OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1998 Owners Manual

Turn and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow
you to signal
a turn or a lane change.
To signal
a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When
the turn is finished. the lever will return automatically.
An arrow on the
instrument panel
will
flash in the direction of
the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don't
flash but just stay on,
a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won't see your
turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident.
If the arrows don't go on at all when you
signal
a turn, check the fuse (see "Fuses and Circuit
Breakers''
in the Index) and for burned-out bulbs.
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps,
a different turn signal flasher is used.
With this flasher installed, the signal indicator
will flash
even
if a turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the front
and rear
turn signal lamps regularly to make sure they
are working.
Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for nwre than 3/4 of a mile
( I .2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the turn
signal. To
turn off the chime., move the turn signal lever
to the
off position.
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low to high beam or high
to low beam.
pull the multifunction lever a11 the way
toward you. Then release
it.
When the high beams are
on, this indicator light
on
the instrument panel will
also be on.
ProCarManuals.com

Windshield Wipers
I-
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with
the wiper symbol on it.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after
one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the
band
on MIST longer.
rcm
can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This can be very useful
in light rain or
snow. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The
closer
to LO, the shorter the delay. For steady
wiping at
low speed, turn the band away
from
you to LO. For high-speed wiping, turn the
band further, to HI. To stop the wipers, rnove the
band
to OFF.
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
worn
or damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Windshield Washer
There‘s a paddle marked with the windshield washer
symbol
on the top of the rnultifunction lever. To spray
washer fluid
on the windshield, push the paddle. The
wipers
will clear the window and then either stop or
return to your preset speed.
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.
2-28
-
ProCarManuals.com

Rear Window Washer/Wiper
To turn the rear wiper on, slide the switch to either LO
or HI. To turn the wiper off, slide the switch to OFF.
To wash the window, press the wash button located on
the switch.
The rear window washer uses the same fluid bottle as
the windshield washer. However,
the rear window
washer will
run out of fluid before the windshield
washer.
If you can wash your windshield but not your
rear window, check your fluid level.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can
maintain
a speed of about
25 mph (40 kdh) 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 kdh).
If you apply your brakes, the cruise control will shut off.
0 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.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous on
2-29
ProCarManuals.com

Setting Cruise Control
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit
a button
and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You
could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch
off‘ until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press in the SET button
at the end
of the lever
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake.
This, of course, shuts off
the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset it.
-1 Once you’re going about
25 lnph (40 km/h) or
more, you can move the
cruise control switch from
ON to R/A for about a half
a second.
You’ll
go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
Remember,
if you hold the switch at R/A longer than
half
a second, the vehicle will keep going faster until
you release the switch or apply the brake, So unless you
want
to go faster, don’t hold the switch at R/A.
ProCarManuals.com

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
0 Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the button
at the end of the lever: then release
the button
and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want, and
then release the switch.
(To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to R/A. Each
time you do this. your vehicle
will go about 1 mph
( 1.6 km/h) faster.)
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
Press in the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release
it.
0 To slow down in very small amounts, press the
button for less than half
a second. Each time you do
this, you‘ll go I mph ( I .6 kdh) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot
off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed,
load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may want to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control
on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal.
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Menwry
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory
is erased.
2-3 1
ProCarManuals.com

Exterior Lamps
Your parking lamp and headlamp switch is on the
driver’s side
of your instrument panel.
Rotate the knob to the right to the parking lamps symbol
to manually turn on:
Parking Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Tidillamps
0 License Plate Lamps
Instrument .Panel Lights Rotate
the knob
to the right to the master lamp symbol
to turn on all the lamps listed as well as the headlamps.
Rotate the knob all the way to the left to turn
off your
lamps and put the system
in auto headlamp mode.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along
with other lamps such as the
taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the instrument
panel lights. The radio lights
will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor
on the top
of the instrument panel under the radio speaker grill, so
be sure it is not covered, which will cause the system to
be on whenever the ignition
is on.
The system may also turn on your lights when driving
through a parking gzage, heavy overcast weather, a tunnel
or fueling your vehicle in a low-light area. This is normal.
There is
a delay in the transition between the daytime and
nighttime operation
of the Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems
so that driving
under bridges or bright overhead street lights does not
afiect the system. The DRL and automatic headlamp
system
will only be affected when the light sensor sees a
change
in lighting lasting longer than the delay.
2-32
ProCarManuals.com

