low beam BUICK CENTURY 1993 Owners Manual

Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the horn symbol on
your steering wheel.
Tilt Steering Wheel (Option)
b
-.
A tilt steering wheel allows
you
to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive. You
can
also raise it to the
highest level
to give your
legs more room when you
exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the
steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering
wheel to a comfortable
level, then release the lever
to lock the wheel in place.
The I’urn SignaUHeadlight Beam
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column includes
your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlight High-Low Beam
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
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Headlight Highhw Beam Windshield Wipers
To change the headlights
from low beam to high, or
high to low, pull the
turn
signal lever all the way
toward
you. Then release
it. When the high beams
are on,
.this blue light on
the instrument panel also will be on.
i
I
You control the windshield wipers by turging the band
marked
“WIPERI’
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to “MIST? Hold it there until the wipers
start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle.
If you want more cycles, hold the
band on “MIST” longer.
For steady wiping at low speed,
turn the band away from
YOU to the “LO” position. For high speed wiping, turn
the band further, to “HI? To stop the wipers, move the
band to “OFF?
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Low Speed Delay Wipers (Option)
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes.
‘ms can be very useful in light rain or
snow.
Turn the band to choose the delay time. The closer
to
“LO:’ the shorter the delay.
If you push the paddle less than one second, washer fluid
will spray three to four times while the wiper blades
cycle.
If you push the paddle longer than one second,
washer fluid will spray as long
as the paddle is held.
When you release the paddle, the wiper blades will cycle
I
- .I - three to four more times. 1
A CAUTION:
I If you have the standard wipers, the wipers will keep
going
in “LO” until you turn the wiper control to -
“OFF.” Damaged wiper blades may prevent you’irom
seeing well enough to drive safely.
To avoid If you have the optional low speed delay wipers, the
damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from wipers will clear the window and then either stop or
the wiper blades before using them. If they’re
frozen to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them.
If your blades do become b 1.
-
return to your preset speed.
I damaged, gefnew blades or blade inserts.
I
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker in the motor will
stop them until the motor cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
At the top of the turn signal/headlight beam lever there’s
a paddle with the word “PUSH”
on it. To spray washer
fluid on the windshield, push the paddle.
a Driving without washer fluid can be dangerous.
A bad mud splash can block your vislon. ybu
could hit another vehicle or go off the mad.
Check your washer fluid level often.
* In freezing weather, don’t use your washer
untll the windshield is warmed. Otherwim
the washer fluid
can form ice on the
windshield, blocking
put vision.
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Lights
Interior Lights/Instrument Panel Intensity Control
I+
Headlights
*P
I PF
You can brighten or dim the
instrument panel lights by
rotating the control up or
down. To turn on the
interior courtesy lights,
rotate the control all the
way up to
“HI:’
Press the switch marked “P” to
turn on:
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
License Plate Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
-‘(J- Press the , switch to turn on the headlights,
together with:
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
License Plate Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
Press
“OFF” to turn off the lights.
Operation of Lights
Although your vehicle’s lighting system (headlamps,
parking lamps, fog lamps, side marker lamps’and tail
lamps) meets
all applicable federal lighting requirements,
certain States and Provinces may apply their own lighting
regulations that may require special attention before you
operate these lamps. For example, some jurisdictions
may require that you operate your lower beam lamps
with fog lamps at
all times, or that headlamps be turned
on whenever you must use your windshield wipers.
In
addition, most jurisdictions prohibit driving solely with
parking lamps, especially at dawn or dusk.
It is
recommended that you check with your own State Or
Provincial highway authority for applicable lighting
regulations.
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Headlight “On” Warning
If you open the door while leaving the lights on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that “Daytime Running Lights” (DRL)
are a useful feature, in
that DIU can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours. DRL
are required on new vehicles sold in Canada.
Your DRL work with a light sensor on top
of the
instrument panel. Don’t cover it up. The low beam
headlights will come on at reduced brightness
in daylight
when:
The ignition is on
The headlight switch is off, and
The parking brake is released.
At dusk, the exterior. lights will come bn &.nomatically
and the low
beams will change to full brightness. At
dawn, the exterior lights will go out and the low beams
will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL (if the
headlight switch is off).
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with DRL off, set the parking brake
while the ignition is in the
“Off’ or “Lock” position.
