ignition BUICK CENTURY 1994 User Guide

Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
‘P’ (Park)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer,
also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
Windows
On a vehicle with manual windows, use the window
crank to open and close
each window.
Power Windows (Option)
With power windows, switches on the driver’s armrest
control each
of the windows when the ignition is on. In
addition, each passenger door has
a control switch for its
own window.
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To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn
off the Cruise Control:
-
1. Step lightly on the brake
pedal,
OR
2. Move the Cruise switch
to
“OFF.”
To Erase Speed Memory
When you turn off the Cruise Control or the ignition,
your Cruise Control set speed memory is erased.
Lights
I These switches control the
following light systems:
Headlights
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
License Plate Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
To turn on the headlights, press the switch with the light
symbol.
Press the switch marked
“P’ to turn on the parking
lights.
Press
“OFF” to turn off all lights.
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Interior/Instrument Panel Lights
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.”
Headlight ccOn99 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 DRL 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:
0 the ignition is on,
0 the headlight switch is off, and
0 the parking brake is released.
At dusk, the exterior lights will come on automatically
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).
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Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the 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.
Press the switch to turn the
map light on and off.
Front Seat Reading Lights (Option)
.. . , ..
L
Press the switch to turn the front seat reading lights on
or off.
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Interior Lights Delay
When you pull on the driver’s outside door handle, the
dome and courtesy lights will go on and stay on for
about
40 seconds, or until you turn the ignition on.
If you pull on the driver’s inside door handle within 30
seconds of switching off the ignition, the interior lights
will go
on and stay on for about 5 seconds, to allow you
to unlock your door(s).
Courtesy Lights
When any door is opened, several lights go on. These
lights are under
the instrument panel. Optional lights are
on the rear doors. They make it easy for you to enter and
leave
the vehicle. You also can turn these lights on by
rotating the interior lights switch to
“HI.”
Mirrors
Inside Mirror
When you are sitting in a comfortable driving position,
adjust the mirror
so you can see clearly behind you car.
The day-night adjustment allows
you to reduce glare
from lights behind you, pull the lever toward
you to the
night position.
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Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell
you how many miles you
have driven since you last
set
it to zero. To reset it,
push the button.
L
Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something
is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an expensive
repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be or is a problem
with one of
your vehicle’s functions. As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some warning lights
come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key just to
let you know they’re working. If you are familiar with
this section,
you should not be alarmed when this
happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be
or is a problem
with one
of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays
on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check
the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow the manual’s advice.
Waiting to
do repairs can be costly -- and even
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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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I
Anti-Lock Brake SJ
ANTI-
LOCK
‘S tern Warning’Light
With anti-lock, this
light will come on
when you start your
engine and it will stay
on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the
light doesn’t come on,
have it fixed
so it will
be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Buick needs service.
If the
light is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If
the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with your regular
brakes. Pull off the road and stop carefully. You may
notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. Have
the vehicle towed
for service. (See “Towing Your
Buick” in the Index.)
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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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I NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light on,
after a while the emission controls won’t work as
well, your fuel economy won’t be as good and your engine may not run as smoothly. This could
lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
OIL
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come
on when
you are driving. Stop your
car and shut off
the engine
if this light stays on. This
indicates that oil is not
going through your engine
quickly enough to keep
it
lubricated. The engine
could be low
on oil, or could have some
other oil problem. Have.your vehicle serviced
immediately.
The oil light could also come on in three other
situations:
0
0
0
When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
the light will come on as a
test to show you it is
working, but
the light will go out when you turn the
ignition to “Start.” If
it doesn’t come on with the
ignition on,
you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have
it fixed right away.
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
light may blink on and
off. This is normal.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for
a
moment. This is normal.
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