open hood OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1998 Owners Manual

Resetting the Power Sliding Door
The power sliding door may operate incorrectly or not at
all because of the following conditions:
A low voltage or dead battery,
Disconnecting the battery or
If the IGN 1, B/U LAMP, RADIO or PWR
SEATPSD fuse is removed or blown.
See “Fuse Panel” in the Index for more information
about your fuse panel.
If any of these conditions occur, the power sliding door
will need to be reset.
To do this, follow the directions
listed here. It will be easier if you read through them
once before beginning this procedure.
1. Check to be sure the power sliding door is unlocked
2. Turn the ignition switch to OFF.
and securely closed.
3. Enable the power sliding door override feature.
4. Remove the RADIO fuse from the underhood fuse
and relay center. Leave it out for
30 seconds.
5. Reinstall the fuse and wait 10 seconds.
6. Disable the power sliding door override feature.
7. Push either of the power door buttons to open the
power sliding door.
8. Wait five seconds and close the door by pushing
9. Wait five seconds and repeat Steps 7 and 8.
either power door button.
If the door does not rest in the fully open position after
repeating Step
7, repeat Steps 7 and 8 again. If the
door still does not operate correctly, see your retailer
for service.
Sliding Door Security Lock
Your vehicle is equipped with a sliding door security
lock that helps prevent young children or other
passengers from opening the sliding door by using the
inside door handle. This lock is on both doors if your
vehicle has the dual sliding doors.
If you have the optional power sliding door, you can
override the security lock by pressing either power door
switch when the power sliding door override feature is
disabled. See “Power Sliding Door” earlier in
the section.
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Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped) 3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
Plugging the cord into
an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
In very cold weather,
0°F (- 18 “C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away from
moving engine parts.
If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should
you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind
of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your retailer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The retailer can give
you the best advice for that
particular area.
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Battery Saver Power Remote Control Mirrors
Your
vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery,
in case you accidentally leave the
interior
or underhood lamps on. If you leave any of
these lamps on while the ignition is in
LOCK or OFF,
they will automatically turn off after 10 minutes. The
lamps won’t come back on again until you:
turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY,
turn the interior lamps dial all the way to the right,
open (or close and reopen) a door that is closed.
then slightly back
to the left; or
Note that if your vehicle has less than
15 miles (25 km)
on the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Mirrors
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lights behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position).
To return the mirror
to the day position, push the lever away from you. The
control on the driver’s
door controls both outside
rearview mirrors.
Turn the control
to the left to select the driver’s side
rearview mirror, or to the right to select the passenger’s
side rearview mirror. Then use the control to adjust each
mirror so that you can just see the side of your vehicle
when
you are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
If you are not adjusting either mirror, leave the control
in the center off position. This prevents moving the
mirrors accidentally once you have them adjusted.
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NOTICE:
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put an
automatic transaxle in
PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet. Turn
off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries.
In addition, it
could save your radio!
I NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
JTION:
--
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
Your vehicle has a remote
positive
(+) jump starting
terminal. The terminal is
under a tethered cap at the
front of the underhood fuse
and relay center. Pull up the
cap to access the remote
positive
(+) terminal.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find
the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. You
should always use
the remote positive (+) terminal
instead
of the positive (+) terminal on your battery.
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If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay
away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it
off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine
if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with
no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” in the Index.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D)
or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning,
you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down. Also, see “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” listed previously in
this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications.
If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs, return
to your authorized Oldsmobile retailer for diagnosis to
determine the cause of failure. In the event it is
determined that the cause of the condition
is the type of
fuels used, repairs may not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use
of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized
Oldsmobile retailer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system
to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have to add
anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such
as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
help clean
the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode metal parts in your
fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts.
That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.
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Checking Things Under the Hood
I
A CAUTION: I
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
I
L
A CAUTION:
I
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood, first pull the hood release handle
inside the vehicle.
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Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps are on
properly. Then lift the hood
to relieve pressure on the
hood prop. Remove the hood prop from the slot in the
hood and return the prop to its retainer. Then just let the
hood down and close it firmly.
Underhood Lamp (If Equipped)
Your underhood lamp will go on when you open
the hood.
Engine Oil
LEVEL
If the low oil level light on
the instrument panel comes
on, it means you need to
check your engine oil level
right away.
For more information, see
“Low Oil Level Light” in the
Index. You should check your engine oil level regularly;
this is an added reminder.
It’s a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and
the vehicle must be on level ground. The
engine
oil dipstick is located at the front of the
engine compartment, near the center. The dipstick
handle has
a bright, yellow loop design for
easy identification.
Turn off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don’t, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual level.
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Jump Starting
For jump starting instructions, see “Jump Starting” in
the Index.
Bulb Replacement
Halogen Bulbs
I A CAUTWN:
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside and
can burst if you drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions on the bulb package.
Headlamps
I NOTICE:
When replacing the headlamp bulb, do not leave
the bulb out for any length
of time. This could
cause nitrogen gas to escape from the lamp. To
minimize nitrogen gas from escaping within the
headlamp, the headlamp must be placed
on a flat
surface with the lens facing down when removing
the bulb.
1. Open the hood.
2. Remove the front parkinghurn signal lamp assembly.
See “Front Parking/Turn Signal
Lamps” later in
this section.
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