light BUICK PARK AVENUE 1993 Workshop Manual

Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
- time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time
is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20
m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with care.
Some,
however, overwork the braking system with poor
driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking.
0 Don’t “ride’’ the brakes by letting your left foot rest
lightly on the brake pedal while driving.
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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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I CAUTION:
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 ifethat vehicle
suddenly
stows or stops. Always leave enough
room up ahead to stop, even though you have
antblock 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.
TRACTION
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
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and go or be heard all the time your vehicle is moving
(except when you are pushing on the brake pedal
firmly).
I
A CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that I
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.
I
could result in costly brake repair. I
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied.
This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Rear Drum Brakes
Your rear drum brakes don’t have wear indicators, but if
you ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected. Also, the rear brake drums
should be removed and inspected each time the tires are
removed for rotation or changing. When
you have the
front brakes replaced, have the rear brakes inspected,
too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake stop, your
brakes adjust for wear.
If you rarely make a moderate or heavier stop, then your
brakes might not adjust correctly. If you drive in that
way, then
-- very carefully -- make a few moderate
brake stops about every
1000 miles (1 600 km), so your
brakes will adjust properly.
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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 timi% 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
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and just as
quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object. You must then be prepared to steer
back
to your original lane and then brake to a controlled
stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be rather violent for
an unprepared driver. This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend
that you use your safety belts and
keep both hands on the steering wheel.
I
D
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible
is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
If the level
of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up
to 1/4 turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
If the shoulder appears to be about four inches
(100 mm) or more below the pavement, this difference
can cause problems.
If there is not enough room to pull
entirely onto the shoulder and stop, then follow the same
procedures. But
if the right front tire scrubs against the
side
of the pavement, do NOT steer more sharply. With
too much steering angle, the vehicle may jump back
onto the road with
so much steering input that it crosses
over into the oncoming traffic before you can bring it
back under control.
Instead, ease off again on the accelerator and steering
input, straddle
the pavement once more, then try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back
into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst
of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision.
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Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for
the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible. The three
types of skids correspond to your Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling. In
the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide (as when
you turn a corner
on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road), ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start
to slide. Quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to
go. If
you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten
out. As it does, straighten the front
wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid.sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
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vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues --
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid. Steer the way
you want to
go-
Driving at Night
...,.
.. -
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason
is that some drivers are likely to be impaired --
by alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively. Remember, this is the most
dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See “Drunken Driving” in
the Index for more on this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlights behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and other
vehicles. It’s hard
to tell how fast the vehicle ahead .
is going just by looking at its taillights.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlights can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place and
rest.
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Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example,
if you spend the day in bright
sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night.
But if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night.
They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but they
also make a lot of things invisible that should remain
visible
- such as parked cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or
even trains blocking railway crossings. You may want to
put on your sunglasses after you have pulled into a
brightly-lighted service
or refreshment area. Eyes
shielded from that glare may adjust more quickly to
darkness back
on the road. But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before you leave the service area.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It
can take
a second or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust
to the dark. When you are faced
with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower
the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlights),
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the
approaching lights. If there is a line of opposing traffic, make occasional glances over
the line of headlights to
make certain that one
of the vehicles isn’t starting to
move into your lane. Once
you are past the bright lights,
give your eyes time to readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its high beams on,
signal by flicking yours to high and then back to low
beam. This is the usual signal to lower the headlight
beams. If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams,
resist the temptation to put your high beams
on. This
only makes two half-blinded drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams
only in remote areas
where you won’t impair approaching drivers. In some
places, like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a freeway or
highway, use low beams. True, most vehicles now have
day-night mirrors that enable the driver to reduce glare.
But outside mirrors are not of this type and high beams
from behind can bother the driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Tobacco smoke also
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makes inside glass surfaces very filmy and can be a
vision hazard if it’s left there.
Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and
flash more than
clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes
contract repeatedly. You might even want to keep a cloth
and some glass cleaner in your vehicle if you need to
clean your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up far less of
a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve.
Driving in the Rain
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be checked regularly for
proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness
-- the inability
to see in dim light
-- and aren’t even aware of it.
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction.
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