VOLVO S90 1998 Owners Manual

1998 Volvo S90
VOLVO
S90 & V90
1998
This manual deals with the operation and care of your Volvo
Welcome to the worldwide family of Volvo
owners. We trust that you will enjoy many
years of safe driving in your Volvo, an
automobile designed with your safety and
comfort in mind. To help ensure your
satisfaction with this vehicle, we encourage
you to familiarize yourself with the equipment
descriptions, operating instructions and
maintenance requirements/recommendations
in this manual. We also urge you and your
passengers to wear seat belts at all times in this
(or any other) automobile. And, of course,
please do not operate a vehicle if you may be
affected by alcohol, medication or any
impairment that could hinder your ability to
drive. Your Volvo is designed to meet all applicable
safety and emission standards, as evidenced by
the certification labels attached to the driver's
door opening and on the left wheel housing in
the engine compartment.
For further information please contact your
retailer, or:
In the USA:
Volvo Cars of North America
Customer Support
P.O. Box 914
Rockleigh, New Jersey 07647-0914
800-458-1552
In Canada:
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1998 Volvo S90
Volvo Canada Ltd.
175 Gordon Baker Road
Willowdale, Ontario M2H 2N7
800-663-8255
Volvo and the environment
Volvo is committed to the well being of our
customers. As a natural part of this
commitment, we care about the environment in
which we all live. Caring for the environment
means an everyday involvement in reducing
our environmental impact.

Volvo's environmental activities are based on a
holistic view, which means we consider the
overall environmental impact of a product
throughout its complete life cycle. In this
context, design, production, product use, and
recycling are all important considerations.

In production, Volvo has partly or completely
phased out several chemicals including freons,
lead chromates, naphtanates, asbestos, mercury
and cadmium; and reduced the amount of
chemicals used in our plants 50% since 1991.

In use, Volvo was the first in the world to
introduce into production a three-way catalytic
converter with a Lambda sond, now called
oxygen sensor, in 1976. The current version of
this highly efficient system reduces emissions
of harmful substances (CO, HC, NOx) from
the exhaust pipe by approximately 95% and
the search to eliminate the remaining
emissions continues. Volvo is the only
automobile manufacturer to offer CFC-free
retrofit kits for the air conditioning system for
all models back to the M/Y 1975 240.
Advanced electronic engine controls, refined
purification systems and cleaner fuels are
In addition to continuous environmental
refinement of conventional gasoline-powered
internal combustion engines, Volvo is actively
looking at advanced technology alternative-
fuel vehicles.

When you drive a Volvo, you become our
partner in the work to lessen the car's impact
on the environment.
To reduce your vehicle's environmental
impact, you can:
l Maintain proper air pressure in your
tires. Tests have shown decreased fuel
economy with improperly inflated tires
l Follow the recommended maintenance
schedule
l Drive at a constant speed
l See an authorized Volvo retailer as
soon as possible for inspection if the
check engine (malfunction indicator)
lamp illuminates, or stays on after the
vehicle has started
l Properly dispose of any vehicle related
waste such as used motor oil, used
batteries, brake pads, etc.
l When cleaning your car, use Volvo's
own car care products, all of which
have systematically been adapted to the
environment

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1998 Volvo S90
bringing us closer to our goal.

After Volvo cars and parts have fulfilled their
use, recycling is the next critical step in
completing the life cycle. The metal content is
about 75% of the total weight of the car, which
makes the car among the most recycled
industrial products. In order to have efficient
and well controlled recycling, many Volvo
variants have printed dismantling manuals
indication the weight and material of
individual components. For Volvo, all
homogeneous plastic parts weighing more than
1.7 oz. (50 grams) are marked with
international symbols that indicate how the
component is to be sorted for recycling.

Contents

Important

Before you operate your car for the first
time, please familiarize yourself with
the BREAK-IN information on page 54.
You
should also be familiar with the information
in the first three chapters of this book.
Information contained in the balance of the
manual is extremely useful and
should be studied after operating the vehicle
for the
first time. This manual is structured so that
it can be used for reference. It should thus
be kept in the car for ready access.

Do not export your Volvo to another
country
before investigating the country's applicable
safety and exhaust emission requirements.

Chapter 1 - Occupant safety 1
Chapter 2 - Instruments, switches and
controls 15
Chapter 3 - Body and interior 31
Chapter 4 - Starting and driving 53
Chapter 5 - Wheels and tires 71
Chapter 6 - In case of an emergency 77
Chapter 7 - Car care 97
Chapter 8 - Volvo Service 103
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1998 Volvo S90
In some cases it may be difficult or
impossible
to comply with these requirements.
Modifications to the emission control
system(s) may render your Volvo not
certifiable for legal operation in the U.S.,
Canada or other countries.

All information, illustrations and specifications
contained in this manual are based on the latest
product information available at the time of
publication. Volvo reserves the right to make
model changes at any time, or to change
specifications or design, without notice and
without incurring obligation.

Chapter 9 - Specifications 121
Chapter 10 - Audio systems 131
© 1997 Volvo Cars of North America, Inc.

