heating BUICK PARK AVENUE 1997 Owners Manual

Heated Seats (Option)
, :. '..<. ,^ ,, , ,, . ._ The heated seat
controls are located
next to the climate
controls on the
instrument panel. Press this button
to turn on
the heating element in
the seat.
The
LO setting warms the seatback and cushion until the
seat nears body temperature. The
HI setting heats the
seat to a slightly higher temperature.
A telltale light in the control reminds you that the
heating system is in use.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
The front seatbacks can be adjusted by pressing the
vertical control located on the side
of the seat. Push it
forward to bring the seat
to a more upright position.
Push it rearward to recline the seatback.
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It can be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide
(CO) gas can
come into your vehicle.
You can’t see or smell
CO.
It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
trunk lid:
0 Make sure all windows are shut.
0 Tbrn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on any airflow selection except RECIRC.
That will force outside
air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls’’ in the Index.
0 If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust’’ in the Index.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Buick has a number
of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing
we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don’t do it.
With the ignition
off and the driver’s door open, you’ll
hear a chime reminding you to remove your key from
the ignition and take it with you. Always do this. Your
ignition and transaxle will be locked. And remember to
lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out
of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
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Cigarette Lighter
There are cigarette lighters near the front and rear
ashtrays. To use one, push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
If you hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating, it won’t be able to back away
from the heating element when it’s ready. That
can make it overheat, damaging the lighter and
the heating element.
Sun Visors
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
Your vehicle has illuminated visor vanity mirrors. When
you open the visor vanity mirror by pulling up, the
lamps turn
on.
The brightness of the lamps can be adjusted by sliding
the switch. The Park Avenue Ultra also has visor vanity
mirrors
for the rear seat passengers.
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The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
e
0
e
If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the end of the shift lever, the warning
light will come on and stay on. To turn the system
back on, press the button again. The warning light
should go
off. (See “Traction Control System” in
the Index for more information.)
If there’s a brake system problem that
is specifically
related
to traction control, the traction control system
will turn
off, the warning light will come on and the
chime will sound.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine related problem, the system will turn off,
the warning light will come on and the chime
will sound.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period
of time when the
system
is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
TEMPERATURE
This gage measures the
temperature of your engine.
If the pointer moves into the
red area, your engine is too
hot.
A temperature indicator
light will turn on and a
chime will sound.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions and the temperature indicator light
turns on, you should pull off the road, stop your vehicle
and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
The section “Problems on the Road,” in this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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Coolant Temperature: Press the GAGES button until
COOLANT TEMP appears in the display. If there are no
problems detected with the temperature, COOLANT
TEMP NORMAL will appear
in the display. If the
temperature is too high, COOLANT TEMP HOT will
appear in the display. If you see the COOLANT TEMP
HOT message, your engine is overheated. You should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and turn off your
engine as soon as possible. This manual explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
Battery Volts: Press the GAGES button until the
display shows BATTERY STATE.
If the voltage is
normal the display will show BATTERY STATE
NORMAL.
If the voltage drops below 10.5 volts, the
display will show BATTERY STATE LOW. If the
voltage is above
16 volts, the display will show
BATTERY STATE HIGH. If the display shows the high
or low message, you need to have your battery checked.
Oil Life Index: Press the GAGES button until OIL
LIFE INDEX appears in the display. The OIL LIFE
INDEX NORMAL display will show an estimate of
the oil’s remaining useful life. When the oil life index
is less than
lo%, the display will show OIL LIFE INDEX CHANGE
OIL. When you have the oil
changed according to the maintenance schedule (see
“Maintenance Schedule” in the Index), you will have
to reset the oil life index. To do this, press and hold the
RESET button for more than five seconds while the oil
life index is being displayed on the DIC. The oil life
will change to
100%.
Tire Pressure Status: Press the GAGES button
until TIRE PRESSURE appears in the display.
TIRE
PRESSURE NORMAL is displayed when the Check
Tire Pressure System believes your vehicle’s tire
pressures are normal. If a potential tire pressure
problem is detected, the display will show TIRE
PRESSURE LOW: CHECK TIRES.
If you see the
TIRE PRESSURE LOW: CHECK TIRES message, 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” and
“Check Tire Pressure System”
in the Index.
There are times when you will have to reset (calibrate)
the Check Tire Pressure System. See “Check Tire
Pressure System” in the Index.
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Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your Buick. Be sure
to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
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3-2
3-5
3-5
3-6
3-7 3-8
3-8
3-9
3-9
3-10
3-10
3- 14 Comfort Controls
Personal Choice Comfort Controls
Air Conditioning
Heating
Ventilation System
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Passenger Climate Control Steering Wheel Controls for Climate Control
Setting the Clock
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
and Tone Control 3-18
3-21
3 -27
3-30
3-32
3-33
3-33
3-34 3-35
3-35 AM-FM Stereo
with Compact Disc Player
and Tone Control
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette, CD Player
and Tone Control
Trunk Mounted CD Changer
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care
of Your Compact Discs
Heated Backlite Antenna
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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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RECIRC: When RECIRC is selected, the system will
limit the amount of outside air entering your vehicle.
This is helpful when you
are trying to cool the interior
of the vehicle quickly or limit the amount of outside air
entering your vehicle for some other reason. RECIRC
and AUTO may be selected at the same time. The
system will remain in RECIRC until the ignition is
turned
off. The system will return back to the previously
selected mode when the car is turned back on. RECIRC
can be selected in all manual airflow modes except
FRONT defrost. RECIRC cannot be selected with the
VENT button.
FRONT This selection is used to defrost the
windshield by directing the airflow toward the windshield.
If FRONT is selected while in the AUTO mode, the fan
speed and the
air temperature from the front defroster will
vary.
If a manual fan speed setting is selected, the fan
speed will remain
at that selection until another fan speed
selection is made or the AUTO mode is selected. To turn
off FRONT, press the AUTO or AIR FLOW button.
FRONT defrost will work better if any
ice or snow is
cleared from the hood and the air inlet area between the
base of the windshield and the hood.
Air Conditioning
On hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot
inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes for your
vehicle
to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best.
On very hot days, the system will automatically enter
the RECIRC mode and the temperature door will be
positioned at the full cold position for maximum
cooling. If the system is not in the AUTO mode,
RECIRC should be selected to provide maximum
cooling.
You can choose the extreme comfort setting of
60°F (16"C), but the system will not cool any faster
by choosing the extreme comfort setting.
Heating
Press AUTO and adjust the temperature by pressing the
TEMP up or down arrow. You may also adjust the dual
automatic comfortemp system manually by pressing the
AIR FLOW button until FLOOR appears. Again, adjust
the temperature by pressing the TEMP up or down arrow.
Outside air will be brought in and sent through the
floor outlets. The heater works best if you keep your
windows closed.
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Ventilation System
For mild outside temperatures when little heating or
cooling is needed, use VENT to direct outside air
through your vehicle. Air will
flow through any of the
outlets depending on outside temperatures and comfort
level settings.
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it’s moving. When the
vehicle is not moving, you can get outside air to flow
through by selecting any air choice (except the rear
window defogger) and
any €an speed.
Adjust the direction
of
airflow by moving the
louvered vents. You have rear passenger comfortemp outlets that
you
can use to adjust the direction of the airflow to the rear
seating area. The temperature is controlled
by the front
passenger setting.
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Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long or steep downgrade.
If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down to
THIRD (3) and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce
the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
PARK (P) yet.
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
0 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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