engine Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1993 s Owner's Guide

If you keep pace with the tr&c 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 normally 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) (OPTION)
If your Oldsmobile has this system, it
has an advanced electronic braking
system that
will help prevent skidding.
If you have an anti-lock brake system
(ABS), the brake pedal will say
so.

Power Seering
If you lose power steering assist
became the engine stops or the system
fails to function, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.

~
~~ 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

Your Driving and the Road
Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are
made on freeways, there are still many
made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and
regular highways is the same
in some
ways. The trip has to be planned and
the vehicle prepared, you drive at
higher-than-city speeds, and there
are
longer turns behind the wheel. You’ll
enjoy your trip more if you and your
vehicle are in good shape. Here are
some tips for a successful long trip.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well
rested. If you must start when you’re
not fresh-such as after a day’s work
don’t plan to make too many miles that
first part of the journey. Wear
comfortable clothing and shoes you can
easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If
you keep it serviced and maintained, it’s
ready to go. If it needs service, have it
done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service
experts in Oldsmobile dealerships all
across North America. They’ll be ready
and willing to help if you need it. Here are
some things you can check
before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the
reservoir
full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
shape? Have you checked
all levels?
the lenses clean?
safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long-distance
driving?
Are the tires all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Lights: Are they all working? Are
Tires: They are vitally important to a

Your Driving and the Road
1 70
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep
country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to laow is this: let
your engine
do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
your
trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
I
Coasting downhill in N
(Neutral) or with the ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will
have to do all the work of slowing
down. They could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well. You could
crash. Always have your engine
running and your vehicle in gear
when you go downhill.
use of your brakes.
I --
Know how to go uphill. You may
want to shift down to a lower gear.
The lower gears help cool your engine
and transaxle, and you can climb the
hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving
on two-lane roads in hills or
mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center
of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your own
lane. That way, you won’t be
surprised by a vehicle coming toward
It takes longer to pass another vehicle
when you’re going uphill. You’ll want
to leave extra room to pass.
If a
I you in the same lane.
vehicle is passing you and doesn’t
have enough room, slow down to
make it easier for the other vehicle to
get by.

If You’re Caught in a BIiuard
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
axe some things to do to
summon help and keep yourself and
your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert
police that you’ve been stopped by the
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.
but be careful.
You can run the engine to keep warm,
I
Snow can trap exhaust gases
L 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 was in your
vehicle. Clear away snow
from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is bloclung 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.
1 75

1 76
If You're Caught in a Blizzard
(CONT.)
Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When you run
the engine, male it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the
accelerator slightly. This
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 headlights. 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.
If You're Stuck in Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the
vehicle out of deep snow without
damaging it. See the
Index under
Rocking Your Vehicle. I
I
tiAUIIUN
I A If vou 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.

Do not tow a trailer if you have a
convertible with the 3.4L VIN Code X
engine.
Your Oldsmobile can tow a trailer. 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 section. 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.
All of that means changes in:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
There are many different laws having
to do with trailering. Make sure your
rig
will be legal, not oplly 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
500 miles (800 km) your new
vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle or other parts could be damaged.
177

Your Driving and the Road
1 78
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
(CONT.)
Then, during the first 500 miles
(800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 lun/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.
Three important considerations have
to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 1,000
pounds
(450 kg), unless you have a
3.1L
V6 with the heavy-duty cooling
package. Then your vehicle can tow
up to
2,000 pounds (900 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 dealer for our trailering
information or advice, or you can
write us at: Oldsmobile Customer Assistance
P.O. Box 30095
Lansing, MI 48909
In Canada, write to:
Network
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8P7

Your Driving and the Road
Driving with a Trailer (CONT.)
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal.
Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have
a different turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows
on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change
lanes or stop. When towing a
trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your
signal when they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the
trailer bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade.
If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes
so much
that they would get hot and
no longer
work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 lm/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you have
an automatic transaxle with Overdrive,
you may want to drive in
D instead of
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).