air condition BUICK LESABRE 2001 Owner's Manual

Table of Contents (cont'd)
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking
SteeringDriving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting the Radio Clock
Radio/Cassette Player/CD PlayerRadio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your VehicleEngine Overheating
Changing a Flat Tire
If You're Stuck
Problems on the Road
iii
Section
5
Section
4
Section
3
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
Your Driving and the Road

2-77
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, intake 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.
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.

3-
3-1
Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you'll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle.
Be sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3
-2 Comfort Controls
3
-2 Personal Choice Comfort Controls
(If Equipped)
3
-2 Electronic Touch Climate Control
3
-4 Dual Automatic ComforTemp
Climate
Control (If Equipped)
3
-8 Air Conditioning
3
-9 Heating
3
-9 Defogging and Defrosting
3
-10 Rear Window Defogger
3
-11 Passenger Control (If Equipped)
3
-11 Ventilation System
3
-13 Steering Wheel Controls for Climate Control
(If Equipped)
3
-13 Audio Systems
3
-13 Setting the Clock
3
-14 AM-FM Stereo
3
-16 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
(If Equipped)3
-20 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player and
Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)
3
-24 AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player and
Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)
3
-27 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Automatic
Tone Control (If Equipped)
3
-33 Trunk-Mounted CD Changer (Option)
3
-37 Personal Choice Radio Controls (If Equipped)
3
-37 Theft-Deterrent Feature (If Equipped)
3
-38 Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
3
-39 Understanding Radio Reception
3
-39 Tips About Your Audio System
3
-40 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
3
-41 Care of Your Compact Discs
3
-41 Care of Your Compact Disc Player
3
-42 Diversity Antenna System
3
-42 Chime Level Adjustment

3-2
Comfort Controls
This section describes how to operate your climate
control system. Your climate control system uses
ozone
-friendly air conditioning refrigerant.
With these systems, you can control the heating,
cooling and ventilation in your vehicle. Your vehicle
also has a flow
-through ventilation system described
later in this section.
Personal Choice Comfort Controls
(If Equipped)
This feature allows two different drivers to store and
recall their own climate control settings for temperature,
air delivery mode, fan and passenger climate control
(on/off) status. The personal choice settings recalled are
determined by the transmitter used to enter the vehicle.
After the button with the unlock symbol on a remote
keyless entry transmitter is pressed, and the ignition is in
RUN, the climate control will adjust to the last settings
of the identified driver. The settings can also be changed
by pressing one of the MEMORY buttons (1 or 2)
located on the driver's door, until you hear two beeps.
When adjustments are made, the new settings are
automatically saved for that driver.
Electronic Touch Climate Control
If your vehicle has this climate control system, the
following information tells you how it works.
Fan Lever
The FAN control is used to select the speed of the
blower fan and the force of air you want. Moving the
lever between LOW and HIGH will decrease or increase
the fan speed. The fan will be off when the system is off.

3-3
Temperature Lever
This lever adjusts the temperature of the air coming
through the system. Move the TEMPERATURE lever to
change the temperature of the air coming through your
outlets. Move the lever between COOL and WARM to
lower or raise the temperature.
Mode Controls
The buttons on your system allow you to choose
settings to deliver air through the lower, middle or
windshield outlets.
RECIRC: Press this button to 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.
To turn off RECIRC, press the button again. If you
select FRONT defrost or BLEND while RECIRC is
selected, the system will automatically turn off RECIRC
to prevent fogging. If you select RECIRC while in
FRONT defrost, the RECIRC light will flash three times
to let you know this is not allowed.VENT: This setting directs outside air through the
middle instrument panel outlets. The air conditioning
compressor is not working when VENT is selected.
If you select VENT while in FRONT defrost, the VENT
light will flash three times to let you know this is not
allowed. This is to prevent fogging.
HTR: This button directs air out of the heater outlets.
Most of the air will come from the floor outlets while
some air will flow through the windshield and side
window outlets. The air conditioning compressor is not
working when HTR is selected.
BLEND: When BLEND is selected, the airflow will
be split between the windshield and the floor outlets.
The air conditioning compressor will be operating.
FRONT: This setting directs most of the airflow toward
the windshield.
OFF: The ventilation system always allows fresh
air to flow through your vehicle when it is moving.
The system will try to keep the air at a previously
chosen temperature. When the system is off, the
blower fan is also off.

