OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS 1997 Owners Manual

Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On
an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you see
a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are
on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steerinp maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation.
You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you know for sure that you
are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some
things to
do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers.
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0 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to
keep warm, but be careful.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see it or smell it,
so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base
of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. Ths
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
You can tow your vehicle behind another vehicle for use
at your destination. Be sure to use the proper towing
equipment designed for recreational towing. Follow the
instructions for the towing equipment.
Towing Your Vehicle from the Front
There are two ways to tow your vehicle from the front.
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To tow your vehicle with a dolly, follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
2. Put the vehicle in PARK (P).
3. Set the parking brake and then remove the key.
4. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position
with a clamping device designed for towing.
5. Release the parking brake.
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To tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground,
follow these steps:
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1. Position the vehicle to tow and then secure it.
2. Turn the ignition switch to OFF.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Remove the following fuses from the left side
instrument panel fuse block:
A) Radio, B) Wiper,
H) Powertrain Control Module and K) Body
Function Control Module, Cluster. This will
prevent your battery
form draining while towing.
See “Instrument Panel Fusle Block-Left” in
Section
6 for location of the fuses.
5. Turn the ignition switch to ACC.
6. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
7. Release the parking brake.
Remember
to replace the fuse once you reach your
destination. To replace the fuse:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Replace the fuse.
I NOTICE:
Make sure that the towing speed does not exceed
55 mph (90 km/h), or your vehicle could be
badly damaged.
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Towing Your Vehicle from the Rear
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I NOTICE:
Do not tow your vehicle from the rear. Your
vehicle could be badly damaged and the repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Loading Your Vehicle
Fm OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAP. WT.
?
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
FRT. CTR.
RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
MAX. LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI/KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA. IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1/28KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found on the rear edge
of the driver's side rear passenger
door tells you the proper size, speed rating and
recommended inflation pressures
for the tires on your
vehicle. It also gives you important information about
the number
of people that can be in your vehicle and the
total weight that you can carry.
This weight is called the
Vehicle Capacity Weight,
and includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo and all nonfactory-installed options.
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MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR RR
THiS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE U.S. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY, BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
The other label is the Certification label, found on the rear
edge
of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle, called the
GVWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating). The GVWR includes the weight of the vehicle,
all occupants, fuel and cargo. Never exceed the
GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for either the front or rear
axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it
out. Don’t carry more
than 132 lbs. (60 kg) in your trunk.
Do not load your vehicle any neavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAM. If you do, parts on your vehicle can break,
or it can change the way your vehicle handles.
These could came you to lose
control. Also,
overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle.
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A CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in
a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
0 Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them as
far forward as you can.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
0 Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
0 When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure
it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
0 Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
Towing a Trailer
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~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
Pull
a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section. Ask your Oldsmobile retailer
for advice and information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered
by
your warranty. To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your Oldsmobile
retailer
for important information about towing
a trailer with your vehicle.
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Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment.
To identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is for
your vehicle, you should read the information in
“Weight of the Trailer” that appears later in this section.
But trailering is different than just driving your vehicle
by itself. Trailering means changes
in handling,
durability and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering
takes correct equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers.
So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher
speeds^ and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
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There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to
do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where
you live but
also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first
1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 krn) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle.
This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear
in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 km/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
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Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
0 the weight of the trailer tongue
and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1000 lbs. (450 kg). But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan
to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask your retailer for our trailering information
or advice, or you can write
us at:
Oldsmobile Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 30095
Lansing,
MI 48909 In Canada, write to:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre 1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H
8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because it affects the total capacity
weight
of your vehicle. The capacity weight includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo you may cany in
it, and the people who will be riding in the vehicle. And
if you will tow a trailer, you must subtract the tongue
load from your vehicle’s capacity weight because
your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading
Your Vehicle” in the Index for more information about
your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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