Oldsmobile 1997 88 User manual

The 1998 Oldsrnobile Eighty Eight Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tellsyou 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 whatto do if you have a problem while driving, suchas a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you howto keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tellsyou when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tellsyou how to contact Oldsmobilefor 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 listingof almost every subject in this manual.You can useit to quickly find
something you want to read.
i

Oldsmobile
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
OLDSMOBILE, the OLDSMOBILE Rocket Emblem
and the name EIGHTY EIGHT are registered
trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest information at the timeit
was printed.We reserve theright to make changes in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name
“General Motorsof Canada Limited”for Oldsmobile
Division whenever it appearsin this manual.
Please keep this manualin your vehicle,
so it will be
there if you ever needit when you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual init
so the new
owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 22656195
B First Edition
ii
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institutefor
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux proprigtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire dece guide enfranpis chez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1577 Meyerside
Dr.
Mississauga, OntarioLST 1B9
@Copyright General Motors Corporation 1997
All Rights Reserved

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manualfrombeginning
to end when theyfirstreceive their new vehicle.
If you
do this,it will help you learn aboutthe features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to lookfor what you need is the Indexin
back ofthe manual. It’san alphabetical listof what’s in
the manual, and the page number where you’llfind it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a numberof safety cautionsin this book.
We use a box andthe word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
These mean thereis something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazardis. Then
we tell you what to do to help avoid or reducethe
hazard. Please read these cautions.If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
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You will also find acircle
with a slash throughit in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t do this” or “Don’t
let
this happen.”
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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, anditcould be costly.
But the notice will tell you what
to do to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might
see CAUTION
and NOTICE warnings
in different colors or in
Merentwords.
You’ll alsosee warning labels
on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
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Vehicle Symbols
Theseare some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle,
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BAllERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
FOGLAMPS 3 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
Thes’e syfibols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT - F-
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER n
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL B
V

b% NOTES

Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information aboutthe seats in your Oldsmobile and how to use your safetybelts properly. You can
also learn about some things you should
not do with air bags and safety belts.
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Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’refor Everyone
Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
SafetyBelts
-- and the Answers
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Center Passenger Position
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Rear Seat Passengers
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guidesfor Children
and Small Adults
Children
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
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Seatsand Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them
-- and also about reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
Pull up on the control bar under the frontof the seat to
unlock it. Slide the seat to where
you want it. Then
release the bar
and try to move the seat with your body,
to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
Power Seat (If Equipped)
,h CriUTION:
You can lose controlof the vehicle if youtry to
adjusta manual driver’s seat while the vehicle
is
moving. Thesudden movement couldstartleand
confuse you,ormake you push a pedal when you
don’t wantto. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
To adjust the power seat,
read the following
instructions.
Seat Control (A): Raise the
front of the seatby holding
the front of the switch
up.
Lower the frontof the seat
by holding the frontof the
switch down.
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Raise the rear of the seat by holdingthe rear of the
switch up. Lowerthe rear of the seat by holdingthe rear
of the switch down.
Move
the seat higher by holdingthe switch up. Lower
the seatby holding the switch down.
Move the seat forward by holding the switch forward.
Move the seat back by holdingthe switch back.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
Seatback Control (B): Tilt the seatback forward by
holding the switch forward. Tiltthe seatback backward
by holding the switch back.
To adjust the seatback,lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and movethe seatback to where you want it.
Release theleverto lockthe seatback. Pull up on the
lever and the seat will go
to an upright position.
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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
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Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t dotheirjob when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do itsjob because it
won’t be against
your body. Instead,it will bein
front
of you, In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
The lapbelt can’t do itsjob either, In
a crash the
belt
could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, notatyour pelvic bones.
This could cause seriousinternalinjuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and
wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the topof the
restraint is closest to the top of your ears.
This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
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On some models, the head restraintstilt forward and
rearward also.
Safety Belts: They’refor Everyone
This part of the manual tells you howto use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some
things you should notdo
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
or air bag system.
I A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyoneride where heor she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you arein acrashand
you’re not wearing a safety belt, yourinjuries
can be much worse.You can hit things inside the
vehicleor be ejected from it.
You canbe seriously
injured orkilled. In the samecrash,you might
not beif youarebuckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
1 arefastened properlytoo.
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous toridein a cargoarea,
insideor outside of a vehicle. In
a collision,
people riding in theseareasaremore likelytobe
seriouslyinjured or killed. Do not allow people to
ridein anyareaof your vehicle that is not
equipped with seatsand
safety belts. Besure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seatand using a
safety belt properly.

Your vehicle has a light that
comes onas a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know ifit will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes
are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
orkilled.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fastas
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’sjust a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed. Thenstopthe vehicle.The rider
doesn’t stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle,it could be the windshield
...
or the instrument panel ...
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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down asthe vehicle does.
You get more time to stop.You stop overmore distance,
and your strongest bones
take the forces.That’s why
safetybelts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
@’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chanceof
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out,is much greater if
you are belted.
@ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
A: Air bags arein many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future.But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not insteadof them. Every air bag
system ever offeredfor sale has required the useof
safety belts. Even if you’rein
a vehicle that has air
bags, youstillhave to buckleup to getthe most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
wear safety belts?
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If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why shouldI wear safety belts?
A: You may be anexcellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengerscanbe hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect youfromthings beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. Andthe greatest numberof serious injuries
and deaths occur at speedsof less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts arefor everyone.
How toWear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This partis only for peopleof adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about safety
belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies.
If a child will ‘be riding in your
vehicle,
see the part of this manual called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lockthe door.
2. Adjust the seat (toseehow, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
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3. Pick upthe latch plate and pullthe belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
4. Push the latchplate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latchplate to make sureit is secure. If
the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender’’ at the end of this section.
Make surethe releasebutton onthe buckle is
positioned
so you would beableto unbuckle the
safetybelt quickly if youever had to.
The lap part
of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely
to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash.
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, movethe shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that is rightfor you.
To move it down, squeeze the release handle and move
the height adjuster to the desired position.You can move
the adjusterup just by pushing up
on the bottomof the
release handle. After you move the adjuster
to where
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@ What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulderbelt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
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