heating BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owners Manual

TrunkLiftgate Trunk Lock
- ~- c-
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to drive with the liftgate,
liftglass or trunk lid open because carbon
monoxide (CO) gas can come into your vehicle.
You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the liftgate, liftglass or
trunk lid open or
if electrical wiring or other cable
connections must pass through the seal between
the body and the liftgate, liftglass or trunk lid:
Make sure all windows are shut.
Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on
NORM or VENT. That will force outside
air into your vehicle. See “Comfort
Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the
way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
To unlock the trunk from
the outside, insert the door
key and turn it clockwise.
Remote Trunk or Liftgate Release
You’ll find the release
button in the glove box.
The trunk will unlock
anytime the ignition is on
or
off. If you have the
wagon, the liftgate wi1.l
unlock when the ignition is
on, and the transaxle is in
PARK (P).
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1 NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
ashtrays. If you do, cigarettes
or other smoking
materials could set them on fire, causing damage.
To use the lighter, push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating.
If you do, it won’t be able to
back
away from the heating element when it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swmg down the visors. You
can also move them from side
to side.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror (Option)
If your vehicle has the optional lighted vanity mirror, the
lamps come
on when you open the cover. Close the
cover to turn out the lamps.
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Anti-Lock Brake S A
LOW
TRACTION
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brakg system active light will come on.
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay
on for a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
The anti-lock brake system active light also comes on
briefly when
you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
there to tell you when the system
is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning
Light
This warning light is
designed to tell you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn the engine off as soon as possible.
The section “Problems on the Road,” in this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
II k
TEMPERATURE -Z
Domestic Canadian
This
gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the gage
pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too hot!
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, and stop your
engine as soon as possible.
The section “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
Domestic Canadian
Your
Buick is equipped with a computer which
monitors operation
of the fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
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Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section you'll find out how to operate the comfort
control and audio systems offered with your Buick. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with
your vehicle.
Comfort Controls
With this system, you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation in your vehicle. The system works best if
you keep your windows closed while using it. Your
vehicle
also has a flow-through ventilation system,
described later in this section.
System Controls
Fan Lever
The lever next to the fan symb 01 select s the forc 'e of ai
you want. To turn the fan off, move the upper lever to
the
OFF position.
Temperature Lever
The lower lever changes the temperature of the air
coming through the system.
Mode Lever
The upper lever changes the functions of your system.
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Rear Window Defogger
REAR
!
The rear window defogger
uses
a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear
window. In winter, it can
also keep ice from forming
on the rear window.
Press the
ON portion of the switch. The indicator light
will glow. The rear window defogger
will turn off
automatically after about 10 minutes of use. You can
also
turn it off by turning off the ignition or pressing the
OFF portion of the switch.
I NOTICE:
Don’t use a razor blade or something else sharp
on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.
Ventilation System
Your Buick’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when
it is moving. Outside
air
will also enter the vehicle when the heater or the air
conditioning fan is running.
For mild outside temperatures, when
little heating or
cooling is needed, slide the upper lever to VENT.
Airflow is through the instrument panel outlets. Rotate
the control next to the outlets to turn on, adjust or turn
off the airflow. Adjust the lower lever
on the control
panel
to the temperature desired.
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Making Turns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider
turns than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t
strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other
objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal
well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Buick dealer. 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.
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 and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than
1,000 lbs. (450 kg) and you have an automatic transaxle
with overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@I). An
overdrive transmission is required if towing a trailer more
than
1,000 lbs. (450 kg).
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage or the
warning light about a hot engine on
your Buick’s
instrument panel.
If St1 .-m Is 1 - - ng Fro Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn
it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until
it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
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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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rhacking Coc’mt * clding Coolant
!
The coolant recovery tank is located on the passenger’s
side
of the engine compartment.
When your engine is cold, the coolant level should be at
ADD or a little higher. When your engine is warm, the
level should be up to
FULL HOT or a little higher.
.
If you need more coolant, add the proper mix at the
coolant recovery tank.
If the coolant recovery tank is completely empty, add
coolant to the radiator. (See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.)
I-
Thrning the radiator pressure cap when the
engine and radiator are hot can allow steam and
scalding liquids to blow out and burn you badly.
With the coolant recovery tank, you
will almost
never have to add coolant at the radiator.
Never turn the radiator pressure
cap -- even a
little
-- when the engine and radiator are hot.
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