brakes OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1998 Owners Manual

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
x
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
for
you and
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS 9
TURN
RUNNING
' 0
DAYTIME .
LAMPS **
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
CS 0b
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VEN TlLATlNG
FAN
These symbols are
used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
n
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
V
ProCarManuals.com

EIISLW the shift lever is f~~lly in PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your vehicle has
a
Brake-Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI). You
have to fully apply your regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK
(P) when the ignition key is in RUN.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever -- press the button on the shift lever and
push the shift lever
all the way into PARK (P) as you
maintain brake application. Then move the shift lever
into the gear you wish. See ”Shifting Out of PARK (P)”
in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift
to REVERSE (R) only after
your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
”Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow’‘ in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect
with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine
is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot
is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of
PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
ProCarManuals.com

DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (5.5 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 3.5 mph (5.5 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to
the next gear and have more power.
DRIVE (D) should not be used when towing
a trailer,
carrying a heavy load, driving on steep hills or for
off-road driving. Select THIRD
(3) when operating the
vehicle under any of these conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for nornlal
driving, however
it offers more power but lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D). You should use THIRD
(3)
when towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, driving on
steep hills or winding roads or for off-road driving.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than THIRD
(3). You can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use your brakes off and on. You
can also use SECOND
(2) for starting your vehicle
from a stop
on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can
use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever
is put in FIRST (I ) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission won’t shift into
FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
-
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if
you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object.
You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
2-18
ProCarManuals.com

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.
2-19
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

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.
2-57
ProCarManuals.com

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.
4-6
ProCarManuals.com

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This
is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes
will wear out much
faster
if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
nol-mally but don’t
pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal
may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you
will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used
up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent
a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light
will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light‘‘ in
the Index.
4-7
ProCarManuals.com

Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you. The anti-lock system
can change the brake pressure
faster than
any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and
road conditions.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
4-8
ProCarManuals.com

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows
or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the
brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even
the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
4-9
ProCarManuals.com