brakes Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these
symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever
your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
RUNNING
* 0
DAYTIME - a
LAMPS .
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
h
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE -%-
LIGHTER n
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL E3
V

Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This position locks your front wheels. It’s
the best position
to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle can’t move easily. 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.
Ensure the shift lever
is fully in the PARK (P)
range before starting the engine. Your vehicle has a
brake-transaxle shift interlock. You have to fully
apply
your regular brakes bcfore you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in RUN.
2-24

AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0): This position is
for normal driving. If you need more power for passing,
and you’re:
Going less than approximately 35 mph (55 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 kmh) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it
offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(0). Here
are some times you might choose THIRD
(3) instead
of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@):
When driving on hilly, winding roads,
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power
but lower fuel economy than AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE
(a) or THIRD (3). You can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed
as you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes off and on.
between gears,
or
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND
(2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If
the selector lever is put in FIRST (l), the transaxle
won’t shift into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against
a
solid object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle in position on a hill.
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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.
If you try to drive with the parking brake on, the parking
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:
Shifting Into PARK (P)
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.
1
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.
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.
2-28

Windshield Washer Cruise Control
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.
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.
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 ludh).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
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

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) will
come on when you start
on for several seconds.
LOCK ANT’ - (@)
your engine and may stay
I I That’s normal.
Traction Control System Warning Light
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to
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 vehicle 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 section.
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. If
the warning light doesn’t corne on then, have it fixed
so it
will be 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.
2-68

The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
a
a
e
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.
Traction Control System Active Light
When your traction control
system is limiting wheel
TRACTION I spin, this light will come on.
ACTIVE
Slippery road conditions may exist if the traction
control system active light comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
traction control system stops limiting wheel spin.
2-69
.-

The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink.
No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount
of alcohol. You can have
a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with
a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or
if you’re with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
~
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go wher
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator.
All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.

Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that’s
only an average. It might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age,
physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight
all
play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even
in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h)
travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle
and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster
if you
do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.

If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use
it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this
test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
LOCK
ANT‘- (@) on. See “Anti-Lock Brake Here’s
how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road
is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels.
4-7