3-4
MAX: This setting directs airflow through the middle
instrument panel outlets. The amount of outside air
entering your vehicle is limited with this setting. The air
conditioning compressor is on in this mode.
Also in this mode, the RECIRC function is activated to
create the maximum cooling effect in the vehicle. If
RECIRC was active before selecting MAX, the light in
the RECIRC button will go off. If RECIRC is selected
after MAX, the light in the RECIRC button will not
come on.
NORM: This setting cools the outside air entering your
vehicle and directs it through the middle instrument
panel outlets. The air conditioning compressor is on in
this mode.
BI
-LEV: This setting directs warm air to the floor and
cooler air to the middle instrument panel outlets. The air
conditioning compressor is on in this mode.
Dual Automatic ComforTemp

Climate Control (If Equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with the Dual Automatic
ComforTemp Climate Control system, the following
information tells you how it works.
You will hear a beep each time a button is pushed and a
light on the button will indicate which function is active.
The lights are on all buttons except TEMP, FAN and
AIR FLOW. The display will show fan speed, comfort
level setting and airflow direction for a few seconds
whenever AUTO is selected, and then it will display the
outside temperature. The outside temperature reading is
most accurate when the vehicle is moving. During stops,
the display shows the previous temperature for best
accuracy and system control.

3-7
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 RECIRC mode.
To turn off the VENT selection, push the VENT button
again. If you select VENT while in FRONT defrost, the
VENT light will flash three times to let you know this is
not allowed. This is to prevent fogging.
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. 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 back to the previously selected mode.
Deselecting the RECIRC button will also turn off the
RECIRC function. RECIRC can be selected in all
manual airflow modes except FRONT defrost and
VENT. If you select RECIRC while in FRONT defrost,
the RECIRC light will flash three times to let you know
this is not allowed. This is to prevent fogging.FRONT: This selection is used to defrost the windshield
by directing the airflow toward the windshield.
If FRONT is selected while in the AUTO mode, the
fan speed and the air temperature from the front
defroster will vary. If a manual fan speed setting is
selected, the fan speed will remain at that selection
until another fan speed selection is made or the
AUTO mode is selected. To turn off FRONT, press
the AUTO or AIR FLOW button.
FRONT defrost will work better if any ice or snow is
cleared from the hood and the air inlet area between the
base of the windshield and the hood.

3-8 Air Conditioning
On hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot
inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes for your
vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best.
If you have the electronic touch system, for quick
cool
-down on very hot days, use MAX with the
temperature and fan speed adjusted to COOL and
HIGH. If this setting is used for long periods of time,
the air in your vehicle may become too cold and dry.
For normal cooling on hot days, use NORM and adjust
the temperature and fan speed for your comfort. If
RECIRC is selected while in the NORM air
conditioning mode, the system works like MAX and
recirculates the air.On sunny days, when the air is moderately warm or
cool, use BI
-LEV to deliver warm air to the floor and
cooler air to the middle instrument panel outlets. On
days like these, the sun may adequately warm your
upper body, but your lower body may not be warm
enough. To warm or cool the air delivered, adjust the
TEMPERATURE lever.
The amount of fresh air entering the vehicle is limited
when RECIRC is selected. This is helpful when you are
trying to cool the air in your vehicle or limit the air
entering the vehicle.
If your vehicle has the Dual Automatic ComforTemp

system and it is set for AUTO, on very hot days, the
system will automatically enter the RECIRC mode and
the temperature door will be positioned at the full cold
position for maximum cooling. If the system is not in
the AUTO mode, RECIRC should be selected to provide
maximum cooling. You can choose the extreme comfort
setting of 60
F (16
C), but the system will not cool any
faster by choosing the extreme comfort setting.

5-10 If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:

Climb a long hill on a hot day.

Stop after high
-speed driving.

Idle for long periods in traffic.

Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If your air conditioner is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
)
or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.If there's still no sign of steam, idle the engine for
three minutes while you're parked. If you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Cooling Fans

6-4
Be sure the posted octane is at least 87. If the octane is
less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it's bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you're using fuel rated at 87 octane or higher and
you hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
But don't worry if you hear a little pinging noise when
you're accelerating or driving up a hill. That's normal,
and you don't have to buy a higher octane fuel to get
rid of pinging. It's the heavy, constant knock that means
you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications. If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards,
your vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle may fail a smog
-check test. See ªMalfunction
Indicator Lampº in the Index. If this occurs, return to
your authorized Buick dealer for diagnosis to determine
the cause of failure. In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition is the type of fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane
-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask your service station operator whether or
not the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does not
recommend the use of such gasolines. If fuels containing
MMT are used, spark plug life may be reduced and your
emission control system performance may be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and
fuel system, allowing your emission control system
to function properly. Therefore, you should not have
to add anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines
containing oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
contribute to clean air. General Motors recommends that
you use these gasolines, particularly if they comply with
the specifications described earlier.