wheel BUICK LESABRE 1993 User Guide

NOTICE:
If your front wh
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck i
very deep sand or mud or were up agains
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don't ho
your vehicle there with
only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
"P'' Park
to hold your vehicle
in position on a hill.
Parking Brake
The parking brake uses the brakes on the rear wheels.
To set the parking brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down with your right foot.
Push down the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition
is on, the brake system warning light will
come on.
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To release the parking brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down. Pull the brake
release lever.
If you try to drive more than
50 feet with the parking
brake
on, the brake light stays on and a chime sounds
until you release the parking brake or recycle the
ignition.
NOTICE
Driving with t
I
rear brakes to overheat. You may have to replace
them,
and you could also damage other parts
If you are on a hill: See “Parking on Hills” in the Index.
That section shows how to turn your front wheels.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill:
See “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what
to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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You may also have a lock out button. Push LOCK to
disable the power window switches. This will prevent
passengers from opening and closing the windows. Push
UNLOCK to allow your passengers to be able to use
their window switches again.
Horn
To sound the horn, press a pad with the horn symbol on
either side
of the steering wheel.
Remote Trunk Release
I! The trunk release switch in
the glove
box must be
“ON” for the “TRUNK”
button to work.
This feature allows
you to secure items in the trunk
when you must leave the ignition key with an attendant.
To secure the trunk, turn OFF the TRUNK RELEASE,
lock the glove box, then take the door key with you.
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The “TRUNK” button is on
the instrument panel to
the
left of the steering column.
The ignition switch must
also be
ON and the
transaxle in PARK or
NEUTRAL for it to work.
If you have the Remote Keyless Entry System, it will
also unlock
the trunk.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when
you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel in place.

A CAUTION:
Cruise Control can be dangerous where
you can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So, don’t use your Cruise Control on
winding roads or
in heavy traffic.
Cruise Control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast
changes
in tire traction can cause needless
wheel spinning, and you could lose
control. Don’t use Cruise Control on
slippery roads.>
J
To Set Cruise Control
1.
. . . . . . .
Move the Cruise
Control switch to
“ON.”
I A CAUTION:
If you leave your Cruise Control switch on when
you’re not using Cruise, you might
hit a button
and go into Cruise when you
don’t want to. You
could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
Cruise Control switch
“OFF” until you want to
use it.
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/I CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed when the
“TRACTION OFF“ warning light is on, they can
explode and you or others could be injured. And,
spinning your tires with the “TRACTION OFF”
warning light on can cause the transaxle to
overheat
or can cause other problems. That
could
cause an engine fire or other damage.
When you’re stuck,
spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/hl as shown on the speedometer.
I
:’NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels whel. ..?e “Tl .A (ION
OFF” warning light is on can destroy parts 01
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin your
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle
back and forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
rheel!
s little B
I
When yor-’-e stud
possible. bin
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning
Light
TEMP
This light tells you that your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator cooling fans are
not
working. If you have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions, you should
pull off the road,
stop your vehicle and turn the engine
off as soon as
possible.
HOT COOLANT CAN BURN YOU BADLY!
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.

0 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 Buick has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent skidding.
This light
on the instrument panel will go on when you
start your vehicle.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index.
@
ANTI
LOCK
‘1 ”. j ’ ;I
- -’ y- ..-
a,
rn
e,
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re. driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps
out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. The
computer separately works the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer
is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
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I
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
/A CAUTION:
1
1
Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to
get your foot up to the brake pedal. 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.
To Use Anti-Lock:
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for
you.
When you start your vehicle and begin to drive away,
you may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise..And
you may even notice that your brake pedal moves a little
while this
is going on. This is the ABS system testing
itself.
You may also hear this during a hard stop.

Traction Control System (Option)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery
road conditions. The traction control system works at
low speeds only, such
as when you accelerate from a
stop. It applies brake pressure
to an individual wheel
that the system senses is about to spin.
You may feel the system working, or
you may notice
some noise, but this is normal.
OFF
The “TRACTION OFF” warning light lets you know if
your traction control system is not working. See
“Traction Control System Warning Light” in the Index.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Your Buick has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing
on the brake pedal firmly).
A CAUTION:
0
The brake wear warning sound means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work well. That
could lead to an accident. When you hear the
brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
1 LC3

the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and y.our speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate.
Those two control systems
-- steering and acceleration --
can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Let up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s harder to see
the road ahead of you because it bends away from the
straight beams of your lights. This is one good reason to
drive slower.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped
in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems
by braking -- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s\

the time for evasive action
-- steering around the
problem.
Your Buick can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around
the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available,
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
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