BUICK CENTURY 1997 Owners Manual

To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts
to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrow
flashes faster than normal, a signal bulb may be burned
out and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If
the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and then check
the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers’’
in the Index).
A chime will sound if you leave your turn signal on for
more than
3/4 mile (1.2 km).
Headlamp High/Low Beam
To change your headlamps
from low beams to high
beams, or high
to low, pull
the multifunction lever all
the way toward you. Then
release
it. When the high
beams are on, a light on
the
instrument panel also will
be on.
Flash-to-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are
off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you a little,
but not
so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high-beam headlamps will turn
on. They’ll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high-beam indicator
on the dash will come on. Release
the lever to turn the high-beam headlamps off.
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Windshield Wipers
I
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
marked WIPER. 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 to LO. For
high-speed wiping, turn the band further,
to HI. To stop
the wipers, turn the band to OFF.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This
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.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen
to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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Windshield Washer
At the top of the multifunction lever, there’s a paddle with
the word
PUSH on it. To spray washer fluid on the
windshield, push the paddle. The wipers will run
for
several sweeps and then either stop or return to your preset
speed. See “Windshield Washer Fluid” in the Index.
LOW WASH
The LOW WASH light on
your instrument panel
cluster will glow when the
fluid level
is low.
I
In freezlng weather, don’t use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice
on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
Cruise Control (Option)
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help
on long trips. Cruise
control does
not work at speeds below about 25 mph
(40 km/h).
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When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
/tl CAC LION:
Setting Cruise Control
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't
drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning,
and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
A CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and
go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch
off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SETKOAST
button at the end
of the
lever
and release it. The
CRUISE light on the
instrument panel will
come on.
'1 1
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This,
of course, shuts off
the cruise control.
But you don’t need to reset it.
Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise
control switch from
ON to
R/A (Resume/Accelerate)
for about half
a second.
You’ll
go right back up to
your chosen speed and
stay there.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed,
Push in the SETKOAST button, then release the
button and
the accelerator pedal. You’ll now cruise at
the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up
to the speed you want, and
then release the switch. (To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to R/A for less
than half
a second and then release it. Each time
you do
this, your vehicle will go about 1 mph
( 1.6 kmk) faster.)
The accelerate feature will only work after you set
the cruise control speed by pushing the
SETKOAST button.
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Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Push in the SETKOAST button until you reach the
To slow down in very small amounts, push the SET
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
lower speed
you want, then release
it.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to
the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness
of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going downhill,
you may
have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you
out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N), your cruise
control
set speed memory is erased.
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Exterior Lamps
The lamp controls are located on the instrument panel.
They control these systems:
Headlamps
Taillamps
0 Parklamps
0 License Lamps
0 Sidemarker Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lamps
0 Courtesy Lamps If you
pull the knob out
halfway,
it will turn on only
your parklamps.
If you pull
the knob all the way
out,
your headlamps will then
come on.
Push the knob
in all the way to turn off the lamps.
A warning chime will sound if you open the driver’s
door when
you turn the ignition switch to OFF, LOCK
or ACC with the lamps on.
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Daytime Running Lamps / Automatic
Headlamp Control
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but
they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system
will make your front turn signal lamps
come on when:
0 The ignition is on,
The headlamp switch is off and
0 The parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your your front turn signal
lamps will be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker
and other lamps won’t be
on. Your instrument panel
won’t be lit up either. When it’s
dark enough outside, your front turn signal
lamps will turn off and your vehicle’s headlamps and
parklamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, your headlamps will go
off and your front turn signal lamps will come on.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in
OFF or LOCK. Then start
your vehicle. The DRL, headlamps and parklamps will
stay off
until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
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Twilight Sentinel
Twilight Sentinel provides a period of exterior
illumination as you leave the vicinity of your vehicle.
The feature is activated when your vehicle’s headlamps
are on due to the automatic headlamp control feature
described previously
in this section, and when your
vehicle’s ignition is turned off. Your headlamps will
then remain
on until the headlamp switch is moved from
OFF to the parklamp position or until a 90 second
illumination period has elapsed.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamp switch in
the parklamp or headlamp position, the Twilight
Sentinel cycle will not occur.
You can customize the vehicle
to activate the Twilight
Sentinel when your vehicle’s ignition is turned off under
the conditions described above, or you may choose not
to activate this feature under any conditions. The
enabled/disabled state of this feature will be toggled
when you perform the following sequence with the
doors closed and the ignition key
in the RUN position: Press
and hold
the power door lock switch. While
holding
the door lock switch, cycle the headlamp switch
on and then off two times. Release the power door lock
switch. These operations must be carried out
in a time
period
of less than 10 seconds, followed by a delay
period of no more than
10 seconds. Then, press and hold
the power door unlock switch. While holding the door
unlock switch, cycle the headlamp switch on and then
off two times. Release the courtesy door unlock switch.
These operations must be carried out
in a time period of
less than 10 seconds.
After releasing the door unlock switch, a single chime
will be heard if the Twilight Sentinel function has been
disabled; two chimes
will be heard if the feature has
been enabled. This feature will be enabled when your
vehicle is shipped from the factory. Disconnecting the
vehicle’s battery for up to a year will not change the
programmed operation of this feature.
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Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
You can brighten or dim the instrument panel lights by
moving the LIGHTS dial.
If you turn the dial past
MAX, your courtesy or interior lamps will come on.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on. These
lamps are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for you to
enter and leave your vehicle.
You can also turn these
lamps
on by moving the interior lamps dial all the way
to the right.
Illuminated Entry
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever you press UNLOCK on the remote
keyless entry transmitter.
If you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn
off automatically about 25 seconds after
you close it. If you press UNLOCK and don’t open a
door, the lamps will turn off after about 40 seconds.
Illuminated Entry includes
a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps don’t just
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they slowly dim after the delay time until they go out. The delay
time
is canceled if you turn the ignition key to RUN or
START,
so the lamps will dim right away.
When the ignition is on, Illuminated Entry is inactive,
which means the courtesy lamps won’t come on unless a
door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed Entry Lighting illuminates your vehicle’s
interior for
a period of time after all the doors have been
closed.
The ignition must be off for Delayed Entry Lighting
to
work. Just after all the doors have been closed, the
Delayed Entry Lighting feature will continue to
work until:
0 The ignition is turned to the RUN position.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during
the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period will be canceled and the interior lamps will remain on since a door is open.
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