engine BUICK PARK AVENUE 1993 Owner's Manual

Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
A CAUTION:
I Things that
can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don't park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things
that can burn.
A CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can't see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming
in if:
0 Your exhaust system sounds strange or
0 Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
0 Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
0 Your vehicle was damaged when driving
over high points on the road or over road
debris.
different.
Repairs weren't done
correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into your
vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any
CO; and
0 Have it fixed immediately.
modified
improperly.
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Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
b!, CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in a closeddn place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch
is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust -- with CO --
can come in easily. NEVER park in a garage with
the engine running.
-
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the
shift lever is not fully in “Pyy (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You
or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
“P” (Park).
Follow the proper steps to
be sure your vehicle
won’t move.
See “Shifting Into ’P‘ (Park)” in the
Index.
If you are parking on a hill, or if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Parking
on Hills” or “Towing a
Trailer”
in the Index.
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Twilight Sentinel (Option)
Twilight Sentinel turns your
lights on and off by sensing
how dark it is outside.
To operate it, leave the light switch off and move the
Twilight Sentinel control to any position but
MIN.
If you move the control all the way to MAX, your lights
will remain on for three minutes after you turn off your
engine.
If you move the control almost all the way in the
other direction,
so it’s just on, the lights will go off
quickly when you turn off your engine. You can change
this delay time from
only a few seconds to three
minutes. Please don’t
cover the light sensor.
If you cover the
sensor, it will read “dark” and your lights will come on.
It is
on top of the instrument panel, on the driver’s side
defroster outlets.
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your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some warning lights
come on briefly when you turn the ignition key just to
let you know they’re working.
If you are familiar with
this section, you should not be alarmed when this
happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or
is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow the manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about how much fuel is in your
tank. It works only when the engine is on. When the
indicator nears
“E,” you still have a little fuel left. You
need to
get more fuel right away.
Here are four concerns some owners have had about the
fuel gage. All these situations are normal and indicate
nothing wrong
with the fuel gage.
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0
0
0
0
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads“F”.
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
1/2 full, but it took more (or less) than half of the
tank’s capacity to fill it.
The gage moves a little when
you turn a corner,
speed up, or stop your vehicle.
When you turn the engine off, the gage doesn’t go all
the way back to
“E”.
Low Fuel Light (Option)
If your Buick has this
option, a red light, near the
fuel gage, will go on when
you are low on fuel.
You
should get more fuel as
soon as you can.
Brake System Warning Light
I
Your Buick’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though,
you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light goes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come
on as you start the vehicle. If it
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s
a problem.
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This light will also come on when you set your parking
brake, and the light will stay on if your parking brake
doesn’t release fully. If
you try to drive off with the
parking brake set, a chime will also come
on until you
release the parking brake. If the light and chime stay on
after your parking brake is fully released, it means
you
have a brake problem. If the light and chime come on
while driving, pull
off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to .push. Or, the peda
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer
to stop. If
the light
is still on, have the vehicle towed for service.
(See “Towing Your Car” in the Index.)
I -
A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead to an accident.
If
the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
1
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With anti-lock, this light will go on when you start your
engine and may stay on for several seconds or
so. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t come on, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
If the light stays
on or comes on when you’re driving,
stop as soon as possible and turn the key
off. Then start
the engine
to reset the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while you’re driving, your Buick
needs service. Unless the regular brake system warning
light
is also on, you will still have brakes, but not
anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning
light
is also on, see “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier
in this part.
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The anti-lock brake system warning light may also come
on when you are driving with a compact spare tire. If
this happens, the light means you won’t have anti-lock
until you replace the compact spare with a full-size tire.
If the warning light stays on after you replace the
compact spare
with a full-size tire, or if it comes on
again when
you’re driving, your Buick needs service.
Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option)
I The “TRACTION OFF”
warning light means that
the system is not working.
This warning light may
come on for the following
reasons:
If your transaxle overheats, the traction control
system automatically shuts off for about three minutes.
The warning light will come on and stay on
during that time.
If your brakes overheat, the traction control system
will
go off and the warning light will come on until
your brakes cool down.
If the “TRACTION OFF” warning light comes on and
stays on
for an extended period of time, your vehicle
needs service.
A CAUTION:
1 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/h) as shown on the speedometer.
I
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I NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels when the “TRACTION
OFF” warning light is on can destroy parts of
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.
When you’re stuck, spin the wheels
as little as
possible.
~~~~~~
1
working. If you have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions,
you should pull off the road,
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning
Light
7
280
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.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
100
.Id pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too hot!
If you have the Gage Cluster, you have a gage that
shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage
This light
tells you that your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator cooling fans are
not
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you
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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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If you’re “idling” at a stop sign, the light may blink
on and then
off.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment.
But, when this light comes on and stays on, it means
oil isn’t going through your engine properly.
You could
be low on oil, or you might have some other oil
problem.
A CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you
do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
“Check Oil Level’’ Light (Option)
CHECK
OIL LEVEL
The “Check Oil Level”
light is lit for three seconds
as a bulb check each time
the ignition key is turned
to
the RUN position. If the
light doesn’t come on, have
your vehicle serviced.
If the engine oil is more than one quart low, the light
will come on briefly, then go off for 15-25 seconds, and
then come back
on for 20-40 seconds.
However,
if it has not been more than eight minutes
since the engine was last shut
off, the system will not
register low engine oil condition.
If the “Check Oil Level” light comes back on, the
engine
oil should be checked at the dipstick and then
brought up to the proper level if necessary. See “Engine
Oil” in the Index.
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