change time BUICK PARK AVENUE 1997 Owner's Guide

Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than
normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lamps will also flash, telling other
drivers you’re about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally
to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug a
trailer lighting system into your vehicle’s lighting
system, its bulb warning lights may not let you know if
one of your lamps goes out.
So, when you have a trailer
lighting system plugged in, be sure to check your
vehicle and trailer lamps from time to time to be sure
they’re all working. Once you disconnect the trailer
lamps, the bulb warning lights again can tell you if
one of your vehicle lamps is out.
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' 7. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and spare wheel.
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after
a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
you change a
wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches
to the vehicle. In an
emergency,
you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust
or
dirt off.
/1 CAUTMN:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing a serious accident.
8. Replace the wheel nuts
with the rounded end
of the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten each nut
by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
A CAUTION: I
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Engine Oil Additives
Don’t add anything to your oil. Your Buick dealer is
ready
to advise if you think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil
If any one of these is true for you, use the short tripkity
maintenance schedule:
e
e
0
0
0
Most trips are less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km).
This is particularly important when outside
temperatures are below freezing.
Most trips include extensive idling (such as frequent
driving in stop-and-go traffic).
Most trips are through dusty areas.
You frequently tow a trailer or use a carrier on top of
your vehicle.
The vehicle
is used for delivery service, police, taxi
or other commercial application. Driving under these conditions causes engine oil to break
down sooner.
If any one of these is true for your vehicle,
then you need to change your
oil and filter every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months -- whichever occurs
first. (See “Change Engine Oil Soon”
in the Index.)
If none of them is true, use the long triphighway
maintenance schedule. Change the oil and filter every
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months -- whichever
occurs first. Driving a vehicle with a fully warmed
engine under highway conditions causes engine oil to
break down slower.
If the optional CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message
comes on, you will need to change your oil sooner than
either mileage specified. Depending upon driving habits,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message may come
on as early as
2,000 miles or less from the last time the
oil life index was reset. (See “Oil Life Index” in the
Index.)
Always reset the oil life monitor after every
oil change.
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Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83
000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
0 In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
0 When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you
do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your Buick dealership
Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle.
Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on
hot engine parts
or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be sure to
get an accurate reading if you check your
1 transaxle fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level if you have been driving:
0 When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
0 At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is
180°F to 200°F (82°C
to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about
15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50°F
(10OC).
If it’s colder than 50°F (lO”C), you may have
to drive longer.
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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.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to GM specifications.
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.
See “Brake System Inspection’’ in Section
7 of this
manual under Part
C “Periodic Maintenance
Inspections”.
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 apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex. Its
many parts have to be of top quality and work well
together
if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Your vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
-- for example, when your brake linings wear
down and you have to have new ones put in
-- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts.
If you
don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example, if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rear brakes can change
-- for the worse. The braking
performance you’ve come to expect can change in many
other ways if someone puts in the wrong replacement
brake parts.
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Check Tire Pressure System (If Equipped)
The check tire pressure system can alert you to a large
change
in the pressure of one tire. The system won’t alert
you before you drive that a tire is low or flat. You must
begin driving before the system will work properly.
The CHECK
TIRE PRESSURES message will appear
on the Driver Information Center (DIC) if pressure in
one tire becomes at least
€0 psi (69 kPa) lower or higher
than the other three tires. The warning message can be
removed from the display by pressing any DIC button.
Removing the message does not reset the system. The
check tire pressure system won’t alert you if more than
one tire is low or high, or if the system
is not calibrated
properly. It also won’t tell you which tire is low or high.
If
the anti-lock brake system warning light comes on,
the check tire pressure system may not be working
properly. See your dealer for service. (Also, see
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.)
The check tire pressure system detects differences in tire
rotation speeds that
are caused by changes in tire
pressure. The system can alert you about a low
tire
-- but it doesn’t replace normal tire maintenance.
See “Tires” in the Index. When
the CHECK TIRE PRESSURES message appears
on the Driver Information Center, you should stop as
soon as you can and check all your tires for damage. (If
a tire is flat, see “If a Tire Goes Flat” in the Index.) Also
check the tire pressure in all four tires as soon as you
can. See “Inflation-Tire Pressure” in the Index.
