warning BUICK REGAL 1994 User Guide

* LOW
FUEL
L
When your fuel gage reads in the red band, this light will
go on. You should get
more fuel
as soon as you
can.
Brake System Warning Light
BRAKE
Your Buick’s hydraulic
brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t
working, the other
part can
still work and stop you..For
good braking, though, you
need both parts working
well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be
a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle.
If it
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes
on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor.
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It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Car” in the
Index.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when
you
set your parking brake, and it will stay on if your
parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after
your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI-LOCK
With anti-lock, this light will come on when you start
your engine and
it will stay on for three seconds. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t come on, have
it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with your regular
brakes. Pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may
notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may
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go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. Have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Car”
in the Index.) Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine
is too
hot!
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or,
if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Buick needs service. If the
light is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on,
you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes. It means
that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions,
you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
The chapter “Problems on the Road,” this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the
Index.
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LOW Coolant Warning Light Engine Oil Pressure Gage
LOW
COOLANT
If this light comes on, your
system
is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat.
See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
1
You can read your engine
oil pressure directly from
the gage
on your instrument
panel.
If the gage reads in the red band and stays there, it
means oil isn’t going through your engine properly.
You
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could be low on oil, or you might have some other oil
problem. Have your vehicle serviced as soon
as you can.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Warning Light
LOW
OIL
Your vehicle is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key is turned on, the light
will flash briefly.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface and
turn
off the engine. Check the oil level using the engine oil
dipstick. See “Engine Oil” in the Index. If the light does
not flash, have the low oil level sensor system repaired so
it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
Note: The oil level monitoring system only checks oil
level during the brief period between key
on and engine
crank. It does not monitor engine oil level when the
engine
is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed
if the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time allowing the oil normally
in
circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
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Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Buick has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent skidding.
ANTI-LOCK
This light on the
instrument panel will
go on when you start
your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when you begin to drive
away, you may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And
you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves a little while this is going on. This is the
ABS
system testing itself. If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system
warning light
will stay on or flash.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index. Here’s how
anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out
in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens
with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels
is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels.
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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 skids 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 and an acceleration skid are 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 braking system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
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Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving: Freeway Driving
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough
to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the red
light.
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes, or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving
is: Keep
up
with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most
of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane
on a freeway as a passing lane.
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I
............... .. I ...... .... .?". .<. ... I
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel,
a flashlight, a red cloth, and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction.
Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
What's the worst time for this? "Wet ice." Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive
on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because
it may offer the
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Part 5 Problems on the Road
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road .
Part 5 includes:
Hazard Warning Flashers ............................................................
OtherWarningDevices .............................................................
“Jump”Starting ...................................................................
TowingYourBuick ................................................................
Engineoverheating ................................................................
IfaTireGoesFlat .................................................................
ChangingaFlatTire ................................................................
CompactSpareTire ................................................................
If You’re Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ..............................................
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