stop start BUICK PARK AVENUE 1997 User Guide

Oil Pressure Light
OIL
This light tells you if there
could be a problem with
your engine oil pressure.
There are three ways the oil pressure light can come on
briefly, which are normal and don’t show a problem.
They are:
The light comes on when you turn your key to RUN.
It goes off once you turn the key 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.
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.
When this light comes on and stays on, and a chime
sounds, it means oil isn’t
going through your engine
properly. You could
be low on oil, or you might have
some other oil problem. See your dealer for service.
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.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
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Comfort Controls
This section tells you how to operate your comfort
controls. Your comfort control system uses
ozone-friendly
R- 134a refrigerant.
With these systems, you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation in your Buick. Your vehicle also has a
flow-through ventilation system described later in
this section.
Personal Choice Comfort Controls
(If Equipped)
This feature allows two different drivers to store and
recall their own climate control settings for temperature, air delivery mode, fan and passenger climate control
(ordoff) status. The Personal Choice settings recalled
are determined by the transmitter used to enter the
vehicle. After the
UNLOCK button of a remote keyless
entry transmitter is pressed, and the ignition is in
RUN,
the climate control will adjust to the last settings of the
identified driver. The settings can also be changed by
briefly pressing one of the
MEMORY seat switches
located on the driver’s door panel. When adjustments
are made, the new settings
are automatically saved for
the driver.
Dual Automatic ComforTemp Climate Control
Your Buick has the dual automatic comfortemp climate
control system. The following information tells you how
it works.
You will hear a beep each time a button is pushed and a
small light on the button will indicate which buttons are
active. The lights are on all buttons except
TEMP, FAN
and
AIR FLOW. The display will show fan speed,
comfort level setting and airflow direction for a few seconds whenever any button, except for the rear
defog, is pushed, and then it will display the outside
temperature. The outside temperature reading is most
accurate when the vehicle is moving.
During stops, when driving slow, or when the engine is
first started after a short trip, the outside temperature
reading can be affected by road or engine heat. In order
to ensure proper automatic climate control operation, the outside temperature display may not update as quickly
as expected.
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RECALL: Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within five seconds to see how
long it has been playing.
To change what is normally
shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press the
button until you see the display you want, then hold the
button until the display flashes.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is in the player.
SOURCE: Press this button to change to the disc
function when the radio is on. When a disc is inserted,
the disc will play until you press
AM-FM. Then the disc
will stop playing and the radio will play. Press
SOURCE
again to play a disc again. CD PLAY will show on
the display.
EJECT Press this button to remove the disc. The radio
will play.
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Automatic Tone Control
(If Equipped)
If you turn off the ignition or radio with a disc in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on the
ignition or system, the disc will start playing where it
stopped, if it was the last-selected audio source.
If you
leave a compact disc in the player while listening to the
radio, it may become warm.
Playing the Radio
VOLUME:
Press this knob to turn the system on and
off.
To increase volume, turn the knob clockwise. Turn
it counterclockwise to decrease volume.
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The SEEK down and up arrows will also find the
previous and next selections on the disc.
44 (3): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track. You will hear sound.
.. (4): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track. You will hear sound.
RAND (4): Press this button to hear the tracks in
random, rather than sequential, order. Press RAND
again to turn off random play.
RECALL: Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within five seconds to see how
long it has been playing.
To change what is normally
shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press the
RECALL button until you see the display you want,
then hold the RECALL button until the display flashes.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is in the player.
SOURCE: Press this button to change to the disc
function when the radio
is on. When a disc is inserted,
the disc will play until you press AM-FM. Then the disc
will stop playing and the radio will play. Press SOURCE
again to play a disc again. CD PLAY will show on
the display.
EJECT Press this button to remove the disc. The radio
will play.
If you turn off the ignition or radio with a disc in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on the
ignition or system, the disc will start playing where it
stopped, if it was the last-selected audio source.
Also, as a protection feature, if a CD is ejected and left
in the player, it will be pulled back in the player with the
ignition on or off. If you leave a compact disc
in the
player while listening to the radio, it may become warm.
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P SCAN: When you press P SCAN while playing a CD,
you will hear the first few seconds of each track on a
disc. Press
P SCAN again to stop on a CD. The CD
will mute while scanning.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK" is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed.
If THEFTLOCK is active, the THEFTLOCK indicator
will flash when the ignition is off.
The THEFTLOCK feature for the radio may be used or
ignored. If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by the feature. If
THEFTLOCK
is activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code
before
it will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow, explain how to enter your
secret code to activate the THEFTLOCK system. It is
recommended that you read through all nine steps
before starting the procedure. NOTE:
If
you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse
between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to
time and you must start the procedure over at Step
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Write down any three or four-digit number from
000 to 1999 and keep it in a safe place separate from
the vehicle.
Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
Turn the radio
off.
Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until
--- shows on the display. Next you will use the
secret code number which you have written down.
Press MIN and
000
Press MIN again to
with your code.
Press HRS to make
with your code. will
appear on the display.
make the last two digits agree
the first one or two digits agree
Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show REP to let you know that you
need to repeat Steps
5 through 7 to confirm your
secret code.
Press AM-FM and this time the display will show
SEC to let you know that your radio is secure.
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Avoid needless heavy bralung. Some people drive in Anti-Lock Brakes
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 Your
vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
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 be harder to push. When
you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light”
in the Index.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows
or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the system
working, or you may notice some noise, but this is normal.
Traction Control System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the front brakes and reduces engine power
to
limit wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but
this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control” in
the Index.)
TRAC
OFF
When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s
a
problem with your traction
control system.
I
See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system off
if you ever need to. (You
should turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don’t get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
0 If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
0
0
0
0
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
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 lamps 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.
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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 sluds 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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid. If you
do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
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
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 brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking
shd.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
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. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes
are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder
it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment
in good shape and keep your windshield washer tank
filled with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.
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