Any time
you adjust a tire’s pressure or have one or
more tires repaired or replaced, you’ll need to reset
(calibrate) the check tire pressure system. You’ll also
need to reset the system whenever you rotate the tires,
buy new tires, install or remove the compact spare, and
whenever the vehicle’s battery has been disconnected.
Don’t reset the check tire pressure system without first
correcting the cause of the problem and checking and
adjusting the pressure in all four tires. If you reset the
system when the tire pressures are incorrect, the check
tire pressure system will not work properly and may not
alert you when a tire is low or high.
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After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and rear
inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that
all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque”
in the Index.
When It’s Time for New Tires
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to which
it is fastened, can make wheel nuts become loose
after a time. The wheel could come off and cause
an accident. When you change a wheel, remove
any rust or dirt from places where the wheel
attaches to the vehicle. In an emergency, you can
use a cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be
sure to use a scraper or wire brush later, if you
need to, to get all the rust or dirt off. (See
“Changing a Flat Tire” in the Index.)
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will appear when your tires have
only
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less
of tread remaining.
You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:
0 You can see the indicators at three or more places
0 You can see cord or fabric showing through the
around
the tire.
tire’s rubber.
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord
or fabric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
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Short TripKity Maintenance Schedule
The services shown in this schedule up to 100,000 miles
(166
000 km) should be performed after 100,000 miles
(166
000 km) at the same intervals. The services shown
at 150,000 miles (240
000 km) should be performed at
the same interval after 150,000 miles (240
000 km).
See “Owner Checks and Services” and “Periodic
Maintenance Inspections” following.
Footnotes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board has determined that the
failure to perform this maintenance item will not nullify
the emission warranty or
limit recall liability prior to the
completion of the vehicle’s useful life. We, however,
urge that all recommended maintenance services be
performed at the indicated intervals and the maintenance
be recorded.
# Lubricate the suspension, steering linkage, transaxle
shift linkage, parking brake cable guides and the
underbody contact points and linkage.
* If your vehicle has an Engine Oil Life Monitor, the
monitor will show you when to change the oil
-- usually
between
3,000 miles (5 000 km) and 7,500 miles
(12
500 km) since your last oil change. Under severe
conditions, the indicator may come on before
3,000 miles (5 000 km). Never drive your vehicle more
than
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months, (whichever
occurs first), without an oil change.
The system won’t detect dust in the oil.
So if you
drive in a dusty area be sure to change your oil every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or sooner if the CHANGE OIL
light comes on. Remember to reset the Oil Life Monitor
when the oil has been changed. For more information,
see “Engine Oil Life Monitor” in the Index.
+ A good time to check your brakes is during tire
rotation. See “Brake System Inspection” under “Periodic
Maintenance Inspection” in Part C of this schedule.
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Long Tripmighway ,Maintenance Schedule I
The services shown in this schedule up to 100,000 miles
(166
000 km) should be performed after 100,000 miles
(166
000 km) at the same intervals. The services shown
at 150,000 miles
(240 000 km) should be performed at
the same interval after 150,000 miles
(240 000 km).
See “Owner Checks and Services” and “Periodic
Maintenance Inspections” following.
Footnotes
? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board has determined that the
failure to perform this maintenance item will not nullify
the emission warranty or limit recall liability prior to the
completion of the vehicle’s useful life. We, however,
urge that all recommended maintenance services be
performed at the indicated intervals and the maintenance
be recorded.
# Lubricate the suspension, steering linkage, transaxle
shift linkage, parking brake cable guides and the
underbody contact points and linkage.
* If your vehicle has an Engine Oil Life Monitor, the
monitor will show you when to change the oil
-- usually
between
3,000 miles (5 000 km) and 7,500 miles
(12 500 km) since your last oil change. Under severe
conditions, the indicator may come on before
3,000 miles (5 000 km). Never drive your vehicle more
than
7,500 miles (12 500 km) or 12 months without an
oil change.
The system won’t detect dust in the oil.
So if you
drive in a dusty area, be sure to change your oil every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or sooner if the CHANGE OIL
light comes on. Remember to reset the Oil Life Monitor
when the oil has been changed. For more information,
see “Engine Oil Life Monitor” in the Index.
+ A good time to check your brakes is during tire
rotation. See “Brake System Inspection” under “Periodic
Maintenance Inspections” in Part
C of this schedule.
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I I I I I I I I
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