, and on high beam, your
headlamps will switch to low beam.
To get back to high
beam,
pull the lever toward you.
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Page 95 of 404

Windshield Wipers
The lever on the right side of your steering column
controls your windshield wipers.
For a single wiping cycle, move the lever up to MIST.
Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The
wipers will stop after one cycle.
If you want more
cycles, hold the lever to
MIST longer.
For steady wiping at low speed, push the lever down to
the
LO position. For high-speed wiping, push the lever
down further, to HI. To stop the wipers, move the lever
to
OFF.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wiper cycles. This can be very useful in light
rain or snow. Push the lever down
to the first detent,
DELAY. Turn the band closer to the short lines for fewer
wiper passes per minute.
As you turn the band toward
the long lines, the wiper cycles per minute will increase.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent you
from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage,
be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before
using them.
If they’re frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them.
If your blades do become damaged,
get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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Page 96 of 404

Windshield Washer
The lever on the right side of your steering column also
controls your windshield washer.
To spray washer fluid
on the windshield, pull the lever toward you. The wipers
will clear the window and then either stop or return to
your preset speed. For more washer cycles, pull and
hold the lever.
If the fluid level in the windshield washer bottle is low,
the message
LOW WASHER FLUID will appear in the
Driver Information Center. See “Windshield Washer
Fluid” in the Index.
/d CAUTldN:
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator.
This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
m
A CAUT1b.J:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
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Page 100 of 404

Lamps
Headlamps
See “Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever” in the Index.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness in daylight when:
0 The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off and
0 The transaxle is not in PARK (P).
When DRL are
on, only your low-beam headlamps will
be on. The parking lamps, taillamps, sidemarker and
other lamps won’t be
on. Your instrument panel won’t
be lit up either. When it’s
dark enough outside, your low-beam
headlamps will change to full brightness. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also come
on. When it’s bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will
go off, and your low-beam headlamps change to the
reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into PARK
(P). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of PARK
(P).
To turn off all exterior lighting at night when you are in
PARK (P), turn off the headlamps and move the twilight
sentinel control, located to the left
of the steering
column, all
the way toward MIN. See “Twilight
Sentinel” in
the Index.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
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Page 102 of 404

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.
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Page 127 of 404

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.)
‘A CAUTI
I
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.
Parking Brake Indicator Light
PARK
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.
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Page 132 of 404

If the Light Is Flashing If the Light Is On Steady
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are 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. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
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.
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did
you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should
turn the light off.
Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since small amounts of
air are sucked into the
fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly. It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
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