engine BUICK REGAL 1994 Owner's Guide

bags, rags, floor mats -- anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlights. Let the heater run for awhile.
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Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way
to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you
feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do
it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Towing a Trailer
I NOTICE: I
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered
by your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this section, and see your Buick
dealer for important information about towing a
trailer with your vehicle.
Your car can tow a trailer if it is equipped with 3.1L or
3.8L V6 engine and proper trailer towing equipment. To
identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is for your
vehicle, you should read the information
in “Weight of
the Trailer” that appears later in this section. But
trailering is different than just driving your vehicle by
itself. Trailering means changes in handling, durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and ‘that of
your passengers.
So please read this section carefullv
before
you pull a trailer.
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Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies, and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine
is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably
to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
0 There are many different laws, incuding speed limit
restrictions, having to do
with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
0 Consider using a sway control.
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway controls.
0 Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at
full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts
of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
0 Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers, or no more than
55 mph (90 km/h) to
save wear
on your vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 pounds (450 kg),
unless you have the
2,000 pound (900 kg) trailer towing
option package. But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And,
it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write
us at Buick Motor Division,
Customer Assistance Center,
902 E. Hamilton Avenue,
Flint, MI
48550.
In Canada, write to General Motors of Canada Limited,
Customer Assistance Center,
1908 Colonel Sam Drive,
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7.
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Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need
to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before
you can return to your lane.
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
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
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a
different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows
on your instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lights 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.
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 and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than
1,000
pounds (450 kg), you may prefer to drive in “D” instead
of Overdrive (or, as you need to, a lower gear).
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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:
0 Shift into a gear; and
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 “P” (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
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, belt, 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.
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
0 Start your engine;
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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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4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
Find the positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
Your Buick has
a remote positive (+)jump starting
terminal. The terminal is on the same side
of the
engine compartment as your battery. You should
always use the remote positive
(+) terminal instead
of the positive (+) terminal on your battery. To
uncover the remote positive (+) terminal, lift the red
plastic cap.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
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Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things
you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don't connect (+) to (-) or
you'll get a short that would damage the battery and
maybe other parts, too.
6. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive (+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
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7. Don’t let the other end
touch metal. Connect
it
to the positive (+)
terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
positive
(+) terminal if
the vehicle has one.
1
8. Now connect the black
negative
(-) cable to the
good battery’s negative
(-) terminal.
Don’t let the other end
touch anything until the next
step. The other end
of the negative cable doesn’t go to
the dead battery. It goes to a heavy unpainted metal part
on the engine
of the vehicle with the dead battery.
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9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away from
the dead battery, but not near engine parts that move.
The electrical connection is just
as good there? but the
chance
of sparks getting back to the battery is much less.
12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries, it probably needs
service.
GOOD BATTERY
DEAD BATTERY
Remove cables in this order.
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