OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1996 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: OLDSMOBILE, Model Year: 1996, Model line: SILHOUETTE, Model: OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1996Pages: 372, PDF Size: 19.39 MB
Page 101 of 372

A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK
(P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in
the Index.
Windows
Manual Windows
Use the manual crank to open and close the front windows.
Power Windows (Option)
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Page 102 of 372

If you have power windows, the switches on the driver's
door armrest control the front windows (when the ignition
is on). The left switch controls the driver's window. The
right switch controls
the passenger's window.
The driver's power window switch has two down
positions. Hold the rear
of the switch in the first position
to lower the window normally.
To activate the auto-down feature, fully press the rear of
the switch, then release. The window will lower
completely.
To stop the window from lowering all the
way, press the front
of the switch.
To raise the window, press and hold the front of the switch.
,atches
The rear of the side windows swings open.
To open, pull the latch forward to release
it, then swing
the window outward. Press the center
of the latch to
secure the window
in the open position.
To close, pull the center of the latch forward and then
close the latch.
You can sound the horn by pressing the horn symbols
on
your steering wheel.
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Page 103 of 372

Tilt Steering Wheel Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
A tilt steering wheel
allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before
you drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more room when you exit
and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move
the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place. The
lever on
the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlamp HighLow Beam Changer
0 Cruise Control (Option)
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Page 104 of 372

Ttrrn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the turn
is finished, the lever will return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument panel will flash in the
direction of the turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t
see your turn signal.
If a bulb
is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If
the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and check the
fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers’’ in the Index).
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps,
a different turn signal flasher is used.
With this flasher installed, the signal indicator will flash
even
if a turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the front
and rear turn signal lamps regularly
to make sure they
are working.
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
To change the headlamps
from high to low beam, or
low to high, simply pull the
turn signal lever all the way
toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams are on, a light on the instrument
cluster will also be on.
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Page 105 of 372

WindsL'-.'3 Wipers
The windshield wiper and washer controls are located to
the right of the instrument cluster.
For a single wiper cycle: Press the switch marked
MIST and release. For more cycles, press and hold
the switch.
For pulse delay wiper cycles: The pulse delay cycle
system allows you to set the wiper speed as slow as
20 seconds between cycles, or faster. Pulse delay cycles
are very useful in light rain
or snow. Slide the upper
control to the
DELAY area. The lower the position, the
slower the cycle; the higher the position, the faster
the cycle.
For steady wiper cycles: Slide the upper control either
to the
LO or HI position, depending on the wiper speed
you want.
To turn the wipers off: Slide the upper control to the
OFF position.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you
from seeing well enough to drive safely. To avoid damage,
be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before
using them. If they're frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become damaged,
get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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Page 106 of 372

Windshie
To wash your windshield, press and hold the windshield
washer switch. The washers and wipers will operate.
When you release the switch, the washers will stop, and
the wipers will continue to operate for two cycles, unless
your wipers had already been on. In that case, the wipers
will resume the wiper speed you had selected earlier.
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Driving without washer fluid can be dangerous. A bad mud
splash can block your vision, You could hit another vehicle or
go off the road. Check your washer fluid level often.
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid
can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
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Page 107 of 372

Rear Win For a delayed wiper cycle, slide the lower control to DELAY.
To use your rear wiper, slide the lower control to the
rear window wiper symbol.
To wash the rear window, slide the lower control to the
rear window washer symbol and hold
it. The washer and
wiper will operate
only as long as the control is held in
that position. Then the wiper will return to DELAY.
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Page 108 of 372

Cruise Control (0
With cruise control, you can rnalnrain a speed of about
25 mph (40 kmh) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work
at speeds below about
25 mph (40 kdh).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
0 Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads.
On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on Setting
Cruise Control
A CAUTION:
9
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit
a button and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the cruise
control switch
OFF until you want to use it.
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Page 109 of 372

OFF ON RESUME I
I OFF ON RESUME ACCEL
CRUISE
b
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the lever and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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I
I
Resuming a Set Speed
CRUISE
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
Use the
SET button to reset cruise (see “Setting Cruise
Control” earlier in this section).
If you hold the switch at WA 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
WA.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Push the SET button at the end of the lever, then
release the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll
now cruise at the 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
WA for
less than half a second and then release it. Each
time you do
this, your vehicle will go about 1 mph
(1.6 kmh) faster.)
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. Once
you’re going about
25 mph (40 krn/h) or more, you can
move the cruise control switch from
ON to
RESUME/ACCEL (WA) for about half a second.
The accelerate feature will work whether or not you
have set an initial cruise control speed.
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