Oldsmobile Silhouette 2000 Owner's Manuals

3-4
When the air conditioner compressor is on, you may
sometimes notice slight changes in your vehicle's engine
performance and power. This is normal. The system is
designed to help fuel economy while it maintains the
desired cooling level.
The air conditioner removes moisture from the air, so
you may sometimes notice water dripping from under
your vehicle's engine compartment when it is idling or
after it has been turned off. This is normal.
Heating
Turn the temperature knob clockwise (toward the red
area) to warm the air.
In the LOWER setting, outside air will be brought in
and sent through the floor outlets. The heater works best
if you keep your windows closed while using it.
The BI
-LEVEL setting is designed for use on sunny
days when the air is only moderately warm or cool.
On days like these, the sun may adequately warm your
upper body, but your lower body may not be warm
enough. For the best results, turn the temperature
control knob to the middle position, and then adjust it
for comfort.If you have the optional engine coolant heater and use
it during cold weather, 0
F (
-18
C) or lower, your
heating system will provide heat more quickly because
the engine coolant is already warmed. See ªEngine
Coolant Heaterº in the Index.
Defogging and Defrosting
To rapidly defrost the windshield, turn the temperature
control knob all the way clockwise (to the red area) and
turn the mode knob to DEFROST. Adjust the fan to the
highest speed.
To keep the windshield clear and bring in heated air
through the heater ducts, turn the mode knob
to DEFOG.
When the temperature outside is above freezing, the air
conditioner compressor will run in these settings to help
remove moisture from the air.
Your vehicle is equipped with side window defogger
vents located on the top of the instrument panel. For
additional side window defogging, turn the mode knob
to the BI
-LEVEL setting and adjust the fan to the
highest speed. Aim the side vents on the instrument
panel toward the side windows. For increased airflow to
the side vents, close the center vents.

3-5
Operating the HVAC system in the RECIRCULATION
mode may cause fogging of the vehicle's windows when
the weather is cold and damp. To clear the fog, switch
the HVAC system to either the DEFOG or DEFROST
mode and increase the fan speed. To avoid re
-fogging of
the windows, operate the HVAC system in the
OUTSIDE AIR mode.
For additional information, refer to ªRECIRCULATIONº
earlier in this section.
Rear Window Defogger (If Equipped)
Press the REAR button
(the light will glow) to
warm the defogger grid
on the rear window and to
turn on the heated outside
rearview mirrors.
The system will turn off automatically after about
10 minutes of use. If you turn it on again, the defogger
will operate for about five minutes. You can also turn
the defogger off by turning off the ignition or by
pressing the button again.Do not attach a temporary vehicle license across the
defogger grid on the rear window.
NOTICE:
Don't use a razor blade or something else sharp
on the inside of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn't be covered by your warranty.
Rear Climate Control (Option)
If you have the optional rear climate control, the rear
seat passengers can control the temperature and the
amount of air directed to the rear of the vehicle. You can
also adjust the amount of air directed to the rear of the
vehicle using the front fan control knob.
When it's cold outside, set the main climate control
knob to LOWER, DEFOG or DEFROST, to send air
to the rear of the vehicle through the lower vents.
Set the main climate control mode knob to UPPER or
BI
-LEVEL to send air to the rear of the vehicle through
the headliner outlets.

3-6
To send conditioned air to the rear of the vehicle, press
the A/C button (the light will glow) on the main climate
controls. If you do not select A/C, air directed to the rear
of the vehicle will be cabin temperature.
Rear Fan Control
This option comes with the rear climate controls.
Keep the area around the base of the center instrument
panel console and the area between and under the front
seats free of objects that would obstruct airflow to the
rear of the vehicle.
The rear fan control
is located below the
climate control system,
in the switchbank.Turn the fan to the desired setting for the amount of air
to be directed to the rear of the vehicle. The temperature
of the air will be the same as the air in the front of the
vehicle. The rear fan control in the instrument panel
switchbank has an ªRº setting which allows the rear
passengers to use the rear climate control knobs to
adjust the air through the rear air outlets.
Rear Comfort Controls
The rear climate control knobs are in the panel located
above the driver's seat.

