service BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owner's Manual

Highway Hypnosis
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:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides, Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
0 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.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
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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
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
PARK
(P) yet.
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 brake, and then shift
to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on
a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while
you:
m Start your engine;
0 Shift into a gear; and
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, belt, 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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9. Don't let the other end
touch anything until
the next step. The other
end of the negative
,(-)
cable doesn't go to the
dead battery. It goes to
a heavy unpainted
metal part on the
engine
of the vehicle
with the dead battery.
10. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine parts that
move. The electrical connection is just as good
there, but the chance of sparks getting back to the
battery is much less.
11 .. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
12. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
the engine
for a
while.
If it won't start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
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13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other
or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a Buick dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Century. See “Roadside Assistance” in
the index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may
not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When
the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want
to see them.
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To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
0 Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
0 Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing it.
0 Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being
towed.
U
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle.
Always use
T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks. They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
When your vehicle
is being towed, have the ignition
key
in the OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clamped
in a straight-ahead position, with a
clamping device designed for towing service. Do not
use the vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The
transaxle should be in NEUTRAL (N) and the
parking brake released.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign
of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@)
or DRIVE (D). If
you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If
the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign
of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn ofthe engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the
hood but to get service
help right away.
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A C U-ION:
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.
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 fan is running. If the engine is
overheating, the fan should
be running. If it isn’t, your
vehicle needs service.
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant
level isn’t at ADD, add a
50/50 mixture of clean water
(preferably distilled) and DEX-COOL (orange-colored,
silicate-free) antifreeze at
the coolant recovery tank. (See
“Engine Coolant” in the Index for more information.)
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain
water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain
water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you or
others could be burned. Use
a 50/50 mix of clean
water and DEX-COOL
TM antifreeze.
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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your
Buick. This section begins with service and fuel
information, and then
it shows how to check important
fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical
information about your vehicle, and a part devoted to
its
appearance care.
Service
Your Buick dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you
to be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your
dealer for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine
GM
parts and GM-trained and supported service people. We
hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have
one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to get the proper Buick Service Manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your Buick than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
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Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your
Air
Bag-Equipped Buick” in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record”
in the Index.
You
can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if
you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or
fall off. You could be hurt.
Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. At a minimum,
it should meet specifications
ASTM D48 14 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
the AAMA
specification could provide improved driveability and
emission control system protection compared to
other gasolines.
Be sure
the posted octane is at least 87. If the 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.
If you’re using fuel rated at 87 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.
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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.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane enhancing
additive called MMT.
If such fuels are used, your
emission control system performance may be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may also turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that will help prevent deposits from
forming
in your engine and fuel system, allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add anything to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such
as ethers
and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be
available
in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that you use these gasolines
if they
comply with the specifications described earlier.
I NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.
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