engine BUICK CENTURY 1997 Workshop Manual

@) Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
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5-3
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17
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
Cooling System 5-25
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5-37
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If a Tire Goes Flat
Changing
a Flat Tire
Compact Spare Tire
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
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2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able
to start your Buick, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling,
set the parking brake
firmly on both vehicles
involved
in the jump start procedure. Put your
automatic transaxle
in PARK (P) before setting
the parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into
the cigarette
lighter or accessory power outlet.
Turn off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
I
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. (Your
vehicle’s battery is located under the windshield
washer fluid reservoir.)
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
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5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. Your Buick has a remote positive
(+)
jump starting terminal. The terminal is on the same
side
of the engine compartment as your battery. To
uncover the remote positive (+) terminal, squeeze the
sides
of the red plastic cap and pull the cap upward.
You should always use the remote positive
(+)
terminal instead of the positive (+) terminal on
your battery. Using
a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to add water to the Delco Freedom’ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take
care of that first.
If you don’t, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or
on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
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6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation.
If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
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the battery and maybe other parts too.
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‘A( J?
-- -
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep
your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running. 7. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
LI
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8. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect
it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the good
battery. Use
a remote
positive
(+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
9. Now connect the
black negative
(-) cable
to the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end
touch anything until the
next step. The other end
of the negative cable
duesn ’I go to the
dead battery.
It goes to
a heavy, unpainted, metal part on the engine of
the vehicle with the dead battery.
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10. 11.
12.
13.
14. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 c’m)
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.
Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it
won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
Reinstall the red protective remote jump start cover
on the vehicle that was jump started. A.
Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage and a hot
engine warning light on your instrument panel. See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gage” and “Engine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light” in the Index. You
also have a low coolant warning light on your
instrument panel. See “Low Coolant Light” in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From 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 you
open 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.
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NOTICE:
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
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.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a).
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.
0 Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
0 Tow a trailer. 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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Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
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A
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Electric Engine Fans
C. Radiator Pressure
Cap
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’ A CAUTION: I
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine
is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it
cools down.
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The coolant level should be at or above the COLD mark
on the overflow hose in the coolant bottle.
If it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump
or somewhere else in
the cooling system.
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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.
1 NOTICE:
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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 fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If they
aren’t, your vehicle needs service.
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