To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, set the parking brake while the ignition is
off. Then start your vehicle. The automatic headlamp
system
will stay off until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
Lamps On Reminder
A reminder tone will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition
is
in OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY. To turn the tone off, turn
the knob all the way to the left.
In the automatic mode, the
headlamps
turn off once the ignition key is in OF.
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.
The DRL system will
make your headlamps come on at
reduced brightness when:
the ignition is on,
the headlamp switch is in automatic headlamp mode and
0 the parking brake is released. When the
DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won't be on.
The instrument panel won't be
lit up either.
When
it begins to get dark, the headlamps will
automatically switch from DRL
to the regular headlamps.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the regular lamps
will go off, and your headlamps will change to the reduced
brightness of DRL provided
it is not dark outside.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake. The DRL will stay off
until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle. you should turn on the regular
headlamp system
when you need it.
Fog Lamps
Use your fog lamps for better vision in foggy or misty
conditions. Your low-beam headlamps must be
on for
your fog lamps to work.
The fog lamp switch is
on the instrument panel under
the lamps switch. Press the switch to turn the fog lamps
on. Press the switch again to turn them off.
A light will
glow
in the switch when the fog lamps are on.
Fog lamps will go off whenever your high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high beams go off, the
fog lamps
will come on again.
ProCarManuals.com

Interior Lamps
Brightness Control
Turn the switch next t.o the headlamp switch up to make
your instrument panel lights brighter. Turn
the switch all
the way up to turn on the interior lamps.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition to help you see
while exiting
the vehicle. These lights will stay on for a
short period of time and then will go out.
Illuminated Entry
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated
entry f-*eature.
When the doors are opened, the dome lamps
will come
on
if the DOME OVERRIDE button is out. When all the
doors are closed, or the front door handles are lifted and
released, the lamps
will stay on for a short period of
time and will then go out. When the dome lamp button
is pressed
in, the lamps will go out immediately.
Front Reading Lamps
Press the button near each lamp on the overhead console
to
turn the reading lamps on and off. The lamps can be
swiveled to point
in the desired direction.
If you have the mini console, press the lens on each
lamp to
turn it on or off.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open the doors.
You can
also turn the dome lamps on by rotating the
thumb wheel. located next to the parking/headlamps
knob, all the way up to the second notch. In this
position.
the dome lamps will remain on whether the
doors are opened or closed.
You can use the DOME
OVERRIDE button, located
below the parking/heacllalnp knob, to set the
dome lamps
to come on auton1atically when the doors are opened, or to
remain
off. To turn the lamps off, press the button once.
With the button
in this position, the dome lamps will
remain off when the doors are open. To return the lamps to
automatic operation, press the button again and return
it to
the
"out" position. With the button in this position, the
donx
lamps will come on when you open the door. This
will not override the illuminated entry feature.
ProCarManuals.com

Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome, courtesy. vanity.
reading, glove
box and underhood lamps if they are left
on for more than
20 minutes when the ignition is off.
This
will keep your battery from running do~n.
Mirrors
Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror
This mirror auton~atically changes to reduce glare from
headlamps behind you.
A photocell on the back of the
mirror senses when
it is becoming dark outside. Another
photocell
built into the mirror surface senses when
headlamps are behind
you.
At night, when the glare is too high, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare (this change may take a
few seconds). The mirror will return to its clear daytime
state when
the glare is reduced.
Press the button
at the base of the mirror to turn on the
automatic feature. The button has
an indicator light to
show
it is on. Press the button again to turn the
automatic feature
off.
Time Delay
The automatic mirror has a time delay feature which
prevents unnecessary switching from the night back to
the day position. This delay prevents rapid changing of
the mirror
as you drive under lights and through traffic.
Cleaning the Photocells
Use a cotton swab and glass cleaner to clean the
photocells
when necessary.
Outside Manual Adjust Mirror
Adjust your outside min-ors so you can just see the side
of your vehicle.
You can fold them before entering
a car wash. Pull the
mirrors in toward the vehicle. Push the mirrors back out
when finished.
2-35
ProCarManuals.com

Power Remote Control Mirror
Move the control to the left or right to choose the
mirror, then press the arrows on the control pad to
adjust the mirror.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface
is curved so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
AUTION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut
too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit
a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
2-36
ProCarManuals.com