OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1997 Owners Manual

4. Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight
if‘
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You
don’t need to add water to the Delco Freedom@
battery installed in every new
GM vehicle. But
if a battery has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there.
If it is low, add water
to take care
of that first. If you don’t, explosive
gas could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things
you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to an unpainted
metal engine part
or a body metal surfice. Don’t
connect positive
(+) to negative (-j or you’ll get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other
parts too. And don‘t connect the negative
(-) to
negative
(-).
6. Connect the I-ed
positive
(+) cable to the
positive
(+) terminal
of the vehicle with the
dead battery.
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7. Don’t let the other
end touch metal.
Connect
it to the
positive
(+) terminal
of the good battery.
8. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don‘t let the other end
touch anything
until the
next step. The other end
of the negative cable
doesn’t go to the dead
battery. It goes to a heavy
unpainted metal part on
the engine of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
9. Attach the cable at
least
18 inches (45 cm)
away from the dead
battery, but not near
engine parts that move.
The electrical
connection is
just
as good there, but
the chance
of sparks
getting back to the
battery
is much less.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and
run the engine for
a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, make sure all
connections are good.
If it still won’t start, it
probably needs service.
A CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
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12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal. Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM retailer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance”
in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was factory-new
by adding things like
fog lamps, aero skirting, or special
tires and wheels, these instructions may not be conect.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has all-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the
transmission.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains these towing
instructions.
The operator may want to see them.
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-
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
0 Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not fully secured.
0 Never get under your vehicle after it has
0 Always use separate safety chains on each
0 Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being towed.
been lifted
by the tow truck.
side when towing a vehicle.
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains
or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks. They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
When your vehicle is being towed, have
the ignition key
turned
to the OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped
in a straight-ahead position with a clamping
device designed for
towing service. Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this.
The transmission
should
be in NEUTRAL (N). The parking brake should
be released.
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If your vehicle has no electrical power, the electrical
solenoid lock must be overridden to shift from
PARK (P) to NEUTRAL
(N). Follow these steps:
1. Push the base
of the leather shift lever boot forward
with your thumb.
1. Lift the boot and find the white solenoid lever.
3. Move the solenoid lever toward the driver’s side to
unlock
it.
4. While holding the solenoid lever in the unlock
position, press the shift lever button and shift into
NEUTRAL
(N).
5. Release the solenoid lever and snap the boot back
into place.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the drive wheels
unless you must.
If the vehicle l-nust be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure not to exceed
35 mph (56 km/h)
and not to travel more than
50 miles (80 krn) or your
transmission
will be damaged. The drive wheels have
to be supported on a dolly.
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Front Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kd), 50 miles (80 km)
You must use a towing dolly under the rear wheels when
towing
from the front.
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascidfog lamp damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car-carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment. To
help avoid damage, install
a towing dolly and raise
the vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or
J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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Rear Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 km/h), 50 miles (80 km)
YOU must use a towing dolly under the front wheels when
towing from the reax
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
bumper valance damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car-carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment.
To
help avoid damage, install a towing dolly and raise
the vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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Engine Overheating
’ You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle’s instrument panel. See “Gages” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign
of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch
fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with
no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If YOLI get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may
not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get
a little too hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot, day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute 01- so:
I. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If;' you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0)
or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower
for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn't come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park
your vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, push the accelerator
until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal
idle speed. Bring the engine speed back
to normal idle
speed after two or three minutes. Now see
if the warning
stops. But then, if you still have the warning, tLm off
the engine ulld get el)eryolw out of the vehicle until it
cools down.
You may decide not
to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Engine Fan
/II CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and
tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
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