3-7
Turn the temperature knob counterclockwise (to the blue
area) for cooler air, or clockwise (to the red area) for
warmer air.
To maintain a comfortable temperature in the rear, use
either rear fan control to adjust the force of air coming
through the rear outlets.
Select the desired climate control mode using the
directional controls on the instrument panel (see ªMode
Knobº earlier in the section). The mode you choose will
regulate both the front and rear climate control systems.
Rear Air Vents
To maximize airflow through the rear heater outlet,
place the left bucket seat in the second row in the
forward position (see ªAdjusting Rear Seatsº in
the Index).
The vent behind the left rear seat is the cold air return
vent. Be sure to keep it free of obstructions.
Keep the area around the base of the center instrument
panel console, between and under, the front seats free of
objects that could obstruct airflow to the rear.

3-8 Ventilation System
Your vehicle's flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the fan is running.
Your vehicle has air outlets that allow you to adjust
the direction and amount of airflow inside the vehicle.
Push the outlet up or down to direct the airflow to your
preference. Increase or reduce the amount of airflow by
opening and closing the louvers. Opening and closing
the louvers will also direct airflow from side to side.
The air
-flow through the vents can be shut off
completely by turning the thumbwheel next to each
outlet all the way down. You can also stop outside air
from entering by turning the fan to OFF and pushing
the RECIRCULATION button.
Ventilation Tips

Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow
or any other obstruction (such as leaves). This will
allow the heater and defroster to work much better,
reducing the chance of fogging the inside of
your windows.

When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, turn the
fan knob to ª5º, the highest setting, for a few
moments before driving off. This helps clear the
intake ducts of snow and moisture, and reduces the
chance of fogging the inside of your windows.

Keep the area around the base of the center
instrument panel console and the air path under the
front seats clear of objects. This helps air to circulate
throughout your vehicle.

In cold weather, operating the system in the
OUTSIDE AIR mode will improve the time it takes
to warm the vehicle.

3-9
Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it
first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all its controls, to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
If you have power door locks, your vehicle has a feature
called Retained Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP,
you can play your audio system even after the ignition is
off. See ªRetained Accessory Powerº in the Index.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HR or MN for two seconds. Then press
and hold HR until the correct hour appears. AM or PM
will appear on the display. Press and hold MN until the
correct minute appears. The clock may be set with the
ignition on or off. The clock symbol will appear on the
display in time
-set mode.
To set the clock to the time of a station broadcasting
Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and hold
HR and MN at the same time for two seconds until
UPDATED and the clock symbol appear on the display.
If the time is not available from the station, NO UPDAT
will appear on the display instead.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
with Radio Data System (RDS) and
Automatic Tone Control
Playing the Radio
PWR: Press this button to turn the system on and off.
VOL: Turn this knob clockwise to increase volume.
Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.
DISP: Press this button to display the clock with the
ignition off.

3-10
AUTO VOL: Your system has a feature called
Speed
-Compensated Volume (SCV). With SCV, your
audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road
and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the
desired level. Press AUTO VOL to adjust the SCV.
AVOL will appear on the display. Each time you press
AUTO VOL, another volume setting (LOW, MEDIUM
or HIGH) will appear on the display. NONE will appear
on the display if the radio cannot find out the vehicle
speed. Then, as you drive, SCV automatically increases
the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any
particular speed. The volume level should always sound
the same to you as you drive. If you don't want to use
SCV, select OFF. Each volume setting allows for more
volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds.
Finding a Station
AM FM: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1
and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Turn this knob to choose radio stations.
SEEK: Press the right arrow to tune to the next higher
station and the left arrow to tune to the next lower
station and stay there.PUSHBUTTONS: The six numbered pushbuttons let
you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to
18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2). Just:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press AM FM to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press AUTO TONE to select the equalization that
best suits the type of station selected.
5. Press and hold one of the six numbered buttons.
The radio will produce one beep. Whenever you
press that numbered button, the station you set will
return and the AUTO TONE equalization that you
selected will also be automatically selected for
that button.
6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

