1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 239

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking -- rather thankeeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to coolbetween hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking, If you keep pace with the you traffic and allow realistic following distances, will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. Thatmeans better brakingand 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 harderto push down. If your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once thepower assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and brake pedal the will be harder to push. Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid. When you start your engine, orwhen 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 a little. (You may also hear a clicking noise if you leave the ignition the RUN position for in about four seconds before starting vehicle.) This the is normal. If there's a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this warning light will stay on or flash. See "Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light'' in the Index.