instrument panel BUICK PARK AVENUE 1993 User Guide

Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that
“Daytime Running Lights” (DRL) are a useful feature,
in that DRL can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours.
DRL are required on new vehicles sold in Canada.
Your
DRL work with a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Don’t cover it up.
The low beam headlights will come on at reduced
brightness in daylight when:
0 The ignition is on
0 The headlight switch is off, and
0 The transaxle is not in “P” (Park). At
dusk, if the Twilight Sentinel feature is turned on, the
exterior lights will come
on automatically and the low
beams will change to
full brightness. At dawn, the
exterior lights will go out and the low beams will
change to the reduced brightness
of DRL (if the
headlight switch is off).
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into
“P” (Park). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of “P” (Park).
To turn
off all exterior lighting at night when you are
parked, move
the twilight sentinel control from ON to
OFF, if it was on from the start. Or, move the control
from OFF to
ON, then back to OFF, if it was off from
the start. The lights will come back
on when you move
the transaxle out
of PARK.
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Cigarette Lighter The Instrument Panel: Your
Information System It's near the ashtray. To use one, push it in all the way
and let go. When it's ready, it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
If you hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating, it won't be able
to back away
from the heating element when it's ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the lighter and
the heating element.
Your instrument panel is designed to let you know at a
glance how your car is running. You'll know how fast
you're going, how much fuel you're using, and many
other things you'll need
to know to drive safely and
economically.
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have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions,
you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine 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.
Low Coolant Warning Light
I
1
If you have this light and it
comes on, your system
is
low on coolant and the
engine may overheat.
See “Engine Coolant” in the Index and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
Engine Oil Pressure Light and Gage
0‘ 1
I
This light tells you if there could be a problem with your
engine oil pressure.
If your car has the optional gage cluster, you can read
your oil pressure directly from the gage
on your
instrument panel.
There are three ways this light can come on briefly,
which
is normal and doesn’t show a problem. They are:
The light comes on when you turn your key to
“Run.” It goes off once you turn
it to “Start.” That’s
just a check to be sure the light works. If it doesn’t,
be sure to have it fixed so it will be there to warn you
if something goes wrong.
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“Change Oil Soon” Light (Option)
CHANGE
OIL SOON
This light is activated by
the Engine Oil Life
Monitor System. It
indicates that the engine oil
has degraded enough to
require changing. (See
“Engine Oil” in the Index).
This is determined by electronically monitoring engine
speed, coolant temperature and vehicle speed. Since the
change interval is dependent upon driving habits and
conditions, the “Change Oil Soon” light may come on as
early as
2,000 miles or less for harsh conditions.
The “Change Oil Soon” light
is lit for three seconds as a
bulb check each time the ignition key is turned to the
RUN position. If an oil change is required, it will stay
on for
60 seconds each time the engine is started. If the
“Change Oil Soon” light is on continuously, there is a
problem with the Oil Life Monitor System and service is
required. After
changing; the engine oil, the system should be
- reset. This
will cause the “Change Oil Soon” light once
again,
to be lit for just the bulb check period of three
seconds.
The reset button is.inside this hole, which is under the
passenger’s side of the instrument panel, near the door.
With the ignition key in the
RUN position, but the
engine not started, use a pen to push the reset button,
holding
it in for at least 5 seconds but not more than 60
seconds. After 5 seconds, the “Change Oil Soon” light
will flash 4 times and then go off. This indicates that the
Oil Life Monitor System has been reset.
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Auto Dual Zone
, w. .. . . , ... ,
-*FBr
AUTO
When the system is set for
automatic, air will come
from the
floor outlets, the
instrument panel outlets or
both. Fan speed will vary
(unless a blower
LO or HI
button has been pushed) as
the system gets to and
maintains the temperature
setting you have selected.
The display will show the set temperature and blower
speed.
In cold weather the system will delay turning on the fan,
to avoid blowing cold air. The length of the delay
depends on engine coolant temperature, outside
temperature and time since the engine was last started.
Pushing a
LO or HI blower button will override this
delay, and cause the fan to start.
