service indicator BUICK CENTURY 1994 Owners Manual

dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Fuel Gage
I
Your fuel gage tells
you about how much
fuel you have left,
when
the ignition is on.
When the indicator
nears
“E” (Empty), you
still have a little fuel
left, but you should get
more soon. Here
are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage and are
normal operating characteristics:
0
0
0
0
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads
“F” (Full).
It takes a
little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example,
the gage may have
indicated the tank was half
full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to
fill
the tank.
The gage moves a little when you
turn a corner,
speed up or brake.
The gage doesn’t go back to
“E” when you turn off
the ignition.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is too
100 -E- 260 i
T lm,
hot!

TEMPERATURE
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and
turn off the engine as soon as possible.
The chapter “Problems on the Road,”
in this manual
explains what
to do. See “Engine Overheating” in the
Index.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
A computer monitors
operation of your fuel,
ignition and emission
control systems. This light
should come on when the
ignition is on, but the
engine is not running, as
a
check to show you it is
working.
If it does not come on at all, have it fixed right away. If
it stays on, or it comes on while you are driving, the
computer is indicating that
you have a problem. You
should take your vehicle
in for service soon.
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Voltage Indicator
When your engine is not
running, but the ignition is
on (in the “Run” position),
the gage shows your
battery’s
state of charge in
DC volts. When the engine
is running, the gage shows
the condition
of the
charging system. Readings
between
the red warning
zones indicate the normal
operating range.
Readings
in either red warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have your vehicle
serviced immediately.
Liftgate Ajar Warning Light (Wagon)
The “TAILGATE AJAR”
light on your instrument
panel
will come on if your
liftgate
is not completely
TAILGATE
AJAR
closed.
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When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have
only 2/32 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining.
You need a new tire if
0 You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
0 You can see cord or fabric showing through the tire’s
rubber.
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
0 The tire has a puncture, cut, or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way,
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number
will be followed by a “MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
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Identification Label. Service Parts .................. 253
Identification Number. Vehicle (VIN)
................ 253
Idling Your Engine
................................ 86
Ignition
Key
......................................... 66
Key Positions ................................. 75
Indicators. Warning Lights. Gages ................... 11 1
Infant Restraint ................................... 50
Inflation. Tire ................................... 239
Instrumentpanel
................................ 110
..................................... J ack. Tire 194
Jump Starting
................................... 173
Keyless Entry System. Remote
..................... 68
Keys
........................................... 66
Label. Service Parts Identification .................. 253
Lane Change Indicator
............................. 89
LapBelt
........................................ 44
Lap-Shoulder Safety Belt
Front Automatic
............................... 30
Rear
......................................... 45
Leather Cleaning ................................ 248
Leaving Your Vehicle .............................. 84
Liftgate/Remote Release Button
..................... 71
Lighter. Cigarette
................................ 109 Lights
Air Bag Readiness
............................. 38
Courtesy
.................................... 102
Daytime Running Lights
........................ -99
Headlights
.................................... 98
Interior Lights Delay
........................... 102
Map
........................................ 100
Operation .................................... 90
“ON’ Warning ................................ 99
Reading
................................. 100. I01
Removing & Replacing Bulbs ................... 232
Replacement Bulbs
............................ 258
Warning
..................................... 111
Loading Your Vehicle ............................ 236
Locks
.......................................... 67
Long Distance Driving ............................ 158
Loss of Control
................................. 151
Lubricants and Fluids. Recommended ................ 272
Luggagecarrier
................................. 106
Maintenance Inspections
.................................. 275
Materials
.................................... 252
Record ...................................... 278
Schedule
.................................... 261
Underbody
.................................. 251
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine Soon Light)
I16
Manualseat ..................................... 14
MapLight ...................................... 100
Master Cylinder. Brake
........................... 228
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Reporting Safety Defects .......................... 283
Restraint System. Supplemental (Air Bag)
............. 37
Restraint Systems
................................. 13
Restraints. Child
.................................. 50
Restraints. Head
.................................. 17
Reverse Gear Position ............................. 80
Roads. Hill and Mountain
......................... 160
Roadside Assistance
.............................. 285
Rocking Your Vehicle
............................ 206
Rotation. Tire
................................... 240
Running Your Engine While Parked
.................. 86
Safety Belts
.................................... 22
Adults
....................................... 29
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
.................... 30
Canadian Supplement
........................... 29
Care
........................................ 248
Center Passenger Position
........................ 43
Checking
..................................... 63
Children
..................................... 48
Driver Position
................................ 29
Extender
..................................... 63
Lap ......................................... 44
Lap-Shoulder
................................. 45
Larger Children
................................ 61
Pregnancy. Use During .......................... 42
Properly Worn
................................. 29
Questions About
............................... 27
Rear Seat Passenger Position
..................... 45
Replacement
.................................. 64
Right Front Passenger Position
.................... 42
Smaller Children and Babies
..................... 49 Third Seat Passenger Position
..................... 43
Torn
......................................... 64
Twisted
...................................... 36
Warning Light
................................. 28
Why Safety Belts Work
......................... 23
Safety Cautions
.................................. 10
Safety Defects. Reporting
......................... 283
Scheduled Maintenance Services
.................... 261
Seats and Restraint Systems
......................... 13
SecondGearPosition .............................. 81
Securing a Child Restraint
..................... 555 1.54.
Service and Appearance Care
...................... 207
Service Engine Soon (Malfunction Indicator Lamp)
..... 116
Service Information
.............................. 205
Service Parts Identification Label
................... 253
Service Publications
.............................. 286
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Buick
.............. 41
Sheet Metal Damage ............................. 250
Shifting the Transaxle
............................. 79
Skidding
....................................... 151
Sound Equipment. Adding
......................... 126
Soundsystems
.................................. 125
SpareTire
...................................... 205
Specifications Chart
.......................... 259. 260
Speech Impaired Customer Assistance
............... 283
SpeedControl
.................................... 94
Speedometer
.................................... 110
Stains
......................................... 246
Starting Your Car (Jump Starting)
................... 173
Starting Your Engine
.............................. 76
Steering
....................................... 147
Emergencies
................................. 148
Wheel. Tilt
................................... 88
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Wagon Cargo Security Cover
.......................... 105
Liftgate Operation
.............................. 7 1
Spare Cover Replacement
....................... 204
Warning Flashers. Hazard
......................... 172
Warning Lights
.................................. 111
AirBag
...................................... 38
Anti-lock Brake System
........................ 114
Battery
...................................... 118
Brake
....................................... 113
Engine Coolant Temperature
.................... 1 15
Engine Oil
................................... 117
Safety Belt
................................... 28
Service Engine Soon (Malfunction Indicator Lamp)
. . 116
Tailgate Ajar
................................. 119
Washer, Windshield
............................... 92
Washermiper, Rear Window
........................ 93
Washing Your Vehicle
............................ 249
Weatherstrips
................................... 250
Weight
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
............... 236
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
............ 236
Trailer
...................................... 166
Rear Window Washermiper ..................... 93 Wheel
Aluminum
................................... 250
Alignment
.................................... 243
Cover Removal
........................... 198. 199
Nut Torque .................................. 202
Replacement ................................. 243
Windows
....................................... 87
Windshield Cleaning
.................................... 249
Washer
...................................... 92
WasherFluid
................................. 227
Wipers
....................................... 91
Winter Driving .................................. 161
WreckerTowing
................................. 178
Your Driving and the Road
....................... 139
Your Vehicle and the Environment
.................. 263
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