steering Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1993 s User Guide

Your Driving ad the Road
Steering Tips-Driving on Curves
154
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 jaws 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.
The traction you can get in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires
and the road surface, the angle at which
the curve is banlted, and your speed.
While you’re in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control. Suppose
you’re steering through a
sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply
the brakes. Both control systems-
steering and braking-have to do their
work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock
brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand too much at those places.
You
can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you’re
steering through a sharp curve and you
suddenly accelerate. Those two control
systems-steering and acceleration-
can overwhelm those places where the
tires meet the road and make you lose
control.
What should you do if this ever
happens? Let up on the brake or
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the
way you want it to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs
near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll
want
to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out
of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night,
it’s harder
to see the road ahead of you
because it bends away from the straight
beams of your lights. This is one good
reason to drive slower.

I Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be
more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and find
a truck stopped
in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out from nowhere,
or a
child darts out from between parked
cars and stops right in front of
you. You
can avoid these problems by braking-if
you can stop in time. But sometimes
you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s the
time for evasive action-steering
around the problem.
Your Oldsmobile can perform very well
in emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes-but unless you have anti-
lock, not enough to lock your wheels. It is
better to remove as much speed as
you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision. If you
are holding the steering wheel at the
recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions,
you can turn it a full
180 degrees very
quicldy without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object. You
must then be prepared to steer back to
your original lane and then brake to a
controlled stop. Depending
on your speed, this can be
rather violent for an unprepared driver.
This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your
safety belts and keep both hands on the
steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is
a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times.
155

Your Driving and the Road
156
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
wheels have dropped off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder while you’re
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then,
if there is nothing
in the way, steer
so that your vehicle
straddles the edge of the pavement.
You
can turn the steering wheel up to ‘/4
turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the
roadway.
If the shoulder appears to be about four
inches
(100 mm) or more below the
pavement, this difference can cause problems.
If there is not enough room
to pull entirely onto the shoulder and
stop, then follow the same procedures.
But
if the right front tire scrubs against
the side of the pavement, do
not steer
more sharply. With too much steering
angle, the vehicle may jump back onto
the road with
so much steering input
that it crosses over into the oncoming
traffic before you can bring it back
under control. Instead, ease
off again on
the accelerator and steering input,
straddle the pavement once more, then
try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass
another on a two-lane highway waits for
just the right moment, accelerates,
moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A
simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on
a two-lane highway is a potentially
dangerous move, since the passing
vehicle occupies the same lane as
oncoming traffic for several seconds.
A
miscalculation, an error in judgment, or
a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face
to face with the worst of all traffic
accidents-the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road,
to the sides, and to crossroads for
situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have
any
doubt whatsoever about malting a
successful pass, wait for a better time.
I

~
~~ Your Driving and the Road
158
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do
what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care
suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to
your Oldsmobile’s three control
systems. In the braking skid your
wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or
steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the
acceleration skid too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration
skid are best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your
vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road),
ease your foot
off the accelerator
pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle
start to slide. Quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go.
If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out.
As it does,
straighten the front wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material
is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your
driving to these conditions. It is
important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will
be longer and vehicle control more
limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced
1
traction, try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braldng (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could

cause the tires to slide. You may not
realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize
warning clues-such as enough water,
ice or packed snow on the road to make
a “mirrored surface”-and slow down
when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking
system, remember: It helps avoid only
the braking skid.
If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where
the wheels are no longer rolling),
release enough pressure on the brakes
to get the wheels rolling again. This
restores steering control. Push the
brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the
wheels are rolling, you will have
steering control. Steer the way you
want to go.
I .@ i 7“
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than
day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely to be impaired-
by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See the Index
under Drunken Driving for more on
this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to tell how fast the vehicle
ahead is going just by looking at its
taillights.
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only
so much road ahead.
Slow down, especially on higher
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.
1
159

Problems on the Road
194
Towing Your Oldsmobile (CONTJ
When your vehicle is being towed, have
the ignition key
off. The steering wheel
should be clamped in
a straight-ahead
position, with
a clamping device
designed for towing service. Do not use
the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transaxle should be in
N (Neutral), and the parking brake
released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the
front wheels, unless you must. If the
vehicle must be towed on the front
wheels, don’t go more than
35 mph
(56 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 lun) or your transaxle will be
damaged.
If these limits must be
exceeded, then the front wheels have to
be supported on a dolly. A vehicle can fall from a
car
secured. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle
damage. The vehicle should be
tightly secured with chains or steel
cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes,
leather straps, canvas webbing,
etc.) that can be cut by sharp edges
underneath the towed vehicle.
/A carrier if it isn’t properly
Towing from the Front-
Vehicle Hook-up
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be
sure
to read all the information on
Towing
Your Oldsmobile earlier in this
section.
All Models
1. Attach T-hook chains into the side
slots in the cradle in front of the
wheels, on both sides.

204
Problems on the Road
Engine Overheating (cow.)
IO. Then replace the pressure cap. Be
sure the
arrows on the pressure cap
line up like this.
1 1. Check the coolant recovery tank.
The coolant level should be at
HOT
when the engine is hot and at
COLD when the engine is cold.
Ifa Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to (‘blow out’’
while you’re driving, especially if you
maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out
of a tire, it’s much more likely to
leak out slowly. But
if you should ever
have a “blowout,” here are a few tips
about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will
create a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and
grip the steering
wheel firmly. Steer to maintain lane
position, then gently brake to a stop
well out of the trafEic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve,
acts much like a skid and may require
the same correction you’d use in a skid.
In any rear blowout, remove your foot
from the accelerator pedal. Get the
vehicle under control by steering the
way you want the vehicle to go. It may
be very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently brake to a stop, well
off the road if possible.
If your tire goes flat, the
next section
shows how to use your jacking
equipment to change a flat tire safely.

CAUTION I
A
If you let your tires spin at
high speed, they can explode
and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That
could cause an engine compartment
fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels
above
35 mph (56 lun/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clez the area around
your front wheels. Then shift back and
forth between
R (Reverse) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as
little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal when the
transaxle
is in gear. If that doesn’t get
you
out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If you do need to be
towed out, see the
Index under Towing
Your Oldsmobile.
213

224
P P
3,IL V6 Engine (CODE TI
When you open the hood, you’ll see:
1. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
2. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
3. Brake Fluid Reservoir
4. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
5. Battery
6. Air Cleaner
7. Engine Oil Fill Cap
8. Engine Oil Dipstick
9. Radiator Pressure Cap
IO. Engine Coolant Reservoir
W6118

Twin Dual Cam (DOHC) 3.41 V6
Engine (CODE x)
When you open the hood, you'll see:
1. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
2. Automatic Transaxle Fluid Dipstick
3. Brake Fluid Reservoir
4. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
7. Engine Oil Fill Cap
8. Engine Oil Dipstick
9. Radiator Pressure Cap
. I$?. .- .. Engine . Coolant Reservoir . ,,- ,. . ~- ...%... J: L....'. Il,i ... ii I/ i.2:. ,
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