warning BUICK REGAL 1997 User Guide

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come
on when you start
your engine and it will
stay on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be 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 go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.)
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead
to an accident. After you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
I
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.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly 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 warn
you if there is a problem.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
LOW TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brake system
active light
will come on.
J
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for
a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
The anti-lock brake system active light also comes on
briefly when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
there to tell you when the system is active.
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
TRAC
OFF
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the ETS
button, 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 “Enhanced
Traction System’’
in the Index for more information.)
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0 If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for an extended period of
time when the system is turned on your vehicle
needs service. Adjust your driving accordingly.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on. When this warning
light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin.
Adjust your driving accordingly.
Enhanced Traction System Active Light
(If Equipped)
LOW TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is
limiting wheel spin. You
may feel
or hear the system
working, but this is normal.
Slippery road conditions
may exist if this light
comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
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Traction Control System Warning Light
(If Equipped: 3800 Supercharged
Engine Only)
TRAC
OFF
The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the traction
control button, 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 and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Light
h -
TEMP
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
The light will come
on
briefly when your ignition
is turned on to show you
that it is working.
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.
In “Problems
on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
.. 1. TEMP
You have a gage that
shows the engine coolant
temperature. If the gage
pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too hot!
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
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.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
I OW 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.
The
light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned
on to show you that it is
working properly.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine Soon Eight)
SERVICE ENGINE
SOON
Your Buick is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation
of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD
I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and
is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. (In Canada,
OBD I1 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The
SERVICE ENGINE
SOON light comes on and a chime will sound to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician
in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
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If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently
put fuel into your vehicle?
If
so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel
cap has been left
off or improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed should turn
the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out.
A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to
turn on. If you
experience one or more of these conditions,
change the
fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Warning Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine,
or come on when
you are driving.
This indicates that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it lubricated. The engine could
be low on oil or could have some other oil problem.
Have it fixed right away.
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Service Vehicle Soon Light
SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON
This light will come on
if you have certain
non-emission related
vehicle problems.
These problems may not be obvious and may affect
vehicle performance or durability. Consult a qualified
Buick dealership for necessary repairs to maintain top vehicle performance. The light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned on to show that it is
working properly.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
LOW WASH
This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working and the
fluid container is low. The
light will also come on
briefly when your ignition
is turned on to show that it
is working properly.
Door/Trunk Ajar Warning Light
DOOR/TRUNK
This light will come on if
your trunk or any door is
not completely closed.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops, Your brakes will wear
out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate
a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer
to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
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When the system is on, this
warning light will come on
to let you know if there’s a
problem with your traction
TRAC
OFF
0
To turn the system off,
press the TRACTION
button
on the black panel
located directly behind
your automatic transaxle
shift lever.
See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system off
if you ever need to. (You
should turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow.
See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.) The
traction control system warning light will come on
and stay
on. If the system is limiting wheel spin when you
press the button, the warning light will come on -- but the
system won’t
turn off right away. It will wait until there’s
no longer a current need to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any
time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should go off.
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