flat tire OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1998 Owners Manual

The 1998 Oldsrnobile Silhouette Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SRS” system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and loolung good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Oldsmobile for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives
you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
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NOTICE:
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Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtrays.
If you do, cigarettes or other
smoking materials could set them on fire,
causing damage.
Side Ashtrays
To open the ashtray, press the left side and turn it open.
To remove the ashtray for cleaning, press the snuffer as
you lift up the bottom of the ashtray.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also remove them from the center mount and swing
them to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirrors
Pull down the sun visor. Flip up the cover to expose the
vanity mirror.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirrors
(If Equipped)
Pull down the sun visor. Flip up the cover to expose the
vanity mirror. The lamps will come
on when you open
the cover.
Accessory Inflator System (Option)
Your vehicle may be equipped with an air inflator. With
it, you can inflate things like air mattresses and
basketballs, and
you can also use it to bring your tires up
to the proper pressure.
The air inflator is located in the rear compartment on
the
driver’s side. To remove the cover, pull the tab on the
cover and pull it
off.
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The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
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 retail facilities 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:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a 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?
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Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make
you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road in
less than a second, and you could crash and
be injured.
What can you
do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
0 If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as
an emergency.
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Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make 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 headlamps. 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.
Loading Your Vehicle
GAWR FRT
COLD TIRE PRESSURE
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SEE %ER’S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. -1
The Certificatioflire label is found on the rear edge of
the driver’s door.
The label shows the size of your original tires and the
inflation pressures needed to obtain the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle. This is called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
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Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper
limit for cold tires. You’ll find these numbers on the
CertificatiordTire label at the rear edge of the driver’s
door or
see “Tire Loading” in the Index. Then be sure
you don’t
go over the GVW limit for your vehicle,
including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here are
some rules to follow:
If you’ll be pulling a trailer that, when loaded, will
weigh more than
2,000 lbs. (900 kg), be sure to use a
properly mounted, weight-carrying hitch and sway
control of the proper size. This equipment is very
important for proper vehicle loading and good
handling when you’re driving.
Will you have to make any holes in the body of your
vehicle when you install a trailer hitch?
If you do, then be sure to seal the holes later when
you remove the hitch. If you don’t seal them, deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get
into your vehicle (see “Carbon Monoxide” in the
Index). Dirt and water can, too.
The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for
hitches. Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches
to them. Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach
to
the bumper.
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Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-24 Hazard Warning
Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating If a Tire Goes Flat
5-24 Air Inflator (Option)
5-24 Changing a Flat Tire
5-34 Compact Spare Tire
5-35 If You’re Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
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If a Tire Goes Flat Changing a Flat Tire
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel
firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle
to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Air Inflator (Option)
Your vehicle may have an air inflator used to bring tires
up to the proper pressure. See “Accessory Inflator
System” in the Index for more details. If
a tire goes
flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
/:1 CAUTION-
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you
or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. lhrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle,
at the opposite end.
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Slide the cable retainer through the center of the spare,
then place the compact spare tire near the flat tire.
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The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A), shaft (B)
and folding wrench (C).
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. If your vehicle has
aluminum wheels, use
the handle of the folding
Then, with the other end of the wrench, loosen the nuts.
2. If your vehicle has the plastic “bolt-on” wheel
covers, you cannot separate the nylon wheel
nut caps
from the cover. Loosen them completely using the
folding wrench, and remove the wheel cover.
If the
wheel nut caps have been completely loosened, the
wheel cover
will come off easily.
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