brake OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1995 User Guide

You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and stay
there.
If you have the 3800 V6 engine, cruise control
memory will be erased when you place
the transaxle in
PARK (P). If this is the case, you will not be able to
resume your set speed by moving the cruise control
switch to
WA.
Use the SET button to reset cruise (see “To Set Cruise
Control” earlier in this section).
If you hold the switch at
R/A longer than half a second,
the vehicle will keep going faster until you release the
switch or apply
the brake. You could be startled and
even lose control.
So unless you want to go faster, don’t
hold the switch at R/A.
To Increase Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed. Here’s the
first:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Here’s the second way to go to
a higher speed:
Move the cruise switch from ON to WA. 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, move
the switch to R/A for less than half a second and then
release
it. Each time you do this, your vehicle will go
about
1 mph (1.6 kdh) faster.
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If you have the 3.1L V6 engine, the accelerate feature
will work whether or not you have set an initial cruise
control speed.
If you have the
3800 V6 engine, the accelerate feature
will only work after you have set the initial cruise
control speed by pushing the
SET button.
To Reduce Speed While Using Cruise
Control
0 Push in the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release
it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button for less than half a 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 control 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.
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased. If
you have the
3800 V6 engine, cruise control memory
will also be erased when you place the transaxle
in
PARK (P).
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1. Low Traction Light (Option: 3800 V6)
2. Air Bag Readiness Light
3. Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
4. Power Sliding Door Warning Light (Option)
5. Liftgate Ajar Warning Light
6. Brake System Warning Light
7. Voltmeter
8. Oil Pressure Gage
9. Tachometer
10. Safety Belt Reminder Light
11. Right Turn Signal 12.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1 3. Speedometer 14. High Beam Indicator
15. Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option: 3800
V6)
16. Left Turn Signal
17. Odometer
18. Trip Odometer Reset Button
19. Trip Odometer
20. Fuel Gage
21. Low Fuel Warning Light
22. Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
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Voltmeter
18
” /
When the engine is not running, but the ignition is on (in
the RUN position), the display measures the voltage
output
of your battery.
Brake System Warning Light
[BRAKE]
Your charging system gage will show the rate of charge
when the engine is running.
The reading will change as the rate
of charge changes
(with the engine speed, etc.), but readings between the
red warning zones indicate the normal operating range.
Readings in either red zone indicate
a possible problem
with your charging system. Have your Oldsmobile
serviced immediately. Your
Oldsmobile’s hydraulic brake system is divided
into two parts.
If one part isn’t working, the other part
can still work and stop
you. For good braking, though,
you need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on briefly as you start the
vehicle.
If it doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem,
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If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer
to stop. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle”
in
the Index.)
The brake system warning light will also come
on when
you set your parking brake, and it will stay on if your
parking brake doesn’t release fully. If it stays on after
your parking brake is fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake system, this light will come on
when you start your engine and it will
stay on for three
seconds. That’s normal. If the light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be
a problem with your
regular brakes. Pull
off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer
to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in
the Index.)
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If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine,
turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Oldsmobile needs service.
If
the light is on but not flashing and the regular brake
system warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but
you don’t have ahti-lock brakes.
Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option)
TCS
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine.
If the warning light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem. If it
stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there may be
a problem with your traction control system and your
vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on,
the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
If your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will
turn off and the warning light will come on
until your brakes cool down. If the traction control
system warning light comes on and stays on for an
extended period
of time, your vehicle needs service.
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Low Traction Light (Option)
If your vehicle has the
traction control system,
there will be a
LOW
TRACTION light on
the instrument panel.
LOW
TRACTION
When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking
skid, or when your traction
control system is limiting wheel spin, the
LOW TRACTION light will come on. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this light comes on,
so adjust
your driving accordingly. The light will come
on and
stay on for four seconds when your anti-lock system
adjusts brake pressure for 'less than four seconds or
when your traction control system limits wheel spin
for
less than four seconds. Otherwise, the light will go out
as soon as the anti-lock system stops adjusting brake
pressure or the traction control system stops limiting
wheel spin. The
LOW TRACTION
light also comes on briefly, as a
bulb check, when the engine is started. If the light
doesn't come on then, have it fixed
so it will be there to
tell you when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
In
260
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too
hot! It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
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Fuel Gage
1
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left (when the ignition
is on). When the gage first
indicates
EMPTY (E), you still have a little fuel left, but
you should get more soon. Here
are four things that some owners ask about.
None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
0
0
0
0
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a comer,
brake
or speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to
EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition.
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I 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.
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.
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Control of a Vehicle
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.
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.
Braking
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; and the condition
of your brakes.
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