1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 263

Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra wiring and a different turn signal flasher. The arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn or lane change.Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other drivers you're about to turn, change lanes or stop. When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It's important to check occasionallyto be sure the trailer bulbs are still working. If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (454 kg), you may prefer to drive in THIRD (3) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) (or, as you need to, a lower gear). Thiswill minimize heat build-up and extendthe life of your transaxle. Parking on Hills You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged. But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here's how to do it: 1. Apply your regular brakes, but don't shift into PARK (P) yet. 2. Have someone place chocksunder the trailer wheels. Driving On Grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear befure you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't shift down, you might have to use your brakesso much that they would get hot and no longer work well. On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating. 3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load. 4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P). 5. Release the regular brakes. 4-37