flat tire BUICK PARK AVENUE 1993 Owners Manual

@ Table of Contents
HowtoUsethisManual ................................................................ 10 1
This part tells you how to use your manual and includes safety and vehicle damage warnings & symbols. 13
This part tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.
This part explains how to start and operate your Buick.
This part tells you how to adjust the ventilation
& comfort controls and how to operate your sound system.
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This part tells you what to do if you have a problem
while driving, such as a flat tire or engine overheating.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good.
This part tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This part tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also gives
you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 315.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual.
You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
SeatsandSafetyBelts .................................................................. 13
FeaturesandControls
.................................................................. 59
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
..................................................... 129
YourDrivingandtheRoad
.............................................................. 159
ProblemsontheRoad
.................................................................. 209
Service and Appearance Care..
.......................................................... 241
Maintenanceschedule
.................................................................. 293
Customer Assistance Information
........................................................ 313
Index
........................................................................\
........ 321
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long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
On the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is good to share the
driving task with others. Limit turns behind the wheel to
about
100 miles (160 km) or two hours at a sitting.
Then, either change drivers or stop for some refreshment
like coffee, tea or soft drinks and some limbering up.
But do stop and move around. Eat lightly along the way.
Heavier meals tend to make some people sleepy.
On two-lane highways or undivided multilane highways
that do not have controlled access, you’ll want
to watch
for some situations
not usually found on freeways.
Examples are: stop signs and signals, shopping centers
with direct access to
the highway, no passing zones and
school zones, vehicles turning left and right off the road,
pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, and even animals.
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”? Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the wheel?
Call
it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with
the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road
in less than a second, and you could crash and be
injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
191
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Then here are some tips:
e
e
e
e Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors frequently
and your instruments from time
to time. This can
help you avoid
a fixed stare.
Wear
good sunglasses in bright light. Glare can
cause drowsiness. But don't wear sunglasses at
night. They will drastically reduce your overall
vision at the very time you need all the seeing power
you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service,
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and
allow adequate following distances. Driving on
steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly
in steep country, or if you're
,planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain
roads.
192
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Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for
cold tires.
You’ll find these numbers on the Certification
label at the rear edge of the driver’s door (or see “Tire
Loading” in the Index). Then be sure you don’t go over
the
GVW limit for your vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by, and rough roads are
a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here are
some rules to follow:
0
0 If you’ll be pulling a trailer that, when loaded, will
weigh more than
2,000 pounds (900 kg), be sure to
use a properly mounted, weight-distributing hitch
and sway control
of the proper size. This equipment
is very important for proper vehicle loading and
good handling
when you’re driving.
Will
you have to make any holes in the body of your
vehicle when you install a trailer hitch? If you do,
then be sure to seal the holes later when you remove
the hitch. If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) from your exhaust can get into your
vehicle (see “Carbon Monoxide” in the Index). Dirt
and water can, too.
0 The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for
hitches.
Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use only
a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach to the
bumper.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to
the road if it becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about
safety chains may be provided by the
hitch manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And, never allow safety
chains to drag on
the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg)
loaded, then
it needs its own brakes -- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Because you have anti-lock
brakes, do not try to tap into your vehicle’s brake
system.
If you do, both brake systems won’t work well,
or at all.
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@ Part 5 Problems on the Road
=I i
~~
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road .
Part 5 includes:
Hazard Warning Flashers
............................................................ 210
OtherWarningDevices
............................................................. 211
“Jump”Starting
.................................................................... 212
TowingYourBuick
................................................................ 217
Engineoverheating
................................................................ 221
IfaTireGoesFlat
................................................................. 228
ChangingaFlatTire
................................................................ 229
CompactSpareTire
................................................................ 237
If You’re Stuck
in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow .............................................. 239
209
...... c-~ ~
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8. Then replace the
pressure cap. Be
sure the arrows
on
the pressure cap
line up like this.
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.
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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 a 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
a level 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.
I To 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, a’ *?e opposite end.
- 2. I.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
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.,. . I
Remove the theft deterrent
wheel nut, by placing the
key end of the wire wheel
key wrench over the nut
and turning it to the left.
Pull off the wire wheel
cover. Note: When
replacing the wheel cover,
carefully line up the tire
valve stem and the notch in
the wheel cover.
I
Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet. Next, attach the wheel wrench
to the bolt on the end
of the jack. Raise the jack a little
by rotating the wheel wrench clockwise (to the right). Position the
jack under the
vehicle. There is a notch in
the frame near each
of the
wheels. Fit the top of the
jack into the notch nearest
the wheel with the flat tire.
The jack handle has markings at
8” for the rear and 10”
for the front, which will help you to locate the jacking
notches in the frame.
1 CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
le when it
is supported only by a jack.
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Raise the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrencn
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground
so there is enough room for the spare tire to fit. Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly ~~
Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
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Don’t try to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire.
It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover in the trunk until
you have the
flat tire repaired or replaced.
I NOTICE:
Now put all the equipment back in the trunk.
WHEEL WRENCH
A CAU I ION:
Storing a jack, a tire or other equilpment in the
passenger compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment cowtd strike someone. Store all these
in the proper
place.
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi (420
kPa). The compact spare is made to go up to 3,000 miles
(5000 km), so you can finish your trip and have your
full-size tire repaired
or replaced where you want. Of
course, it’s best to replace your spare with a full-size tire
as soon as you can. Your spare will last longer and be in
good shape
in case you need it again.
Your anti-lock brake system warning light may come on
when
you are driving with a compact spare. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light’’ in the Index.
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