BUICK REGAL 1996 Owners Manual

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or
Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
L
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible. Don’t
,
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of you%
vehicle as well
as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle to
Get it Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between REVERSE
(R) and a forward gear,
spinning the wheels as
little as possible. Release the
accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on
the accelerator pedal when the transaxle
is in gear. If
that doesn’t get you out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out, see
“Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.
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NOTES
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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your
Buick. This section begins with service and
fuel
information, and then it shows how to check important
fluid and lubricant levels. There
is also technical
information about your vehicle, and
a part devoted to its
appearance care.
Service
Your Buick dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with
it. We hope you’ll go to your
dealer for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM
parts and GM-trained and supported service people. We
hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle
all GM.
Genuine
GM parts have one of these marks:
Delco
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Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to get the proper Buick Service Manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your Buick than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Buick” in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Index.
I
A CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
0 Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement
parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
0 Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
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Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher.
At a minimum, it should meet specifications ASTM
D4814
in the United States and CGSB 3.5-M93 in Canada.
Improved gasoline specifications have been developed by
the American Automobile Manufacturers Association
(AAMA) for better vehicle performance and engine
protection. Gasolines meeting the
AAMA specification
could provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure
the posted octane is at least 87. If the octane is
less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough,
it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at
87 octane or higher and you
still hear heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
But don’t worry
if you hear a little pinging noise when
you’re accelerating or driving up a hill. That’s normal,
and you don’t
have to buy a higher octane fuel to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock that means
you have a problem. If
your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated
on the underhood tune-up label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet California specifications. If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle will
operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal specifications, but emission control system pexformance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on your
instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle may
fail
a smog-check test. If this occurs, return to your authorized
Buick dealer for diagnosis to determine the cause of
failure. In the event
it is determined that the cause of the
condition is
the type of fuels used, repairs may not be
covered by your warranty.
In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane enhancing
additive called MMT. If you use such fuels, your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on.
If this happens, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for service.
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To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that will help prevent deposits from
forming
in your engine and fuel system, allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add anything to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers
and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be
available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that you use these gasolines if they
comply with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.
Fuels id Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write us at the following address for
advice. Just tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation,
North American Export Sales (NAES)
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
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Filling Your Tank The cap is behind a hinged door on the left side of your
vehicle.
/?i CAUTION:
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames, and smoking materials away from gasoline.
While refueling, hang the
cap inside the fuel
door.
To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
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CAUTION:
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out on you if
you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly full, and
is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait
for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline
from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
Outside
of Your Buick” in the Index.
When you put the cap back on, turn
it to the right until
you hear at least three clicks. Make sure you
fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel
cap
has been left off or improperly installed. This would
allow fuel
to evaporate into the atmosphere. See
“Malfunction Indicator Lamp”
in the Index.
NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type, it may not fit
or have proper
venting, and your fuel tank and emissions system
might be damaged.
Checking Things Under the Hood
A CAUl iON:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine
is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
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Hood Release
.. . /! CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic
or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto
a hot engine.
To open the hood, first
pull
the handle inside
the vehicle.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and release the
secondary hood release. Lift the hood.
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When you open the hood on the 3.1L L82 engine, you'll see:
D
A. Engine Coolant E. Engine Oil Dipstick I. Windshield Washer
Recovery Tank F. Automatic Transaxle Dipstick
Fluid Reservoir
B. Radiator Fill
Cap G. Brake Fluid Reservoir J. Battery (located under
C. Power Steering Reservoir
H. Air Filter Windshield Washer
D. Engine Oil Fill
Cap Fluid Reservoir)
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