ignition BUICK CENTURY 1998 Service Manual

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2-74 Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On
-Board
Diagnostics
-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the life
of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent. This may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
Modifications made to the engine, transaxle,
exhaust or fuel system of your vehicle or the
replacement of the original tires with other than
those of the same Tire Performance Criteria
(TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission controls
and may cause the SERVICE ENGINE SOON
light to come on. Modifications to these systems
could lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. This may also result in a failure to pass
a required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.

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2-75
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:

Reducing vehicle speed.

Avoiding hard accelerations.

Avoiding steep uphill grades.

If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see ªIf
the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.

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2-77 Oil Pressure Light
This light tells you if there
could be a problem with
your engine oil pressure.
When this light comes on and stays on, it means oil isn't
going through your engine properly. You could be low
on oil, or you might have some other oil problem.
CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Check Oil Level Light
The CHECK OIL LEVEL
light is lit for two to four
seconds as a bulb check
each time the ignition key is
turned to RUN.
If the light doesn't come on, have your vehicle serviced.
If the engine oil is more than 1 qt. (0.95 L) low, this
light will turn on for about one minute and then will
remain off until the next time you start the vehicle only
if the vehicle has been shut off for at least eight minutes.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light comes back on, the
engine oil should be checked at the dipstick then
brought up to the proper level if necessary. See ªEngine
Oilº in the Index.

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2-78 Brake To Shift Light
This light will come on to
remind you that you must
press the brake pedal to
shift out of PARK (P).
Cruise Light
The CRUISE light comes
on when you set your cruise
control. See ªCruise
Controlº in the Index.
Door Ajar Light
When the ignition is on, this
light will stay on until both
doors are closed and
completely latched.
Fuel Gage
The fuel gage shows
about how much fuel is
in your tank.

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2-79
It works only when the ignition is on. When the
indicator nears Empty (E) you still have a little fuel left.
There is a reserve of about 1.5 gallons (5.6 L) in the fuel
tank. You need to get more fuel right away.
Here are some concerns some owners have had about
the fuel gage. All these situations are normal and do not
indicate anything wrong with the fuel gage.

At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads Full (F).

It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
half full, but it took more (or less) than half of the
tank's capacity to fill it.

The gage moves a little when you turn a corner,
speed up or stop your vehicle.

When you turn the engine off, the gage doesn't go all
the way back to Empty (E).Low Fuel Light
A light near the Empty (E)
mark on the fuel gage
comes on when your vehicle
is low on fuel. You have
less than 3 gallons (11.7 L)
remaining in your fuel tank.

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3-4
Manual Operation
You may also manually adjust the air delivery or fan speed.
AIR FLOW: This button is used to change the direction
of the airflow. The airflow choices available are FLOOR,
FLOOR
-MID, MID and WINDSHIELD-FLOOR.
If the system is set for AUTO, pressing the AIR FLOW
button will display the current airflow direction and the
comfort setting. Press the AIR FLOW up or down
button again to change the direction of the airflow.
If the AIR FLOW up button is selected while in the
FRONT defrost mode, the system will direct the air
toward the WINDSHIELD. If the AIR FLOW down
button is selected while in the FRONT defrost mode, the
system will direct the air toward the FLOOR, and the
FRONT defrost mode will cancel. Notice the arrows in
the display.
OFF: If the passenger's comfort control is turned on, it
can be turned off by pressing the OFF button once.
Pressing the OFF button a second time will turn off the
main system. Turning off the main system causes the fan
to turn off and the airflow to be directed to the FLOOR.
The system will still try to keep the interior of the
vehicle at the previously chosen comfort setting. The
outside temperature will show on the display when the
system is set to OFF.The ventilation system always allows fresh air to flow
through the interior when the vehicle is moving even
with the system in the OFF mode.
VENT: The VENT button allows outside air to flow
through your vehicle without the air conditioning
compressor working. Selecting VENT and the AUTO
button at the same time allows the system to control
automatically without the use of the air conditioning
compressor or the use of the RECIRC mode. To turn off
the VENT selection, push the VENT button again.
RECIRC: When RECIRC is selected, the system will
limit the amount of outside air entering your vehicle.
This is helpful when you are trying to cool the interior
of the vehicle quickly or limit the amount of outside air
entering your vehicle for some other reason. RECIRC
and AUTO may be selected at the same time. The
system will remain in RECIRC until the ignition is
turned off, then the system will return to the previously
selected mode. RECIRC can be selected in all manual
airflow modes except FRONT defrost. RECIRC cannot
be selected with the VENT button.
Operating RECIRC in cold temperature or under high
humidity conditions may cause moisture to form on the
inside of the windshield. If this condition occurs,
deselect the RECIRC button.

