check engine BUICK PARK AVENUE 1996 User Guide

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear
out much faster if you
do a
lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and 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 harder to push down.
If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use
it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push. 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, or when 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. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
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The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive
in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go.
If it needs
service, have
it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts in
Buick dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be
ready and willing
to help if you need it. Here
are some things
you can check before a trip:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
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Highway Hypn~s
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There
is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the
hum of the tires on
the road, the drone of the engine, and the rush
of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Don’t let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can
leave the road in
less than a second, and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here
are some tips:
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Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hil lnd Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
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If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
0 Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and
also the brakes, tires, cooling system
and transaxle. These parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
0 Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some
of the
slowing down. Shift
to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
A CAUTION:
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going
down
a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on
a steep
downhill slope. Coasting
downhill in
NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition
off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to
do all the work
of slowing down. They could get so
hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
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Know how to go uphill. Shift down to THIRD (3).
This will help cool your engine and transaxle, and
you can climb the hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center
of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be
something in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident.
You may see highway
signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be alert
to these and take appropriate action.
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Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets
or extra clothing, make body
ins‘ulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep wm, but be careful. Snow can trap exhaust
gases under your vehicle:
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you.
You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know
it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base
of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle
that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
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Tbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
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 occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Your vehicle
has bulb warning lights. When you plug a
trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s lighting
system, its bulb warning lights may not let you know if
one of your lamps goes out.
So, when you have a trailer
lighting system plugged in, be sure
to check your
vehicle and trailer lamps from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once you disconnect the trailer
lamps, the bulb warning lights again can tell you if one
of your vehicle lamps
is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade,
shift down to THIRD (3) and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce
the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
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 chocks under the trailer wheels.
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
5. Release the regular brakes.
brake, and the shift
to PARK
(P).
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When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
e Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belts, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help
you find them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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..
A CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light. .
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to
add water to the Delco Freedom@ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps,. be sure the rightamount
offluid is there.
If it is low, add water to take care
of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
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6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock
and the vehicles could. be damaged.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
, . ’
things you should know. Positive (+) will ‘go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal .engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other
parts, too.
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Fans or other moving engine parts ean injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
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The coolant level should be at or above the FULL
COLD mark. If it isn't, you may have a leak in the
radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
purnp or
somewhere elsC
in the-cooling system..
I A CAUTION:
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Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don't run the engine
if there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an' engine fire, -and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running.
If they
aren't, your vehicle needs service.
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Fuel
The 8th digit of your vehicle identification number
(VIN) shows the code letter for your engine. You will
find the
VIN at the top left of your instrument panel.
(See “Vehicle Identification Number” in the Index.)
If you don’t have the 3800 Supercharged engine (VIN
Code l), use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane
or higher.
If you have the 3800 Supercharged engine, use premium
unleaded gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use should meet
specifications ASTM D4814 in the United States and
CGSB 3.5-M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have- been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
’ better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting ihe AAMA specification could
, ’ provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least 91
(at least 89 for middle grade and
87 for regular). If the
i octane is, less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive.
If it’s bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
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If you have the 3800 Supercharged engine, in an
emergency, you may be able to use .a lower octane
-- as
low as 87
-- if heavy knocking does not occur. If you
are using 91 or higher octane unleaded gasoline and you
still heq heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
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If you’re using fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you still hear heavy knocking, your engine
needs service. But don’t worry
if you hear a little
pinging noise when you’re accelerating or driving up a
hill. That’s normal, and you don’t have to buy a higher
octane fuel to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label), it
is designed to operate’on fuels that meet California
specifications. If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for diagnosis to determine,the
cause of failure.
In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
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