3-11
P SCAN: Press and hold one of the arrows for more
than two seconds. The radio will produce one beep.
Use P SCAN to listen to each of your favorite stations
stored on your pushbuttons for a few seconds. The radio
will scan through each of the stations stored on your
pushbuttons, except those stations with weak reception.
The AUTO TONE setting stored for that pushbutton will
be automatically chosen. Press P SCAN or one of the
pushbuttons again to stop scanning. SCAN will be
displayed whenever the tuner is in the P SCAN mode.
The channel number (P1
-P6) will appear with the
frequency. In FM mode, this function will scan through
the current band such as FM1 or FM2.
Setting the Tone
BASS: Press and release the P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO
knob until BASS appears on the display. Then turn the
knob clockwise to increase bass and counterclockwise to
decrease bass. The display will show the bass level.
When you use this control, the radio's AUTO TONE
setting will switch to manual and the AUTO TONE
display will go blank. To set the tone and speaker
controls to the middle position, press and hold the
P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker
control is active. The radio will produce one beep
and display ALL with the level display in the
middle position.TREB: Press and release the P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO
knob until TREB appears on the display. Turn the knob
clockwise to increase treble and counterclockwise to
decrease treble. The display will show the treble level.
When you use this control, the radio's AUTO TONE
setting will switch to manual and the AUTO TONE
display will go blank. If a station is weak or noisy,
you may want to decrease the treble.
AUTO TONE: This feature allows you to choose
preset bass and treble equalization settings designed for
ROCK, NEWS, POP, JAZZ, CLASSIC and COUNTRY
stations. TONE and the preset equalization setting will
appear on the display when you press AUTO TONE.
Each time you press it, another setting will appear on the
display. The manual setting allows tone control to return
to the BASS and TREB controls. Use PUSHBUTTONS
and AUTO TONE button to program AUTO TONE for
station presets.

3-12
Adjusting the Speakers
BAL: Press and release the P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO
knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob
clockwise to move the sound to the right speakers and
counterclockwise to move the sound to the left speakers.
The middle position balances the sound between the
speakers. The display will show the speaker balance.
To set the control to the middle position, select the
control and press and hold the P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO
button. The radio will produce one beep and set the
display level to the middle position.
FADE: Press and release the P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO
knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob
clockwise to move the sound to the front speakers and
counterclockwise to move the sound to the rear
speakers. The middle position balances the sound
between the speakers. The display will show the
speaker balance.Using RDS Mode
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful new
features. With RDS, the radio can:

Seek only to stations with the types of programs you
want to listen to,

seek to stations with traffic announcements,

receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies, and

receive and display messages from radio stations.
RDS features are only available for use on FM stations
which broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of
your radio rely upon receiving specific RDS information
from these stations. These features will only work when
the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio
station may broadcast incorrect information that will
cause the radio features to work improperly. If this
happens, please contact the radio station.
When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name
will appear on the display, instead of the frequency.
Most RDS stations provide their station name,
the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their
current programming.

3-13
Accessing RDS Mode:
1. Push the SEEK TYPE button or rotate the P
-TYPE
LIST/AUDIO knob to display the program type list.
2. Turn the knob either clockwise or counterclockwise
to select a program type. The list is alphabetical.
3. Push SEEK TYPE button to activate search.
VOL: Turn this knob clockwise to increase volume
when RDS interrupts regular play. Turn it
counterclockwise to decrease volume.
DISP: Press this knob to recall the RDS station
being played.
TRAF: Press this button to receive traffic
announcements. If the current tuned station does not
broadcast traffic announcements, the radio will seek to a
station that does. The TRAF icon will flash on the
display. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts
traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is found,
NO TRAF will appear on the display.
When a traffic announcement comes on the tuned radio
station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted
or a cassette tape is playing. The TRAF icon and
TRAFFIC will appear on the display while the traffic
announcement plays. If the cassette tape was being used,
the tape will stay in the player and resume play at the
point where it stopped.INFO: If the current station has a message, the INFO
icon will appear on the display. Press this button to see
the message. If the whole message does not appear on
the display, each time you press this button, the next
part of the message will appear on the display until the
message is completed. Press this button again to see the
message again. Once the complete message has been
displayed, the INFO icon will disappear from the
display until another new message is received.
P
-TYPE LIST/AUDIO: Turn this knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to select the Program Type (PTY) you
want to listen to. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the
display. See ªRadio Data System (RDS) Program Type
(PTY) Selectionsº in the Index.
SEEK TYPE: Press this button to go to a station with
the last selected PTY. TYPE and the last selected PTY
will appear on the display, if it is not already showing.
If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio
will return to the original station and display NONE.
If both SEEK TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio will
search for stations with traffic announcements and the
selected PTY.