tow BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owner's Guide

Front Towing
Tow Limit,s -- 35 mph (56 krn/h), 50 miles (80 km)
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be sure to read all the
information in “Towing Your Vehicle” earlier in this part.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the front wheels,
unless you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
front wheels, don’t exceed the above limits or your
transaxle will be damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded, then the front wheels have to be supported
on
a dolly.
1. Attach T-hook chains behind the front wheels, into
the bottom of the floor pan, on both sides.
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p.
F
4. Attach a separate safety chain around the outboard
end
of each lower control arm.
Rear Towing
Before hooking up to a tow truck, be sure to read all
the information
in “Towing Your Vehicle” earlier in
this section.
1. Attach T-hook chains on both sides in the slotted
holes
in the floor pan, just ahead of the rear wheels.
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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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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that,side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel fely.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve; acts much like a
skid and may require
the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a
stop -- well off ‘the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard’
warning flashers.
I
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
‘people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. ”urn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t ‘move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle,
at the opposite end.
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Wagon
4. Then remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after
a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or
a paper towel
to do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get
all the rust or
dirt off.
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Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing a serious accident.
Place the spare on the wheel mounting surface.
6. Replace the wheel nuts with the rounded end of the
nuts toward the wheel. Tighten each nut by hand
until the wheel
is held against the hub.
7. Lower the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
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I NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains’’ in the Index.
Rocking your vehicle to get it out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear
the area around your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between REVERSE
(R) and a forward gear,
spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the
accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly
on
the accelerator pedal when the transaxle is in gear. If
that doesn’t get you
out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see
“Towing Your Vehicle” in the Index.
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Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not
to drop or spill
Underhood Lamp
Your underhood lamp is designed to come on whenever
you raise the hood.
Engine Oil
It's a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order
to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
things that will burn onto a hot engine. Turn off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don't, the oil dipstick
Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps
are on properly.
Then lift the hood
to relieve pressure on the hood prop.
Remove the hood prop from the slot in the hood and
return the prop
to its retainer. Then just let the hood
down and close
it firmly. might
not show the actual level.
Checking Engine Oil
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
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When to Change Engine Oil
See if any one of these is true for you:
e
e
e
e
a
Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km).
This is particularly important when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
driving
in stop-and-go traffic).
Most trips are through dusty areas.
You frequently tow
a trailer or use a carrier on top of
your car.
The vehicle is used for delivery service, police, taxi
or other commercial application.
Driving under these conditions causes engine oil to
break down sooner. If any one of these is true for your
vehicle, then
you need to change your oil and filter
every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever
occurs first.
If none of them
is true, change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle with
a fully warmed
engine under highway conditions causes engine oil to
break down slower.
What to Do with Used Oil
Did you know that used engine oil contains certain
elements that may be unhealthy for your skin and could
even cause cancer? Don’t let used oil stay
on your skin
for very long. Clean your skin and nails with soap and
water, or
a good hand cleaner. Wash or properly throw
away clothing or rags containing used engine
oil. (See
the manufacturer’s warnings about the use and disposal
of oil products.)
Used oil can be a real threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing oil
from the filter before disposal. Don’t ever dispose of oil
by putting it
in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into
sewers, or into streams or bodies
of water. Instead,
recycle it by taking
it to a place that collects used oil. If
you have a problem properly disposing
of your used oil,
ask your dealer, a service station or a local recycling
center for help.
Air Cleaner
Your air cleaner is on the driver’s side of the engine
compartment.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to
replace the air filter.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
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Automatic Transaxle Fluid
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid
level
is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90” F (32°C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do
not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Buick dealership’s
Service Department.
If you do
it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading
on the dipstick.
~~
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle.
Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts
or exhaust system parts, starting
a fire. Be sure to
get an accurate reading if you check your
transaxle fluid.
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