brake OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1996 User Guide

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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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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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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Reducing 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.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
0 Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
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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Voltmeter Brake System Warning Light
Irn
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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.
When the engine
is not running, but the ignition is on (in
the RUN position), the display measures the voltage
output
of your battery. 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.
I BRAKE I
This light should come on
briefly
when you turn the
ignition key to RUN.
If it
doesn’t come on then,
have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, puli 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.)
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
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.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come
on when you set your parking brake. The
light 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. 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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A CAUTION:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning light
is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead to an accident. After you’ve pulled
off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
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 anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there
is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
’ 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.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Fuel Gage
*y l/2
%
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FUEL
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 At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
0 It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
the
gage reads
FULL (F).
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 corner,
brake or speed
up.
0 The gage doesn’t go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn
off the ignition.
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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 reuction 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) trave.ls 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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