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3-6 Defogging and Defrosting
Use the FRONT button to quickly remove fog, frost or
ice from the windshield in extremely humid or
cold conditions.
Select the FRONT button to defrost the windshield. By
choosing this button, the airflow will be directed at the
windshield. Adjust your comfort level by pressing the
TEMP up or down arrow. The fan speed will be
controlled by the system. You can change the fan speed
by pressing the top of the FAN button to increase speed,
and the bottom of the button to decrease speed.
Rear Window Defogger
The lines you see on
the rear window warm
the glass. Press the button
to start warming your
window. An indicator light
in the button will glow
while the rear window
defogger is operating.At speeds above 30 mph (48 km/h), the rear defogger
will stay on until you press the REAR defogger button
again. At speeds below 30 mph (48 km/h), the rear
window defogger will turn off automatically after about
10 minutes of use. If you press it again, the defogger
will operate for about five minutes only. You can also
turn the defogger off by turning off the ignition.
NOTICE:
Scraping the inside of your rear window could
cut and damage the heater. Your warranty would
not cover this damage. Don't put decals there
because you might have to scrape them off.

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3-9

When the engine idles for a long time, the exterior
temperature sensor retains the temperature setting
that was present when the vehicle was last moving.
The system will try to maintain the set temperature
inside your vehicle.
Steering Wheel Controls for Climate
Control (Option)
If your vehicle has this
feature, you can control the
temperature comfort setting
by using the control button
on your steering wheel.
TEMP: Press either arrow once and the current comfort
setting will be displayed. Press the up arrow again to
choose a warmer comfort setting and press the down
arrow again to choose a cooler comfort setting.
Audio Systems
Your Delco Electronics audio system has been designed
to operate easily and give years of listening pleasure.
You will get the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint
yourself with it first. Find out what your Delco
Electronics system can do and how to operate all its
controls, to be sure you're getting the most out of the
advanced engineering that went into it.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HRS until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold MIN until the correct minute appears.
You may set the clock with the ignition off if you
press RECALL first and follow the same procedure
described above.

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3-10 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape
and Compact Disc Player with Automatic
Tone Control
Playing the Radio
VOLUME: Press this knob to turn the system on and
off. To increase volume, turn the knob clockwise. Turn
it counterclockwise to decrease volume.RECALL: Press this button briefly to recall the station
being played or to display the clock. To change what is
normally shown on the display (station or time), press
the RECALL button until you see the display you want,
then hold the RECALL button until the display flashes.
If you press the button when the ignition is off, the clock
will show for a few seconds.
Finding a Station
AM
-FM: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1
and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Press the up or down arrow to choose
radio stations.
SEEK: Press the up or down arrow to go to the next
higher or lower station and stay there. The sound will
mute while seeking.
SCAN: Press one of the SEEK arrows for two seconds
and SCAN will appear on the display. Use SCAN to
listen to stations for a few seconds. The radio will go to
a station, stop for a few seconds, then go on to the next
station. Press one of the SEEK arrows again to stop
scanning. The sound will mute while scanning.

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3-12
Adjusting the Speakers
BAL: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn
the knob to move the sound to the left or right
speakers. The middle position balances the sound
between the speakers.
FADE: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn
the knob to move the sound to the front or rear
speakers. The middle position balances the sound
between the speakers.
Push these knobs back into their stored positions when
you're not using them.
Playing a Cassette Tape
The longer side with the tape visible should face to the
right. If the ignition and the radio are on, the tape can be
inserted and will begin playing. If you hear nothing or
hear a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely.
Press EJECT to remove the tape and start over.
While the tape is playing, use the VOLUME, FADE,
BAL, BASS and TREB controls just as you do for the
radio. Other controls may have different functions when
a tape is inserted. The display will show an arrow to
show which side of the tape is playing.If you want to insert a tape when the ignition or radio is
off, first press EJECT or RECALL.
Your tape bias is set automatically.
If E and a number appear on the radio display, the tape
won't play because of an error.

E10: The tape is tight and the player can't turn the
tape hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the
open end down and try to turn the right hub
counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over
and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, your tape
may be damaged and should not be used in the
player. Try a new tape to make sure your player is
working properly.

E11: The tape is broken. Try a new tape.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, please contact your dealer. If your radio
displays an error number, write it down and provide it to
your dealer when reporting the problem.
PREV (1): Press this button to search for the previous
selection on the tape. Your tape must have at least three
seconds of silence between each selection for PREV to
work. The sound will mute while seeking.