warning OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1996 Owners Manual

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle.
If you
do this,
it will help you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of all
that’s
in the manual, and the page number where you’ll
find
it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word
CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you
if you were to ignore
the warning.
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we
tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others could be
hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,’’
“Don’t do this,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”
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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice
will tell you what to do to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals,
you might see CAUTION
and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in
different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle.
They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
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L
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
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
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
These symbols have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING
.'*'**o
DAYTIME LAMPS
'**
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE c
COOLANT - r-
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(@)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
n
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V
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1 Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and
optional features on your Oldsmobile, and information
on starting, shifting and braking. Also explained are the
instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you
if
everything is working properly -- and what to do if you
have
a problem.
Keys
A CAUTION:
~hild
Leaving young children in
a vehicle with the
ignition key is dangerous for many reasons. A c
or others could be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate power windows
or other
controls or even make the vehicle move. Don't
leave the keys in
a vehicle with young children.
U
2-1
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Locking Rear Axle
Your rear axle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like
a standard axle
most
of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no
traction and the other does, the locking feature will
allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive
Your engine’s driving power is sent to all four wheels
for extra traction. All-wheel drive
is like four-wheel
drive, but there is no lever or switch
to engage or
disengage the front axle. It is
fully automatic and adjusts
itself
as needed for road conditions.
Parking Brake
To set 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 brake
system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the
BRAKE RELEASE
lever.
It is located on the
bottom driver’s side of the
instrument panel.
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 you must park on a hill,
see “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
2-17
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OFF: This turns the system off.
COMP/TEMP: The display provides the outside
temperature and one
of eight compass readings to
indicate the direction the vehicle is facing.
Before you turn on the ignition and move the vehicle,
the temperature indicated will be the last outside
temperature recorded with the ignition on.
If the outside
temperature is
37°F (3 "C) or lower, the display will
toggle between the word ICE and the current
temperature every eight seconds. This is a warning
to
the driver that road conditions may be icy, and that
appropriate precautions should be taken.
The compass is self-calibrating,
so it does not need to be
manually set. However, if C (Calibration)
is displayed,
the compass will need to be calibrated. You may also
place the compass in a noncalibrated mode by pressing
and holding the MODE and US/MET buttons
simultaneously while in the COMP/TEMP mode. After
about
10 seconds, the compass will display C and you
can release the buttons. Drive the vehicle in a complete
360" circle three times at a speed of less than 5 mph
(8 km/h), and the compass will function normally. Once
the calibration is complete, the display will return to a
compass reading. Variance is
the difference between magnetic north and
geographic north. In some areas, the difference between
the two can be great enough to cause false compass
readings.
If this happens, follow these instructions to set
the variance for your particular location:
1. Find your location on the zone map. Note your
zone number.
2. Press and hold both the MODE and the US/MET
buttons
in the COMP/TEMP mode.
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Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has been
driven, in miles.
Your odometer
is tamper resistant. It will show silver
lines between the numbers
if someone tries to turn
it back.
You may wonder what happens
if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If the new one can be set to the
mileage total
of the old odometer, then it must be. But if
it can’t, then it’s set at zero, and a label must be put on
the driver’s door to show the old mileage reading when
the new odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far your vehicle has
been driven since
you last set the trip odometer to zero.
To set the trip odometer to zero, press the button near
the readout.
Tachometer
Each tachometer has a different limit depending on the
powertrain
in your vehicle. The tachometer has three
areas: normal operating range, red warning range and
red danger range.
The normal operating range shows your engine speed
during normal driving conditions. For example, when
the needle points to
2, it means the engine is running at
2,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). The tachometer
needle will vary all the time that the engine is running.
The red warning range tells you that your engine speed
is reaching its upper limits. Don’t drive very long with
the tachometer in the red warning range. Lift your foot
off
of the accelerator pedal.
The red danger range tells you that your engine speed is
at its upper limits.
You should immediately shift to a
higher gear, or lift your foot
off of the accelerator pedal.
I NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with the tachometer in
the red range, or engine damage
will occur.
The tachometer displays the engine speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
2-49
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Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be
on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when
you start the
engine just
to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle. When
one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one
of the gages shows
there may be
a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about
it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re
a big help.
Your vehicle also has
a driver information system that
works along with
the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System” in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people
to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
, also come on and stay on
’ for about 20 seconds, then it
will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the tone nor the light
will come on.
2-50
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Voltmeter Gage
(J VOLTS
When your engine is not
running, but
the ignition is
on
(in the RUN position),
this gage shows your
battery's state of charge
in
DC volts.
When
the engine is running, the gage shows the
condition of the charging system. Readings between the
low and high warning zones indicate the normal
operating range. Readings
in the low warning zone may occur when a
large number
of electrical accessories are operating in
the vehicle and the engine is left at an idle for an
extended period. This condition is normal since the
charging system is not able
to provide full power at
engine idle.
As engine speeds are increased, this
condition should correct itself as higher engine speeds
allow the charging system to create maximum power.
You can only drive for a short time with the reading in
either warning zone. If you must drive, turn off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem
in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced as soon
as possible.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your Oldsmobile’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.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
This light should come on
briefly when you
turn the
ignition key to
RUN. If it‘
doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if
there’s a problem.
If the light comes 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 system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system 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.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released,
it means you have a brake problem.
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