light OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 2003 Repair Manual

While listening to a cassette tape, press the right arrow to
hear the next selection on the tape. Press the left arrow to
go back to the previous selection. These arrows are
inactive
if the tape mode on the front radio is in use.
While listening to a CD, press the right arrow to hear the
next track on the CD. Press the left arrow to go back to
the start of the current track (if more than eight seconds
have played). These arrows are inactive
if the CD mode
on the front radio is in use.
P.SET SCAN (Preset
Scan): The front passengers
must be listening to something different for each of
these functions to work:
Press and hold this button to scan through the
preset radio stations set on the pushbuttons on the
main radio. The radio will go to a preset station
stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds,
then go on to the next preset station. This feature
will only scan the presets that are in the selected
band. The selected radio station frequency will
appear on the display above the video screen.
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If your vehicle is equipped with the AM-FM Radio
with Cassette Tape and Compact Disc Player
with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone
Control, press this button to go to the other side
of the tape when a cassette tape is playing.
0 If your vehicle has the AM-FM Radio with Six-Disc
Compact Disc Player with Equalization and Radio
Data System (RDS), press this button to switch
to playing a different CD when multiple CDs
are loaded into the CD player.
CD TAPE: Press this button to switch between playing
a cassette tape, a compact disc, a DVD or an auxiliary
device when the headphones are on channel
B. If one
of the devices is not loaded, the system will skip
over the device when this button is pressed.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK@ is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN).
If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will
not operate and LOCKED will be displayed.
When the radio and vehicle are turned
off, your radio
may have a blinking red light that indicates that
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With THEFPLOCK activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen.
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DVD Distortion
You may experience video distortion when operating
cellular phones, scanners, CB radios, Global Position
Systems (GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or
wal kie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn
off the DVD player when
operating one of these devices in or near the vehicle.
*Excludes the Onstar@ System.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise
if you ever get it.
FM
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with
FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored
in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren’t, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure
of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after
every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN
to indicate that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer.
If this message appears on the display, your cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible
to prevent damage to your tapes and player. If you
notice a reduction in sound quality, try a known good
cassette to see
if the tape or the tape player is at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement in sound
quality, clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cieaning casseiie wirn pads wnicn scrub tne tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn.
The recommended cleaning cassette is available
through your dealership.
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The broken tape detection feature of your cassette
tape player may identify the cleaning cassette as
a damaged tape, in error. To prevent the cleaning
cassette from being ejected, use the following steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press and hold the TAPE CD button for five
seconds. READY will appear on the display and
a cassette symbol will flash for five seconds.
4. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette.
5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer’s
recommended cleaning time.
After the cleaning cassette is ejected, the broken tape
detection feature will be active again.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to
clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will
not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner
may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type
cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type
cleaning cassette is not recommended. After you
clean the player, press and hold the EJT
button for five seconds to reset the CLEAN indicator.
The radio will display CLEANED to show the indicator
was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your CDs and DVDs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen
a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD and DVD Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
3-1 04

Cleaning Your DVD Player
When cleaning the outside DVD cabinet face and
buttons, use only a clean cloth dampened with
clean water.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten
it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, -
Cleaning the Video Screen you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
When Cleaning the video Screen, Use Only a Clean cloth to the fender.
If tightening is required, tighten by
dampened with clean water. Use care when directly hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
touching or cleaning the screen, as damage may result.
3-1 05

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts
- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster
if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down.
If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use
it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to
drive away, your anti-lock brake system will check
itself. You may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise while this test is going on, and you may even
notice that your brake pedal moves or pulses a little.
This is normal.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance.
If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time to apply
your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However,
if you don’t have anti-lock,
your first reaction
- to hit the brake pedal hard
and hold it down
- mav be the wronq thina to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle
can’t respond to your steering. Momentum will carry
it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the
very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear
or feel the wheels sliding, ease
off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control.
If you do have
anti-lock, it’s different. See “Anti-Lock Brakes.”
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
4-9

Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful
in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only
if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens,
the system works the front brakes and reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION ACTIVE message will come on when
the traction control system is limiting wheel spin.
See
Traction Active Message on page 3-53. You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control’’ under
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever on page 3-7.
SERVICE
TRACTION
SYSTEM
United States
Canada
If this message comes on and stays on or comes on
while you are driving, there’s
a problem with your
traction control system.
See
Service Traction System Warning Message on
page
3-52. When this warning message is on, the TRAC
OFF light will come on to remind you that the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle.
To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should always
leave the system on. But you can turn the traction control
system
off if you ever need to. You should turn the
system
off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or
snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See “Rocking
Your Vehicle” under
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow on page
4-30.
4-1 0

To turn the system off,
press the TCS button
located on the instrument
panel switchbank.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
If your vehicle has all-wheel drive (AWD), the AWD
system operates automatically without any action
required by the driver.
If the front drive wheels begin
to slip, the rear wheels will automatically begin to
drive the vehicle as required. There may be a slight
engagement noise during hard use but this is normal.
During heavy
AWD applications, the engine torque
may be reduced to protect AWD system components.
If the vehicle is exposed to extended heavy AWD usage,
the AWD system will shut itself
off to protect the system
from overheatinq. When the system
cools down, the
AWD system will activate itself again automatically; this
If the System is hliting wheel Spin when
YOU press the cool-down can take up to 20 minutes depending on
button, the traction active message will go
off, but outside temperature and vehicle use. See All-Wheel
the system will not turn off until there is no longer a Drive Disable Warning Message on page 3-59.
current need to limit wheel spin. The TRAC OFF light will
come on to remind you the system is
off. You can
turn the system back
on at any time by pressing the
button again.
The traction control system warning
4-1 1

Off-Road Recovery Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst
of all traffic accidents - the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
You may
find that your right wheels have dropped off the
edge
of a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving.
e
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then,
if there is nothing in the way,
steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the
pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
e
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect
your passing patterns. If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass,
wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it’s all
right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear).
Never cross a solid line
on your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
4-1 4

Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
0 Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
0 If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example,
if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes
will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may
cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also
make a lot
of things invisible.
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