warning BUICK CENTURY 1997 User Guide

The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
Charging System Light
4
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn
on the ignition, as
a check to show
you it’s
working. Then it should
go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose drive belt or another
electrical problem. Have it checked right away. Driving
while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain
to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Buick’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If
one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be
a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
This light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key
to RUN.
If it doesn’t come
on then,
have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn
you if there’s
a problem.
If the light comes
on while you are driving, 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. If the light is still
on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
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Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay
on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when
you start your
engine and it will stay
on
for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be
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
Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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ON:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock brake system warning light flashing can lead
to an
accident. After you’ve pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
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.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
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
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
4nti-Lock Brake System Active Light
1
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking
skid,
the anti-lock brake system
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.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Light Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
h -
TEMP
This light
tells you that your
engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
The light should come on
briefly when your ignition
is turned on to show you
that it is working.
TEMPERATURE
You have a gage that shows
the engine coolant
temperature. If the gage
pointer moves into the red
area, your engine is too hot!
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.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index. 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.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
LOW COOLANT
If this light comes on, your
system
is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat. See “Engine
Coolant” in the Index and
have your vehicle serviced
as soon as you can. The
light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned
on to show
you that it is
working properly.
Low Traction Light
LOW TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
(Also see “Anti-Lock Brake
System Active Light”
earlier
in this section.)
Slippery road conditions may exist if the low traction
light comes on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The
light will stay on for a few seconds after the anti-lock
system stops adjusting brake pressure.
The
LOW TRAC 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 anti-lock brake system is active.
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Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when
you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may
go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to turn on.
If
you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Warning Light
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.
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 it fixed right away.
The oil light could also come on in the
following situations:
The light will come on briefly when you turn on the
ignition to show
you that it is working properly. (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.
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Cruise Light
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you
set your
cruise control.
See “Cruise
CRUISE
Control” in the Index.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON
This light will come on if
you have certain
non-emission related
vehicle problems. These
problems may
not be obvious and may affect
vehicle performance or durability. Consult
a qualified
Buick dealership for necessary repairs to maintain top
vehicle performance. The light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned
on to show that it is
working properly.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working and
the
fluid container is low. The
light will also come
on
briefly when your ignition
is turned on
to show that it
is working properly.
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Door/Trunk Ajar Warning Light
DOORDRUNK
Fuel Gage
This light will come on if
your trunk
or any door is
not completely closed.
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left when the ignition
is on. When the indicator
nears
EMPTY (E), you still
have a little fuel left, but
you should get more soon. Here
are some things owners
ask about. All these
situations are normal and
do not show a problem with
your
fuel gage:
0
0
0
At the service station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
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 it.
The gage moves
a little when you turn a corner or
speed
up.
Low Fuel Light
If your fuel is low, a circular
light on your instrument
panel cluster will come on
and stay on and a chime will
sound periodically until you
add fuel.
It will also come
on for a few seconds when
you first turn on the ignition
as a check to show you it’s
working.
If it doesn’t come
on then, have
it fixed.
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Avoid needless heavy bralung. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do
a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will
eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down.
If your engine
stops,
you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will
use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder
to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when
you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this
test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving
to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to
slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface’’
-- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers
are likely to be impaired -- by
alcohol or
drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
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