light BUICK CENTURY 2003 Service Manual

Service Vehicle Soon Light
The SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON 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 quali®ed
dealership for necessary repairs to maintain top vehicle
performance. The light will come on brie¯y when your
ignition is turned on to show that it is working properly.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left when the ignition is on. When the indicator nears
empty, you still have a little fuel left, but you should get
more soon.
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Here are four things that some owners ask about. All
these things are normal and do not indicate that
anything is wrong with the fuel gage:
·At the gas station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads full.
·It takes more (or less) fuel to ®ll up than the gage
reads. For example, the gage reads half full, but it
took more (or less) than half of the tank's
capacity to ®ll it.
·The gage pointer may move while cornering,
braking or speeding up.
·The gage may not indicate empty when the ignition
is turned off.
Low Fuel Warning 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 ®rst
turn on the ignition as a check to show you it's working.
If it doesn't come on then, have it ®xed.United States
Canada
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P SCAN (Preset Scan):Press this button to listen to
each of your preset stations for a few seconds.
Press P SCAN again to stop scanning presets.
The radio will scan only to preset stations that are in the
selected band and only to those with a strong signal.
Setting Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your
favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations (six AM,
six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press the AM FM button to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered
pushbuttons. The sound will mute. When it returns,
release the pushbutton. Whenever you press
that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will
return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
BASS:Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the
knob to increase or to decrease bass.
TREB (Treble):Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to increase or to decrease treble. If
a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease
the treble.
Return these knobs to their stored positions when
you're not using them.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL (Balance):Turn the control ring behind the
upper knob to move the sound toward the left or the
right speakers.
FADE:Turn the control ring behind the lower knob to
move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers.
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P SCAN (Preset Scan):Press this button to listen to
each of your preset stations for a few seconds.
Press P SCAN again to stop scanning.
The radio will scan only to preset stations that are in the
selected band and only to those with a strong signal.
AUTO SET (Automatic Set):Press this button,
after selecting AM or FM, to seek and set the
12 strongest FM or the 6 strongest AM stations on your
preset pushbuttons. AUTO SET will ¯ash while
seeking and will remain on until this function is complete.
To return to the stations you manually set, press
AUTO SET again.
Setting Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your
favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations (six AM,
six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press AM-FM to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press TONE to select the setting you prefer.5. Press and hold one of the six numbered
pushbuttons. The sound will mute. When it returns,
release the pushbutton. Whenever you press
that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will
return and the tone you selected will be
automatically selected for that pushbutton.
6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
BASS:Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the
knob to increase or to decrease bass.
TREB (Treble):Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to increase or to decrease treble. If
a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease
the treble.
Return these knobs to their stored positions when
you're not using them.
TONE:Press this button to choose bass and treble
equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz,
talk, pop and classical stations.
To return the bass and treble to the manual mode,
press either TONE until MANUAL appears or press and
release the BASS or TREB knob and turn it until the
display goes blank. See ªSetting Preset Stationsº listed
previously to program the auto tone feature.
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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL (Balance):Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to move the sound toward the left or the
right speakers.
FADE:Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the
knob to move the sound toward the front or the
rear speakers.
Return these knobs to 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, SEEK,
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 while the ignition or radio is
off, ®rst press EJECT or RECALL.
Your tape bias is set automatically.
If an error appears on the display, see ªCassette Tape
Messagesº later in this section.
1 PREV (Previous):Your tape must have at least three
seconds of silence between each selection for previous
to work. Press this pushbutton to search for the
previous selection on the tape.
2 NEXT:Your tape must have at least three seconds of
silence between each selection for next to work.
Press this pushbutton to search for the next selection
on the tape.
3
r(Reverse):Press this pushbutton to reverse the
tape rapidly. The radio will play while the tape
reverses. Press it again to return to playing speed.
4
[(Forward):Press this pushbutton to advance
quickly to another part of the tape. The radio will play
while the tape advances. Press it again to return to
playing speed.
5 SIDE:Press this pushbutton to play the other side of
the tape.
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Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren't, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN
PLAYR to indicate that you have used your tape player
for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If
this message appears on the display, your cassette tape
player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent
damage to your tapes and player. If you notice a
reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to
see if the tape or the tape player is at fault. If this
other cassette has no improvement in sound quality,
clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealership.The cut tape detection feature of your cassette tape
player may identify the cleaning cassette as a damaged
tape, in error. If the cleaning cassette ejects, insert
the cassette at least three times to ensure thorough
cleaning.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to
clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will
not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner
may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type
cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type
cleaning cassette is not recommended.
After you clean the player, press and hold the EJECT
button for ®ve seconds with the ignition on and the radio
power off to reset the CLEAN PLAYR indicator. The
radio will display Ð to show the indicator was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality may
degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your
tape player serviced.
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Care of Your CDs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen
a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The ®xed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals,
you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light on
the instrument panel will come on brie¯y when you
start your vehicle.
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 or pulses a little. This is normal.United States
Canada
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don't have anti-lock,
your ®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard andhold it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can't
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don't have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it's different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if
it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may
also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on the
instrument panel cluster
while the Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced
Traction System Warning
Light on page 3-28
.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See ªCruise Controlº under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-5.The Enhanced Traction System operates in THIRD (3)
and OVERDRIVE (
X). If you are in THIRD (3), the
system can upshift the transaxle to OVERDRIVE (
X).
The Enhanced Traction System is turned off in
SECOND (2) or FIRST (1) gear. See
Automatic
Transaxle Operation on page 2-23.
While the system is on,
this warning light will come
on the instrument panel
cluster to let you know
if there is a problem.
See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-28. While this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system off if
the vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and
rocking the vehicle is required. See ªRocking Your
Vehicle To Get It Outº under
If You Are Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-31.
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