Contents | Top of Page
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1998 Volvo S90
Chapter 1 - Occupant safety
Occupant safety pg. 1

Despite our strongest recommendations,
and your best intentions, not wearing a
seat belt is like believing "It'll never
happen to me!". Volvo, the inventor of
the three-point seat belt, urges you and
all adult occupants of your car to wear
seat belts and ensure that children are
properly restrained, using an infant, car
or booster seat determined by age,
weight and height.
Fact: In every state and province, some
type of child-restraint legislation has
been passed. Additionally, most states
and provinces have already made it
mandatory for occupants of a car to use
seat belts.
So, urging you to "buckle up" is not just
our recommendation - legislation in your
state or province may mandate seat belt
usage. The few seconds it takes to
buckle up may one day allow you to say,
"It's a good thing I was wearing my seat
belt".
Occupant
safety

Seat
belts pg. 2
Volvo
SRS pg. 4
SIPS air
bag pg. 8
Child
safety pg. 9
Occupant
safety pg. 13
Reporting
Safety
Defects pg. 13
Seat belts
pg. 2
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1998 Volvo S90

Seat Belts

Always fasten the seat belts before you
drive or ride.
Two lights above the rear view mirror
will be illuminated for 4-8 seconds after
the starting (ignition) key is turned to the
driving position. A chime will sound at
the same time if the driver has not
fastened his seat belt. The rear seats are
provided with self-retracting inertia reel
belts. The front seats are provided with
single roller belts with tensioners.

To buckle:
Pull the belt out far enough to insert the
latch plate into the receptacle (buckle for
rear seats) until a distinct snapping
sound is heard. The seat belt retractor is
normally "unlocked" and you can move
freely, provided that the shoulder belt is
not pulled out too far. The retractor will
lock up as follows:
l if the belt is pulled out rapidly
l during braking and acceleration
l if the vehicle is leaning excessively
l when driving in turns
For the seat belt to provide maximum
protection in the event of an accident, it
must be worn correctly. When wearing
the seat belt remember:
l The belt should not be twisted or
turned.
l The lap belt must be positioned low
on the hips (not pressing against the
abdomen).

Make sure that the shoulder belt is rolled up
into its retractor and that the shoulder and
lap belts are taut.
Before exiting the car, check that the seat
belt retracts fully after being unbuckled. If
necessary, guide the belt back into the
retractor slot.
NOTE: Legislation in your state or
province may mandate seat belt usage.
WARNING!
Any device
used to
induce slack
into the
shoulder belt
portion of
the three-
point belt
system will
have a
detrimental
effect on the
amount of
protection
available to
you in the
event of a
collision.
The seat
back should
not be tilted
too far back.
The shoulder
belt must be
taut in order
to function
properly.

Spool-out

To make child
seat installation
easier, each seat
belt buckle
(except for the
driver's belt) is
equipped with a
locking
mechanism to
help keep the
lap section of
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1998 Volvo S90
the seat belt
taut. Please
refer to page 11
for more
information on
this function.
WARNING!
Do not use
child safety
seats or child
booster
cushions/
backrests in
the front
passenger's
seat. We
also
recommend
that children
who have
outgrown
these
devices sit in
the rear seat
with the seat
belt properly
fastened.
Seat belts (cont.) pg. 3
WARNING!
Never use a
seat belt for
more than
one
occupant.
Never wear
the shoulder
portion of
the belt
under the
arm, behind
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1998 Volvo S90

Center head restraint

The center head restraint can be adjusted
according to the passenger's height. The
restraint should be carefully adjusted to
support the occupant's head.
The head restraint can be raised by
pulling straight up or lowered by
grasping the restraint, pulling it slightly
forward and pushing down.
During pregnancy
Pregnant women should always wear seat
belts. Remember that the belt should
always be positioned in such a way as to
avoid any possible pressure on the
abdomen. The lap portion of the belt should
be located low, as shown in the above
illustration.
the back or
otherwise
out of
position.
Such use
could cause
injury in
event of
accident. As
the seat belts
lose much of
their
strength
when
exposed to
violent
stretching,
they should
be replaced
after any
collision,
even though
they may
appear to be
undamaged.
Never repair
the belt on
your own;
have this
done by an
authorized
Volvo
retailer only.

NOTE:
Legislation in
your state or
province may
mandate seat
belt usage.
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1998 Volvo S90



Contents | Top of Page
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1998 Volvo S90

Chapter 1 - Occupant safety
VOLVO SRS
pg. 4
VOLVO SRS
As an enhancement to the three-point seat belt
system, your Volvo is equipped with a
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS). The Volvo
SRS consists of airbags (2) and knee bolsters (5)
on both the driver's and passenger's sides and seat
belt tensioners in both front door pillars (4). The
system is designed to supplement the protection
provided by the three-point seat belt system.

The SRS system is indicated by the "SRS"
embossed on the steering wheel pad and above
the glove compartment, the knee bolsters beneath
the steering column and the glove compartment
and decals on both sun visors and on the far right
side of the dash.

The airbags are folded and located in the center of
the steering wheel and above the glove
compartment. They are designed to deploy during
certain frontal or front-angular collisions,
impacts, or decelerations, depending on the crash
severity, angle, speed and object impacted. Both
airbags and seat belt tensioners will deploy, even
if the passenger seat is not occupied.
The airbag system includes gas generators (1)
surrounded by the airbags (2) and front seat belt
tensioners for both of the front seats (4). To deploy the
system, the sensor (3) activates the gas generators
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas. As
the movement of the seats' occupants compresses the
airbags, some of the gas is expelled at a controlled rate
to provide better cushioning. Both seat belt tensioners
also deploy, minimizing any seat belt slack.

The entire process, including inflation and deflation of
the airbags, takes approximately two-tenths of a second.
WARNING!
When installing any optional equipment make sure
that the SRS system is not damaged. Do not attempt
to service any component of the SRS yourself.
Attempting to do so may result in serious personal
injury. If a problem arises, take your car to the
nearest authorized Volvo Retailer for inspection as
soon as possible.
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