wheel BUICK LESABRE 1993 Owner's Guide

Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you
ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into “P7’
(Park) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to
“P” (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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
0 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, belts, cooling system, and brake adjustment.
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 these sections before you
start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts are
tight.
194

12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don't touch
each other
or any other metal.
rp+,
GOOD BATTERY
I:
Towing Your Car
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Buick. The usual towing equipment is
a sling-type
(A) or a wheel-lift (B) or car carrier (C) tow
truck.
I
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
203

Before you do anything, turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let
the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing instructions and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
A CAUTION:
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that
@ Never tow faster than safe or posted
0 Never tow with damaged parts not fully
Never get under your vehicle after it has
Always use separate safety chains on each
@ Never use “J’* hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
is being towed.
speeds.
secured.
been lifted
by the tow truck.
side when towing
a vehicle.
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204

When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key
off. The steering wheel should be clamped in a
straight-ahead position, with a clamping device designed
for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock for this. The transaxle should be in Neutral
and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the front wheels,
unless
you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
front wheels, don’t
go more than 55 mph (88 kph) or
farther than
500 miles (800 km) or your transaxle will
be damaged.
If these limits must be exceeded, then the
front wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
-
A CAUTION:
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
properly secured, This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehlcle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains
or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
zdges underneath the towed vehicle.

Front Towing Hook-Ups Position a 4” x 4” wood beam across the sling chains
contacting the bottom
of the radiator support. Position
the lower sling crossbar just under
the front bumper.
Attach a separate safety chain around the outboard
end
of each lower control arm.
Attach
“T” hook
chains behind the front wheels into the
bottom slots
of the cradle rails on both sides.
I

Rear Towing Hook-Ups
Attach “T” hook chains to the slots in the bottom of the
floor pan just ahead
of the rear wheels on both sides.
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Position the lower sling crossbar directly under the rear
fascia. A
4” x 4” wood beam is not needed.
Attach a separate safety chain around the outboard end
of each lower control arm.
3n7

If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” 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 “blowout,” 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, 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 your tire goes flat, the next section shows how to use
your jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
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.
A CAUTION:
Changing 8 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
eve1 place to change your tire. To help prevent
the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever In “P” (Park).
3. Turn off the engine.
lo be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put chocks 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 oppll le end.
216
-

If your vehicle has an aluminum wheel with a center
cover, remove it by using the
flat end of the wheel
wrench to access the wheel nuts.
I
If your vehicle has a wheel cover, remove it by using the
flat end
of the wheel wrench. Pry along the edge of the
wheel cover until
it comes off. Be careful; the rim edges
may be sharp. Don't try
to remove it with your bare
hands.
(Note: When replacing any wheel cover, carefully line
up the tire valve stem and
the notch in the wheel cover.)

If your vehicle has wire wheel covers, remove them as
follows:
If your vehicle has this aluminum wheel, you may have
plastic wheel nut caps. Use the wheel
nut wrench to
remove
the wheel nut caps and to loosen the wheel nuts.
219

Use the wire wheel key wrench to remove the wheel
cover.
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I
Using the flat end of the key wrench handle, between
the wire wheel cover and the center cap, pry off the
center cap.
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220