brake BUICK CENTURY 2002 Service Manual

4-41 When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:

start your engine,

shift into a gear, and

release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you're
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don't overfill),
engine oil, drive belt, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If you're trailering,
it's a good idea to review this information before you
start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and
bolts are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See ªEngine Overheatingº
in the Index.

5-4
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 vehicle, 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 an automatic transaxle in
PARK (P) before setting the parking brake.
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the auxiliary power outlet. Turn off the
radio and all lamps that aren't needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And it
could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (
-) terminal location on
each vehicle. You will not need to access your
battery for jump starting. Your vehicle has a remote
positive (+) jump starting terminal for that purpose.
The terminal is located on the same side of the
engine compartment as your battery. See ªEngine
Compartment Overviewº in the Index for more
information on location.

5-19
10. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure if coolant begins to flow out of the
filler neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure the
arrow on the pressure cap lines up like this.
11. Check the coolant in the recovery tank. The level in
the coolant recovery tank should be at the HOT
mark when the engine is hot or at the COLD mark
when the engine is cold.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It's unusual for a tire to ªblow outº while you're driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it's much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a ªblowout,º here are a
few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off
the accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake
to a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you'd use in
a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.

5-20
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.

5-28
10. Tighten the wheel
nuts firmly in a
crisscross sequence
as shown.
CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become loose
and even come off. This could lead to an accident.
Be sure to use the correct wheel nuts. If you have
to replace them, be sure to get new GM original
equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to
100 lb
-ft (140 N´m).
NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to
brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specification.
Don't try to put the wheel cover on your compact
spare tire. It won't fit. Store the wheel cover in the
trunk until you have the flat tire repaired or replaced.
NOTICE:
Wheel covers won't fit on your compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.

6-
6-1
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6
-2 Service
6
-3 Fuel
6
-5 Fuels in Foreign Countries
6
-5 Filling Your Tank
6
-8 Filling a Portable Fuel Container
6
-8 Checking Things Under the Hood
6
-11 Engine Oil
6
-16 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
6
-17 Passenger Compartment Air Filter
6
-18 Automatic Transaxle Fluid
6
-22 Engine Coolant
6
-25 Power Steering Fluid
6
-27 Windshield Washer Fluid
6
-28 Brakes
6
-31 Battery
6
-32 Bulb Replacement
6
-40 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement6
-41 Tires
6
-50 Appearance Care
6
-51 Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
6
-53 Cleaning Glass Surfaces
6
-54 Cleaning the Outside of the Windshield and
Wiper Blades
6
-54 Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
6
-56 Cleaning Aluminum Wheels (If Equipped)
6
-56 Cleaning Tires
6
-58 GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
6
-59 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
6
-60 Electrical System
6
-66 Replacement Bulbs
6
-66 Capacities and Specifications
6
-67 Air Conditioning Refrigerant Capacity
6
-67 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

6-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
CAUTION:
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor. You can
be badly burned and your vehicle damaged if this
occurs. To help avoid injury to you and others:

Dispense gasoline only into
approved containers.

Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle's trunk, pickup bed
or on any surface other than the ground.

Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
inside of the fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.

Don't smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under the Hood
CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.

6-10 Engine Compartment Overview
When you open the hood, you will see:
A. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir
B. Battery
C. Remote Positive (+)
Battery Terminal
D. Underhood Fuse BlockE. Radiator Pressure Cap
F. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank
G. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
H. Engine Oil Fill Cap
I. Engine Oil DipstickJ. Automatic Transaxle
Fluid Dipstick
K. Brake Fluid Reservoir
L. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter

6-20
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:

Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the
engine running.

With the parking brake applied, place the shift
lever in PARK (P).

With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).

Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.Then, without shutting off the engine, follow these steps:
The automatic transaxle fluid dipstick handle is the red
loop located toward the rear of the engine. See ªEngine
Compartment Overviewº in the Index for more
information on location.
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag or
paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.

6-28
Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is on the driver's side
of the engine compartment. It is filled with DOT
-3 brake
fluid. See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in the
reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake fluid
goes down to an acceptable level during normal brake
lining wear. When new linings are put in, the fluid level
goes back up.The other reason is that fluid is leaking out of the brake
system. If it is, you should have your brake system fixed,
since a leak means that sooner or later your brakes won't
work well, or won't work at all.
So, it isn't a good idea to ªtop offº your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won't correct a leak. If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you'll have too much
fluid when you get new brake linings. You should add
(or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when work is
done on the brake hydraulic system.
CAUTION:
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill
on the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine
is hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fluid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See ªBrake System Warning
Lightº in the Index.