engine BUICK PARK AVENUE 1996 Workshop Manual

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
e Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belts, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help
you find them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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NOTICE: NOTICE: ~
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged. If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
your warranty.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want.
You wouldn’t be able to
start your Buick, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
You could be injured if the vehicles roll. Set the
parking brake firmly on each vehicle. Put an
automatic transaxle in PARK
(P) or a manual
transaxle in NEUTRAL (N).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off the
radios and all lamps that aren’t needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. It could
save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
I
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
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A CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use
a flashlight if
you need more light. .
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to
add water to the Delco Freedom@ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps,. be sure the rightamount
offluid is there.
If it is low, add water to take care
of that first. If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
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6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock
and the vehicles could. be damaged.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
, . ’
things you should know. Positive (+) will ‘go to
positive (+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal .engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other
parts, too.
,.
.,
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Fans or other moving engine parts ean injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engines are running.
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7. Connect the red
positive
(+) cable to the
positive
(+) terminal of
the vehicle with the dead
battery. Use a remote
positive
(+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
8. Don’t let the other
end touch metal. Connect it to the
positive
(+)
terminal of the
good battery. Use a
remote positive (+)
terminal if the
vehicle has one.
9. Now connect the
black negative
(-) cable
to the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t
let the other end touch anything until the next
step. The other end of the negative
(-) cable doesn’t go
to the dead battery. It goes to a heavy unpainted metal
part
on the engine of the vehicle with the dead battery.
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10.
11. 12.
Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine parts that
move. The electrical connection is just as good
there, but the chance of sparks getting back to the
battery is much less.
Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
Try to-start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably
needs service.
13. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or
any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B
. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
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Engine Overheating
You will find a warning light about a hot engine on your
Buick instrument panel and
if you have the optional
gage cluster, a coolant temperature gage. You
will also
find a LOW COOLANT warning light.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there
is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire.
You or
others could be
badly burned. Stop your engine if
it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
,
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered
by your warranty.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little
too hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
@ Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open
the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a)
or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get evejyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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When you decideit’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools aw~ay from
any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
A. Coolant Recovery Tank
B. Radiator Pressure Cap
C. Electric Engine Fans
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The coolant level should be at or above the FULL
COLD mark. If it isn't, you may have a leak in the
radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator, water
purnp or
somewhere elsC
in the-cooling system..
I A CAUTION:
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Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don't run the engine
if there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an' engine fire, -and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered
by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine fans are running.
If the engine
is overheating, both fans should be running.
If they
aren't, your vehicle needs service.
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How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Recovery Tank
If you haven’t found a problem yet, but the coolant
level isn’t at or above the FULL COLD
mark, add a
50/50 mixture of clean water (preferably distilled) and
DEX-COOL
TM (orange-colored, silicate-free) antifreeze
at the coolant recovery tank.
(See “Engine Coolant” in
the Index for more information.)
Adding only plain water to your cooling system can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant
mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get
too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you
or
others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix of clean
water and
DEX-COOL TM antifreeze.
I NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mix.
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