brake BUICK PARK AVENUE 1994 User Guide

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into
“P’ (Park) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of
“P’ (Park). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into “P” (Park) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into ‘P’ (Park)” in
the Index.
When
you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
“P” (Park) BEFORE you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur, you may need
to have
another vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the transaxle,
so you can pull the shift
lever out of “P’ (Park).
Shifting Out of P (Park) 66 99
Your hick has a brake-transaxle shift interlock. You
have
to fully apply your regular brake before you can
shift from
“P’ (Park) when the ignition is in the “Run”
position. See “Automatic Transaxle”
in the Index.
If you cannot shift
out of T“ (Park), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into “P”
(Park) as you maintain brake application.
Then move the
shift lever into the gear you want. If
you ever hold the
brake pedal down but still can’t shift out of
“P” (Park),
try this:
1, Turn the key to “Off.” Open and close the driver’s
door
to turn off the Retained Accessory Power
feature,
if you have it.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to “N” (Neutral).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
want.
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NOTICE:
When using concentrated washer fluid,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
adding water.
0 Don’t mix water with ready-to use washer
fluid. Water can cause the solution to
freeze and damage your washer fluid tank
and other parts
of the washer system. Also,
water doesn’t clean as well as washer fluid.
0 Fill your washer fluid tank only 3/4 full
when it’s very cold. This allows for
expansion, which could damage the tank
if
it is completely full.
windshield washer. It can damage your
paint.
Don’t use radiator antifreeze in your
Cruise Control
1
With Cruise Control, you
can maintain a speed
of
about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more without keeping your
foot on the accelerator. This
can really help on long
trips. Cruise Control does
not work at speeds below
about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the Cruise Control shuts
off.
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To Resume a Set Speed
Suppose you set your Cruise Control at a desired speed
and
then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts off
the Cruise Control.
But you don’t need to reset it.
Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the Cruise
Control switch from
“ON” to “,/A”
(Resume/Accelerate) for
about half
a second. You’ll
go right back up
to your
chosen speed and stay
there.
Remember
if you hold the switch at
“Re~~me/Accelerate” longer than half
a second, the
vehicle will keep going faster
until you release the
switch or apply the brake.
You could be startled and
even lose control.
So unless you want to go faster, don’t
hold the switch at “Resume/Accelerate.”
To Increase Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed. Here’s the
first:
1. Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
2. Push the button at the end of the lever, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You’ll now
cruise
at the higher speed.
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Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down
to the Cruise Control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your Cruise Control will work on hills
depends upon your speed, load, and the steepness of
the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When
going downhill, you may have
to brake or shift to a
lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying
the brake takes you out of Cruise Control.
Many drivers find this
to be too much trouble and don’t
use Cruise Control on steep hills.
To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the Cruise Control:
1. Step lightly on the brake
pedal
OR,
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Brake System Warning Light
BRAKE
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 comes 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. If
the light and chime come on while you are driving,
pull off the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
the pedal
is harder to push. Or, the pedal 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.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when
you set your parking brake, and
it 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.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANT‘ LOCK (a)
ANTI
LOCK
J
With anti-lock,this light will come on when you start
your engine and may stay on for several seconds. 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, turn the ignition
off, Or, if the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
and
turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on
again while you’re driving, your Buick needs service.
If
the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still
have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system warning light is also on, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem
with your
regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier
in this part.
Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option)
TRACTION
OFF
The “TRACTION OFF”
warning light means that
the system is not working.
When this warning light is
on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. The
warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
If your brakes overheat, the traction control system
will go off and the warning light will come on
until
your brakes cool down.
Some engine related problems may cause the
“TRACTION
OFF’’ warning light to come on.
Press the “TRACTION ON/OFF” switch to turn the
Traction Control system on or off.
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,
1
,
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Buick: Buckle
up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways,
it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet
they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver,
in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the yehicle in front of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every
year. Alcohol takes away three things that anyone needs
to drive a vehicle:
0 Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
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There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse. That’s especially true for brain, spinal cord and
heart injuries. That means that if anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, the
chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is higher
than if that person had not been drinking. And we’ve
already seen that the chance of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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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. 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. 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 beharder
to push.
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Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Buick has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent skidding.
ANT‘ LOCK (@)
ANTI
LOCK
This light on the instrument panel will go on when you
start your vehicle.
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. If
there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, the
anti-lock brake system warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index. Here’s how
anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam
on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
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