cooling BUICK PARK AVENUE 1998 Owners Manual

There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR
BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for rna’rfunctions. The light
tells you
if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air
bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the
wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more infomation on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
This light will come on
when y~u start your engine,
and it will flash for a few
seconds.
Then the Eight
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
I€ the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes QIT when you are driving, your air bag
system may
not work p~operly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you
turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready
to wm you if there is a problem.
VOLT
“‘en you turn the hey to
RUN, this light will come
on briefly, to show the
battery charging systeE
is
working.
When the light goes off and stays off, the charging
system
is working.
Hf the light stays on, a chime will sound indicating you
need service, and you should take your vehicle to the
dealer at once. To save your battery until yo3 get there,
turn off a%B accessories and turn off glow climate
control system.
When a luge number of electrical accessories me
operating ir, the vehicle and the engine is left at an idle
for aa extended period, the engine may idle at a higher
RPM than noma1 to ensure the battery does not mn
down. This may occur when several of the following are
on: parking lamps, high-beam headlamps, rear window
defogger, heated seats and engine cooling fans, etc. It
may take longer for the rear window defogger to dear
the glass, and the heated seats may not feel as warn
as normal.
ProCarManuals.com

'Ms section tells you how to operate your comfort
ctrrtt.ro8s. Your comfort control system uses
trxone-friendIy
hi- B 348 refrigerant.
With these systems, you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation in your vehicle. Your vehicle also has a
flow-through ventilation system described
Eater in
this section.
This feature allows two different drivers to store and
recall their own climate control settings for temperature,
air delivery node, fan and passenger climate COXI~FO~
fdom 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 igrrition 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.
Your vehicle has the dual automatic cornfortemp climate
control system. The fdowing
infomation tells you how
1: works.
Yorr will hear a beep each time a button is pushed and a
small light orr the button will indicate which buttons lire
active.
The lights are QIP ali buttons except EMP, FAN
and AIR FLOW. The display will show fm speed,
comfort level setting
and airf'~ 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 movi~g.
During stops, when drivkg slow, QF when the engine is
first sta-ted after a short trip, the outside temperature
reading can be affected by road or engine heat. In order
to enswe proper automatic climate control operation, the
outside temperature
display may not update BS quickly
as expected.
ProCarManuals.com

HE you drive regdarly in steep country, or if you're
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep yoas vehicle in
good shape. Check all fluid
Bevels
and also the brkes, tires, cooling system
and transaxle. These par"cs can work had on
mountain
roads.
8 Know how to go down hills. "he most imp~rtmt
thing to how is this: le: your engine do some of the
slowing ~QWII. Shift to a lower gear whm YOU go
down a steep or long hill.
b
If you ddt shift down, your brakes coddl get so
hot that they wouldn't work wel. YQU would then
have poor braking or even none going down a
hill. You could crash. Shift down to Bet your
engine assist YOW brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
8
a,
Know how to go uphill. Drive in the highest
geX pOSSibke.
Stay in your own lane when driving an two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Don't swing wide GT cut
across the center of the road. Drive at speeds tha': let
you stay in your own lane.
As yo.^ go over the top of a -hill, be dert. There could be
somettzlng h you- lane, %e a stailed car or m accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that wanz of
specid problems. Examples ae H~ng grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a falling rocks area or winding
roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate zction.
ProCarManuals.com

If there seem to be no leak, with the engine on, check io
see if the electric engiap,e cooling fans are mnning. If the
engine is cverkeating, both fm.s shouici be marning. If
they aren't, your vehicle needs service.
ProCarManuals.com

CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water,
OF some other
liquid like alcohol,
can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will.
Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system
is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
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 mixture of clean water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
___~ __~ ~~ ___ __ __
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended cooisant and the proper
coolant mixture.
ProCarManuals.com

1. You can remove the radiator pressure cap when
the cooling system, including the radiator pressure
cap and upper radiator hose, is longer hot. Turn
the pressure cap S~OW~Y counterdockwise until it
fist stops. (Don't press down while turning the
pressure cap)
If you hez a hiss, wait for ahat to stop. A hiss means
there is still some presswe lek.
ProCarManuals.com

/.:.:..; ..... .......... .:.:.....: ...... T%%%Y. .............. ,I ............. w.... .... .......
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Start the engine and let it mn until you can feel the
upper radiator hose getting h~t. Watch QU~ fop the
engine cooling fans.
By this time, the coolant level inside the radiator
filler neck may
be lower. If the level is lower, add
more of he proper DEX-COOP coolant mixture
ahrough the filler neck until the level reaches the
base
of the filler neck.
ProCarManuals.com

Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of transaxle fluid to use. See “Recommended
Fluids
md Eubricmts” in the Index.
If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid
to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on
the dipstick.
I. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole
to bring it to the proper level.
It doesn’t
take much fluid, generally less than one
pint
(0.5 L). Don’t ove@Zl.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level ips
4. When the correct fluid level is obt.ained, push the
described
under “How to Check.”
dipstick back in
dl the way.
The cooling s stem in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 MI0 h) whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX-COOL“ extended life coolant,
The following explains
your coding system and
how to add coolant when it is low. If YOU have a
problem with engine overheating, see “Engine
Overheating”
in the Index.
A 50/50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL’
coolant will:
J
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265 OF 129 ” C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is importrant that you use
O~Y DEX-CQOE~ (sficate-free) COQI~~.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL is added to the
system, premature engine, heater
core or
radiator corrosion may result.
Hw addition, the
engine coolant
will require change SQB~~F -- at
30,000 des (50 000 b) or 24 months,
whichever occurs
first. Damage caused by the
use of coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is not
c~vemdl by
your new vehicle warranty.
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled)
and one-half DEX-COOL’ coolant which
won’t damage aluminum pats. If you use this mixture,
YOU don’t need to add anything else.
..
..
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Blain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol,
can boil before the proper
coolant mixture
will. Your vehicle’s CQO~~
warning system is set for the proper c~~lmt
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
your engine could get too
hot but you wouldn’t
get the overheat warning. Your engine could
catch fire and
yon or others could be burned.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean water and
DEX-CBOL@ codant.
6-24
ProCarManuals.com

21
22
23
24
2%
26
24
29
30
31
Welay--Tgn
Relay--Worn
ReTay--Cooling Fan #2
ReTay--Theft 1
Position
32
33
34
35
36
37
as
39
40
41
42
43
44
TQ Rear BEC-Seats
To HP BEC ‘“Run”
Starter Welays
High Speed Fan Rly
6-68
ProCarManuals.com