brake OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1998 User Guide

Locking Rear Axle
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.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If’ you’ve 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).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index. Your
locking 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, this 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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Instrument Panel
A. Air Vents
B. Instrument Cluster
C. Glove Box
D. Audio System
E. Auxiliary Power Outlets
F. Rear Window Defogger
G. Comfort Controls
H. Ashtray
I. Rear Liftgate Release
J. Rear Window Washedwiper
K. Brake Release
L. Fog Lamps
M. Lamp Controls
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Brake System Warning Light
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will 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.
Your vehicle‘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.
This light should come on
BRAKE
-
briefly when you turn the
ignition key to
RUN. If it
doesn’t come on then,
have
it fixed so it will be
re.ady 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.)
I CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
1 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.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
~ With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come on when you start
your e.ngine and may stay
on
for several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when 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.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves
into the red area. your
engine is too hot!
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.
In “Problems on the Road,“ this manuill shows you what
to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start
with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See "Safety Belts"
in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means "be ready for anything."
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
"always expect the unexpected."
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might
do. Be ready
for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable
of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance.
It's the best defensive driving
maneuver,
in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle
in front of yo11 is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
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.
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.
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
314 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.
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