steering OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE 1998 User Guide

3. Push the COAST/SET
button on your steering wheel and release it. Once
you’re going about
25 rnph (40 km/h)or more,
press the RES/ACCEL
button on your steering
wheel. You’ll go right back
up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator.
The CRUISE light on the instrument panel cluster will
come on after the cruise control has been set to the
desired speed.
It will go off when you:
step lightly on the brake pedal,
0 press CLEAR on the steering wheel or
0 press the CRUISE button on the instrument panel.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course shuts off
the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset
it.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
0
0
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the COAST/SET button on the steering wheel,
then release the button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now cruise at the higher speed.
Press the RES/ACCEL button on the steering wheel.
Hold it there until you get up to the speed you want
and then release the switch. (To increase your speed
in very small amounts, press the RES/ACCEL
button for less than half a second and then release it.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will
go 1 mph
(1.6 km/h) faster.)
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The accelerate feature will only work after you set the
cruise control speed by pressing the COAST/SET button
on the steering wheel.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the COAST/SET button on the steering wheel
until
you reach the lower speed you want, then
release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the
COASTBET button on the steering wheel for less
than a half second. Each time you do this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot
off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out
of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to cancel the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal,
0 Press CLEAR on the steering wheel or
Press the CRUISE button on the instrument panel.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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Exterior Lamps
The lamp controls are located on the multifunction
lever on the left
of the steering wheel. They control
these systems:
Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
License Lamps
0 Sidemarker Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
Turn the end of the lever to this symbol to turn on
the headlamps and other operating lamps.
zoo=
- Turn the end of the lever to this symbol to turn
on the parking and other operating lamps without the
headlamps.
Turn the end of the lever to
OFF to turn off the lamps.
A warning chime will sound if you open the driver’s
door when you turn the ignition switch to
OFF or ACC
with the lamps on.
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Section 3 Comfort Controls
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3-2
3-2
3-4
3
-4
3 -4
3-9
3
-9
3- 10
3- 14
Comfort Controls Air Conditioning with Electronic Controls
Heating
Ventilation
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger Setting
the Clock
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
and Automatic Tone Control
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Automatic Tone
Control (If Equipped) 3-20
3 -23
3-25
3-25
3-26
3 -27
3-28
3-28
3-28
Trunk Mounted CD Changer (If Equipped)
Theft-Detement Feature
Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care of Your Compact Discs
Care of Your Compact Disc Player
Backglass Antenna
(If Equipped)
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Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, you can control
certain radio functions
using the buttons
on your
steering wheel.
VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
SEEK: Press this button to tune to a higher radio
station. When playing a cassette tape or compact disc,
press
SEEK to hear the next selection. There must be
at least a three-second gap between selections on a
cassette tape.
PROG: Press this button to tune in a higher preset radio
station. When playing a cassette tape, press
PROG to
hear the other side of a tape that is playing. When using
the
CD changer, this button will seek the next selection.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to
40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and
go.
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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 also
included many other useful tips on driving.
4-2
4-3
4- 6
4-6
4-11
4-13
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 4-17
4-20
4-2
1
4-22
4-23
4-23
4-25
4-29
4-3
1
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
City Driving
Freeway Driving Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis
Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
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Control of a Vehicle
Braking
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. 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
3/4 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.
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.
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When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s a
problem with the system.
TRAC
OFF
See “Enhanced Traction System Warning Light’’ in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need
to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
To turn the system on
or
off, press the button
on the console.
Your Enhanced Traction System is automatically
activated when you turn the ignition on. This switch
will activate/deactivate the Enhanced Traction System.
If you need to disable the system, such as when you
are stuck and are rocking your vehicle back and forth,
push this switch. See “Stuck:
In Sand, Mud or Snow”
in the Index.
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.
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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.
Magnetic Speed Sensitive Steering
This steering system provides lighter steering effort
for parking and when driving at speeds below
20 mph (32 km/h). Steering effort will increase at
higher speeds for improved road
feel.
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. 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 banked, 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 accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand
too
much of those places. You can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
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.
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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 vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) 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 quickly 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.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
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