heating Oldsmobile Aurora 1997 Owner's Manuals

It can be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide (CO)
gas can
come into your vehicle.
You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
trunk lid:
Make sure all windows are shut.
Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on any airflow selection except RECIRC.
That will force outside air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them
all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Aurora has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on
it can make it
impossible
to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don’t do it.
With the ignition
OFF and the driver’s door open, you’ll
hear a chime reminding you to remove your key from
the ignition and take it with you. Always do this. Your
steering wheel will be locked, and
so will your ignition
and transaxle. And remember
to lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out
of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
2-16

Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
Push and release the cover to reveal the front ashtray,
lighter and accessory power outlet.
I NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtrays. If you do, cigarettes
or other
smoking materials could set them on fire,
causing damage.
To open either rear ashtray, you may press and release
the cover or pull up the cover lid.
To clean an ashtray, make sure the cover is open fully,
then lift out the ashtray by pulling on the snuffer.
To use a lighter, just push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it
is heating. If you do, it won’t be able to
back away from the heating element when it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
280
n 100
Q
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
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.
If the coolant temperature is over 26 1 OF ( 127’ 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.
The section “Problems on the Road,” in this manual
explains 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.
2-74

@ Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your Aurora. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3-2 3-2 3-6
3
-7
3-7
3-9
3 -9
3-10
3-10
3-1
1
3-1 1
Comfort Controls
Automatic Electronic Climate Control
Air Conditioning
Heating
Ventilation System
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Passenger Temperature Control
Steering Wheel Controls for Climate Control
Setting the Clock
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Automatic
Tone Control 3-
17
3-22
3-25
3-28
3-29
3-29
3-30
3-30
3-3 1
Delco-Bose@ AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape and Compact Disc Player with
Automatic Tone Control
Trunk Mounted CD Changer
Theft-Deterrent Feature Steering Wheel Controls for-Audio System
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Power Antenna Mast Care
3-1

Heating
In cold weather, if the automatic mode is selected
(AUTO-PUSH knob indicator light is
on), the system
will automatically direct the airflow out of the lower
floor outlets and the temperature door will be positioned
at the full hot position. You can choose the extreme
comfort setting
of 90°F (32°C) but the system
will not warm up any faster by selecting the extreme
comfort setting.
In cold weather, the system will delay turning on the fan
to avoid blowing cold air. The length of the delay
depends on the engine coolant temperature and the
outside temperature. The fan speed will increase as the
temperature of the engine coolant increases. Rotating the
AUTO FAN knob will override this delay by turning
off the automatic fan control mode and changing the
fan speed.
Ventilation System
Your Aurora’s flow-through ventilation system always
allows outside air
to flow through your vehicle when it
is moving, even when the system is
OFF.
The direction of the air can be controlled by adjusting or
closing the outlets in the instrument panel. Rotate the
control between the front outlets upward to open the
outlets and downward
to close the outlets. Adjust the
direction
of airflow from side to side with the controls in
each outlet.
3-7

1 NOTICE: I
Don’t use a razor blade or something else sharp
on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.
Passenger Temperature Control
With this feature, the right
front seat passenger can
control the comfort setting
for their own zone. To use
this feature, adjust the
control on the passenger’s side armrest to the desired
comfort level.
Steering Wheel Controls for Climate
Control
The passenger’s temperature control on the passenger’s
armrest will illuminate only if
the headlamps or parking
lamps are on. Some
heating and cooling
controls can be adjusted at
the steering wheel. Other
touch controls also operate
some audio controls. See
“Steering Wheel Controls
for Audio System” later in
this section.
Press the upper part of the fan symbol button to override
the automatic fan control and increase the fan speed.
Press the lower part of the fan symbol button to override
the automatic fan control and reduce the fan speed.
Press either arrow on the
TEMP button once to display
your current comfort setting in the digital display. Press
the upper part of the TEMP button again to provide a
warmer comfort setting or press the lower part of the
TEMP button again to provide
a cooler comfort setting.
3-10

@ Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5
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5-3
5-3
5-8
5-
14
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating 5-23
If a Tire Goes Flat
5-24 Changing a Flat Tire
5-34 Compact Spare Tire
5-35 If You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
5-1

Attach a separate
safety chain around the
outboard end of each
lower control arm.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Aurora’s instrument panel. Your information center will
also display messages about engine overheating. See
“Coolant Temperature Gage” in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should a low coolant condition exist and the message
HOT STOP ENGINE is displayed, an overheat
protection mode which alternates firing groups of four
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a
loss in power and engine performance.
This operating mode allows your vehicle to be driven to
a safe place in an emergency; you may drive up to
50 miles (80 km). Towing a trailer in the overheat
protection mode should be avoided.
I NOTICE:
~ After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant loss, change the oil and reset
the oil life indicator. See “Engine Oil, When to
Change” in the Index.
5-14

If it isn’t, the coolant level should be indicated by a
CHECK
COOLANT LEVEL message on the Driver
Information Center. If it
is, you may have a leak in the
radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
pump or
somewhere else in the cooling system.
.
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there
is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose
all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Engine damage if you keep running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode” in the Index.
If there seems to be
no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
5-18

How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transaxle fluid to use. See “Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants” in the Index.
If the fluid level
is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid
to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on
the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole to bring it to
the proper level.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under “How to Check.”
4. When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back
in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The cooling s stem in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL engine coolant. This coolant
is designed
to remain
in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX-COOL@ extended life coolant.
Lx
It doesn’t take much fluid, generally less than one pint The following explains
Your cooling system and how to
(0.5 L). Don’t overjill. add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem with
engine overheating, see “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
NOTICE: A 50/50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL’
coolant will:
We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON’III, because fluid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than
DEXRON@III
is not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature,
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.