Then start the vehicle. The
DRL will stay off until you
release the parking brake.
Map Light
& Press the switch to turn the
map light on and
off.
MAP
ON
OFF
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Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops
or the system
fails to function, you can steer but it will
take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand
this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition
of your tires and the road surhce, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through
a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly apply
the brakes. Both control systems-
steering and braking-have
to do their work where the
tires meet the road. Adding the hard braking can demand
too much at those places. You can lose control.
The
same thing can happen if you’re steering through a’
sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two
control systems-steering and acceleration-can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you lose ‘control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Let up on the
brake or accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust
your
speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable
conditions you’ll want
to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels
are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed so
you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are
out of the curve, and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive
into a curve at night, it’s harder to see
the road ahead of you because it bends away .from the
straight beams of your lights.
This is one good reason to
drive slower.
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Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime, but as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to
see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also afkct your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night.
But if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night.
They may cut down on glare from headlights, but they
also make a lot of things invisible that should remain
visible-such as parked cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or
even trains blocking railway crossings. You may want to
put on your sunglasses after you have pulled into a
brightly-lighted service or refreshment area. Eyes
shielded from that glare may adjust more quickly to
darkness back on the road. But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before you leave the service area.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It
can take
a second or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are hced
with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower the \
high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlights) slow
down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching
lights. If there
is a line of opposing traffic, make
occasional glances over the line of headlights to make
certain that. one of the vehicles isn’t starting to move
into
your lane. Once you are past the bright lights, give your
eyes time to readjust before resuming
speed.
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High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its high beams on,
signal by flicking yours to high and then back to low
beam. This is the usual signal to lower the headlight
beams. If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams,
resist the temptation to put your high beams on. This
only makes two half-blinded drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams
only in remote areas
where you won’t impair approaching drivers.
In some
places, like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a freeway or
highway, use low beams. True, most vehicles now have
day-night mirrors that enable the driver to reduce glare.
But outside mirrors are not
of this type and high beams
from behind can bother the driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean-inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up
a fdm caused by dust. Tobacco smoke also
makes inside glass surfaces very filmy and can be a
vision hazard
if it’s left there.
Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean
glass would, making the pupils
of your eyes contract
repeatedly. You might even want to keep a cloth and
some glass cleaner in your vehicle if you need to clean
your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up
fhr less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be checked regularly for
proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness-the inability to
see in dim light-and aren’t even aware of it.
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ahead starts to become less clear or, at night, if the
taillights are harder to see, the fog is probably thickening.
Slow down to give traffic behind you a chance to slow
down. Everybody then has a better chance to avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for a few feet
(meters) or for miles (kilometers); you can’t really tell
while you’re in it. You can only treat the situation with
extreme care.
One‘common fog condition-sometimes called mist or
ground fog-can happen in weather that seems perfect,
especially at night or
in the early morning in valley and
low, marshy areas. You can be suddenly enveloped in
thick, wet haze that may even coat your windshield. You
can often spot these fog patches or mist layers with your
headlights. But sometimes they can be waiting for you as
you come over a hill or dip into a shallow valley.
Start
your windshield wipers and washer, to help clear
accumulated
road dirt. Slow down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your headlights on low
beam, even in daytime. You’ll see-and be seen-better.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will bounce
off the
water droplets that make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity, even a light buildup
of moisture on the inside of the glass will cut down on
your already limited visibility. Run your windshield
wipers and washer occasionally. Moisture can build up
on the outside glass, and what seems to be fog .may
actually be moisture on the outside
of your windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency.
Try to find a place to
pull off the road. Of course you want to respect another’s
property, but you might need to put something between
you and moving vehicles-space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that removes you from other
traffic.
If visibility is near zero and you must stop but
are unsure
whether you are away from the road, turn your lights on,
start your hazard warning flashers, and sound your horn
at intervals or when you hear approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you can see far enough
ahead to pass safely. Even then, be prepared
to delay
your pass if you suspect the fog is worse up ahead.
If
other vehicles try to pass you, make it easy for them.
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2. Position a 4 I' x 4 I' wood beam across sling chains with
spacer blocks contacting the forward extensions
of the
engine cradle.
3. Position the lower sling crossbar halfway between the
timber
and the lower edge of the fascia.
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