Oldsmobile Cutlass 1998 Owner's Manuals

Playing a Compact Disc
With the ignition on, insert a disc partway into the slot,
label side up. The player will pull it
in and the disc
should begin playing.
If you want to insert a CD when
the ignition is
off, first press EJECT or RCL.
The CD player will play either normal-size discs or
the smaller
8 cm discs with an adapter.
Note that when the disc
is inserted, CD will be
displayed. When the disc is playing, a box will appear
around CD on the display.
If you select a tone setting for
your CD, it will be activated each time you play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear in the display.
If E (error) and a number appear on the radio display
and the disc comes out, it could be that:
0 E20: The road is too rough. The disc should play
E20: The disc is duly, scratched, wet or upside
0 E20: The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be
corrected, please contact your retailer.
If your radio
when the road
is smoother.
down. and try again. displays
an error number, write
it down and provide it to
your retailer when reporting the problem.
REV (1): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume.
The display will show elapsed time.
FWD (2): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume.
The display will show elapsed time.
RDM (5): Press this button to hear the tracks in random,
rather than sequential, order.
RDM will appear on the
display when you press this button.
TONE: Press this button to select a tone while playing a
compact disc. The tone will be automatically set
whenever you play a compact disc.
SEEK: Press the down arrow to go to the start of the
current track if more than eight seconds have played.
Press the up arrow
to go to the next track. If you hold
the button or press it more than once, the player
will
continue moving rearward or forward through the disc.
SCAN: Press this button to listen to each selection for a
few seconds. The disc will go
to the next selection, stop
for a few seconds, then go on to the next selection. Press
this button again to stop scanning. The sound will mute
while scanning, SCAN will appear on the display.
3-17

RCL: Press this button to see which track is playing.
Press it again within five seconds to see how long it has
been playing. To change what
is normally shown on the
display (track or elapsed time), press the button until
you see the display you want, then hold the button until
the display flashes.
While elapsed time is showing,
EL TM will appear on the display.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is in the player.
TAPE-CD: Press this button to change to the tape or
disc function when the radio is on and either a tape or
CD is inserted. Press AM-FM to return to the radio
while a CD or tape is playing. The inactive tape or CD
will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.
If
you have the optional CD changer and the CD changer
is loaded, the TAPE-CD button will activate the changer
and a box will be lighted around CDC in the display.
EJECT: Press this button to remove the compact disc or
cassette tape. The icon with the box around it on the
display will eject and the radio will play. EJECT may be
activated with either the ignition or radio
off. Cassettes
and compact discs may be loaded with the radio and
ignition
off if this button is pressed first.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK@ is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by
using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed.
The THEFTLOCK feature for the radio may be used or
ignored.
If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by the feature. If THEFTLOCK
is
activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed.
If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code
before it will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow explain how to enter your
secret code to activate the THEFTLOCK system. It
is
recommended that you read through all nine steps
before starting the procedure.
NOTE: If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time and you must start the procedure over at Step
4.
1. Write down any three or four-digit number from
000 to 1999 and keep it in a safe place separate from
the vehicle.

2. Turn the ignition to ACC or ON.
3. Turn the radio off.
4. Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
--- shows on the display. Next you will use the
secret code number which you have written down.
5. Press MN and 000 will appear on the display.
6. Press MN again to make the last two digits agree
7. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
with your code.
8. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that
the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show REP to let you know that you
need to repeat Steps
5 through 7 to confirm your
secret code.
9. Press AM-FM and this time the display will show
SEC to let you know that your radio is secure.
Unlocking the Theft-Deterrent Feature After a
Power Loss
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1. LOC appears when the ignition is on.
2. Press MN and 000 will appear on the display.
3. Press MN again to make the last two digits agree
4. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
with your code.
5. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
SEC, indicating the radio is
now operable and secure.
If you enter the wrong code eight times, INOP will
appear on the display. You will have to wait an hour
with the ignition
on before you can try again. When you
try again, you will only have three chances to enter the
correct code before
INOP appears.
If you lose or forget your code, contact your retailer.
3-19 I

3-20

To help avoid hearing loss or darnage:
0 Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
0 Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can
add what you want.
If you can, it’s very
important to do
it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of
your vehicle’s engine, Delco Electronics radio
or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been
added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your retailer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored
in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat.
If they aren’t, they.may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLN to indicate
that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without
resetting the tape clean timer.
If this message appears on
the display, your cassette tape player needs to be
cleaned. It will
still play tapes, but you should clean it as
soon as possible to prevent damage to your tapes and
player.
If you notice a reduction in sound quality, try a
known good cassette to see
if it is the tape or the tape
player at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement
in sound quality, clean the tape player.
The recommended cleaning method for your cassette
tape player is the use of a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette
turn.
The recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your retail facility
(GM Part No. 12344789).
3-21

When using a scrubbing action, non-abrasive cleaning cassette, it is normal for the cassette to eject because
your unit is equipped with a cut tape detection feature and a cleaning cassette may appear as a broken tape.
If
the cleaning cassette ejects, insert the cassette at least
three times to ensure thorough cleaning.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt
to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner may
not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type cleaner.
The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type cleaning
cassette is not recommended.
After you clean the player, press and hold EJECT for
five seconds to reset the CLN indicator. The radio will
display
--- to show the indicator was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away Erom direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface
of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the signal surface when handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your Compact Disc Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens
of the CD optics with
lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever become
slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the
mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, you should
replace it.
Check every once in a' while to be sure the mast is still
tightened to the fender.
3-22

Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve asu
included many other useful tips on driving.
4-2
4-3 4-6
4-6
4-9
4-11 4- 12
4- 13
4- 14
4-16 Defensive Driving
Drunken
Driving
Control
of a Vehicle
Braking Steering
Off-Road Recovery
Passing
Loss of Control
Driving at Night
Driving
in Rain and on Wet Roads 4-19
4-20
4-21
4-22
4-22
4-24
4-28
4-30
4-32 City Driving
Freeway Driving
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis
Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading
Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
4-1

Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device
in
your Oldsmobile: 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 you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the floor
-- makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this,
or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.
4-2

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of
all motor
vehcle-related deaths involve alcohol.
In most cases,
these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking
and driving.
In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so
they never drive after drinking. For persons under 2 1 ,
it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve
this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration
(BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
consume the alcohol.
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
According to the American Medical Association, a 180-lb.
(82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355
ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120
ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed
drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45
ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.

It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces
or
9Oml of liquor each) within an how, the person’s
BAC would be clo,se to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes
food just before or during drhking will have a
somewhat lower
BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men.
~ -- ~ - -- ~--. ---___ -
Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is
0.08 percent. In some
other countries, it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the United States is
0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of
many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance
of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC
of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level
of 0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level
of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!