To rid the system of stale air in warm weather, air will
come out of the floor outlets for
a short time. The
front seat passenger can control the air temperature
in their seating area.
__. ylrr
The air temperature for the right side of the front seat
can be set using the control on the passenger’s door.
Both DUAL
ZONE and AUTO buttons will light up. To
turn off this part of the system, push the DUAL ZONE
button again.
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Econ Defog
Htr
You can use ECON when
you don't need to cool the
outside air. The system will
work like the AUTO mode
without cooling. The air
flow will come from the
instrument panel outlets.
ECON does not have the
blower delay feature as the
AUTO mode setting.
L
E HTR E
To warm the air, press '
and adjust the temperature
and fan speed for your
comfort. Most
of the air
will come from the floor
outlets.
la
c I
When the outside
temperature is mild, use
DEFOG to keep fog off the
windshield.
Air entering the vehicle will be evenly split between the
floor outlets and the outlets near the windshield.
The blower speed will be controlled automatically, but
you can choose another fan speed by pushing the
HI or
LO buttons.
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If your Buick has the Electronic Touch Climate Control
System, the following information
tells you how it
works.
Air Conditioner
The next three selections cool the air. The air
conditioner won't work well unless all the windows are
1 closed. On very hot days, open the windows long ~
~ ~ enough to let the hot inside air out. This reduces the
i amount of work your air conditioner's compressor will
have to do, which should help fuel economy.
Max
This setting provides maximum cooling with the least
amount of work.
MAX recirculates much of the air
inside your vehicle
so it maximizes your air
conditioner's performance and fuel economy.
Fan Speeds
The fan control is used to select the speed you want the
blower to control
the air flow.
Lever Controls
The upper lever changes the fan speeds. The lower lever
changes the temperature of the air coming through your
air outlets.
Norm
Use NORM for normal cooling on hot days. This setting
cools outside air and directs
it through the instrument
panel outlets.
Bi-Level
This setting is designed for use on sunny days when the
air
is only moderately warm or cool. On days like these,
the sun may adequately warm your upper body, but your
lower body may not be warm enough.
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The Bi-level setting directs outside air into your vehicle
in two ways. Cool air is directed toward your upper
body through instrument panel outlets, while slightly
warmed air is directed through the heater outlet at your
feet.
The air conditioner compress& operates in all Air
Conditioning positions and the Defrost position when
the outside temperature is above
48 OF (9 “C).
When you don’t need to cool the outside air, use the
VENT, HEAT and
DEFROST settings. Adjust the
temperature control for comfort. You’ll get better fuel
economy (gas mileage) if you’re not cooling the outside
air. When you cool the air, your engine runs a
refrigeration compressor, and it has to work harder.
Vent
For mild outside temperature, when little heating or
cooling is needed, use the
VENT setting. Air will flow
thought the instrument panel outlets. Use the air outlets
to turn on, adjust and turn
off the air flow. Adjust the
temperature lever
to the desired temperature.
Heater
When outside temperatures are cold, pressing the HTR
setting and adjusting the temperature lever will send
warm air through the floor outlets and some through the
defroster vents.
Defrost
The DEFROST setting directs most of the air flow
toward the windshield. Use defrost when you want to
remove
fog or ice from the windshield. When it’s 48OF
(9 * C) or warmer, you’ll get cooled air.
Defog
Air entering the vehicle will be evenly split between the
floor outlets and the outlets near the windshield. You
can control the temperature of the air and the fan speed
to clear the foggy windows.
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1 A CAUTION:
“Riding” your brakes can cause them to overheat
to the point
that they won’t work well. You might
not be able to stop your vehicle
in time to avoid
an accident.
If you “ride” your brakes, they will I
get so hot they will require a lot of pedal force to
slow you down. Avoid “riding” the brakes.
‘I
E:
e brakes weafs them out much faster
You would need costly brake replacement much
sooner than normal, and
it also reduces fuel
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 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 ANTI
LOCK
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Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting
out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle
you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly
so
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform,
safety chains, electrical connector, lights, tires and
mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has electric brakes, start
your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand
to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
Passing
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lights and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns. You’ll
need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move that hand
to the
left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in
advance.
lbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a
different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
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