tow OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1998 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: OLDSMOBILE, Model Year: 1998, Model line: BRAVADA, Model: OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1998Pages: 380, PDF Size: 19.2 MB
Page 83 of 380

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 reg~dar brake
pedal down.
I 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 fl-om moving.
Pull the BRAKE RELEASE lever. It is located on the
bottom
of the instrument panel on the driver‘s side.
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Page 84 of 380

Shifting Into PARK (P)
c
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.
!. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
P
a
Hold in the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and t,&e it with you. If you can leave
your vehicle
with the key, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
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Page 85 of 380

Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine
Running
4 CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK
(P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is
in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave
it. After
you‘ve moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling it
toward you (or pressing the button on a console shift
lever).
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t
fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This
is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
When you are ready
to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK
(P) bqjot-e you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little
uphill to take some of the
pressure
f1-0111 the parking pawl in the transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Page 88 of 380

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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Tilt Wheel
You should adjust the
steering wheel before
you drive.
You can raise it to the highest level to give your legs
more room when
you enter and exit the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever toward you. Move the steering wheel
to a
comfortable level, then release the lever to lock the
wheel
in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
Turn SignalMultifunction Lever
0 Cruise Control
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Page 91 of 380

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.
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Page 99 of 380

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.
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Page 120 of 380

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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If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reducing vehicle speed.
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled
as soon as it is possible.
If the light
stops flashing and remains on steady, see "If
the Light
Is On Steady'. following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to clo so,
stop the vel?icle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine.
If the light remains on steady, see "If the Light
Is On Steady" following. If the light is still .flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
retailer or qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
YOLI may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering
the following:
Did you recently
put fuel into your vehicle'?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel cap
has been left off or improperly installed.
A loose or
missing fuel cap
will allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle
of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should
turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands
of fuel?
If so, be s~~re to file1 your vehicle with quality fuel (see
"Fuel"
in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not
to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice
this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go
away once the engine is warmed up.) This
will be detected
by the system and cause the light to turn
on.
If YOLI experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand
yo^^ use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your retailer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your retailer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
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Page 125 of 380

Security Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you turn the
key toward
START. The
light will stay on
until the
engine starts.
Service 4WD Light
This light should come on
briefly when you turn on the
SERVICE
4WD
I ignition, as a check to show
If the light flashes, the Passlock system has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, see "Passlock"
in the Index.
If the light comes on continuously while driving and
stays on, there may be a problem with the Passlock
system. Your vehicle
will not be protected by Passlock,
and you should see your retailer. The
SERVICE 4WD light
comes on to indicate that
there may be
a problem with the drive system and
service is required. Malfunctions can be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent, which may
prevent serious damage to
the vehicle. This system is
also designed
to assist your service technician in
correctly diagnosing a malfunction.
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