ignition BUICK REGAL 1997 Owner's Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: BUICK, Model Year: 1997, Model line: REGAL, Model: BUICK REGAL 1997Pages: 422, PDF Size: 21.34 MB
Page 143 of 422

Tire  Pressure  Monitor  Light 
LOW 
TI RE 
The tire  pressure  monitor 
system  can  alert you to 
a 
large  change  in the  pressure 
in 
one tire.  The  system 
won’t  alert you before  you 
drive  that a  tire  is low  or 
flat.  Each  time  you start 
your  Buick,  you must  drive 
10 to 
20 miles  (15  to 30 km) 
before  the system will 
work properly. 
After  you’ve  driven 
10 to 20 miles (15 to 30 km), the 
LOW TIRE  light  will come  on if the  pressure in one  tire 
becomes  at least  10 psi 
(69 kPa)  higher  or lower  than the 
other  three  tires. The tire pressure  monitor  system 
detects  differences  in tire rotation  speeds that are  caused 
by  changes  in tire  pressure.  It will not alert  you 
if the 
pressure  in more  than  one  tire  is low  or high  or 
if the 
system  is  not calibrated  properly. 
The system can alert 
you  about  a  low tire 
-- but it doesn’t  measure  tire 
pressure,  and  it doesn’t  replace normal tire  maintenance. 
See  “Tires’’ 
in the Index. 
When  the LOW  TIRE  light  comes 
on, you should  stop 
as  soon  as  you can and check  all your  tires for  damage.  (If 
a tire 
is flat,  see  “If a Tire Goes  Flat” in the Index.) 
Also,  check  the tire pressure  in all  four  tires as soon 
as 
you can.  (See  “Inflation - Tire  Pressure”  in the Index.) 
The 
LOW TIRE light  will 
stay on until  you  turn  off 
the ignition  or press  the  red 
RESET  button,  which  is 
located  inside your 
instrument  panel fuse block. 
(It’s the first button  in 
the 
top row  of  the fuse  block.) 
Don’t press the  RESET button  without first  checking 
and  adjusting  the pressure  in all  four  tires. 
If you press 
the  button  when the  tire pressure  is  incorrect, 
the check 
tire  pressure  system will not work properly 
and may 
not alert  you when  a tire is  low. 
Any  time 
you adjust  the  tire pressure, you’ll  need  to 
calibrate  the check  tire pressure  system. 
You’ll also  neea 
to  calibrate  the system whenever  you  buy  new tires, 
have  tires repaired  or rotate your  tires. 
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Page 144 of 422

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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Page 145 of 422

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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NOTICE: 
If  you  keep  driving  your  vehicle  with  this  light 
on,  after  a  while,  your  emission  controls  may  not 
work  as well,  your  fuel  economy  may  not  be  as 
good  and  your  engine  may  not  run  as  smoothly. 
This  could  lead 
to costly  repairs  that  may  not  be 
covered  by  your  warranty. 
This light should  come  on, as a  check to show  you it is 
working, when the ignition  is  on and the  engine is not 
running. 
If the light doesn’t  come on, have  it repaired. 
This  light will also  come on during  a malfunction in  one 
of  two ways: 
0 
0 
Light  Flashing -- A  misfire  condition has been 
detected. 
A misfire  increases  vehicle emissions  and 
may damage the emission  control  system on your 
vehicle.  Dealer or qualified  service center diagnosis 
and service is required. 
Light  On  Steady -- An  emission  control system 
malfunction has  been detected  on your vehicle. 
Dealer or qualified  service  center  diagnosis  and 
service  may be required. 
If  the  Light Is Flashing 
The following  may prevent more  serious  damage  to 
your vehicle: 
Reducing vehicle  speed. 
0 Avoiding hard accelerations. 
0 Avoiding steep uphill  grades. 
0 If  you are towing  a trailer,  reduce  the amount of 
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible. 
If  the  light stops flashing and  remains  on steady, see “If 
the Light Is  On Steady”  following. 
If  the light continues to  flash, when 
it is safe  to do so, 
stop the vehicle. Find a safe  place  to park your vehicle. 
Turn the  key off, wait  at least  10  seconds and restart the 
engine.  If the light remains  on steady,  see “If the  Light 
Is On  Steady”  following.  If the light is still  flashing, 
follow  the  previous  steps, and  drive the vehicle to your 
dealer  or qualified  service  center for service. 
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Page 148 of 422

The oil light could also come  on  in the  following  situations: 
The light  will  come  on  briefly  when  you turn on  the 
ignition  to  show  you  that  it is  working  properly. 
(If it 
doesn’t  come  on with  the ignition  on, you  may  have 
a 
problem  with  the fuse or  bulb.  Have  it fixed  right  away.) 
0 Sometimes  when  the  engine  is idling  at a stop,  the 
light  may blink  on  and 
off. This  is normal. 
Don’t  keep  driving  if  the oil pressure  is  low. If 
you  do,  your  engine  can  become so hot  that  it 
catches  fire.  You 
or others  could  be  burned. 
Check  your  oil  as  soon  as  possible  and  have 
your  vehicle  serviced. 
NOTICE: 
Damage  to  your  engine  from  neglected  oil  problems  can  be  costly  and  is not  covered  by 
your  warranty. 
Low Oil Level Light 
LOW 
OIL 
Your engine  is equipped  with 
an oil  level  monitoring 
system.  When 
the ignition 
key  is turned  on,  the 
LOW 
OIL light will  come  on 
briefly. 
If the  light  does  not 
come  on briefly,  have  it fixed 
so it  will  be ready  to  warn 
you  if  there’s  a problem. 
If the  light  stays on, stop  the  vehicle on a level  surface 
and  turn  the  engine 
off. 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. 
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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Page 149 of 422

Change Oil Soon  Light 
CHANGE OIL 
SOON 
Your CHANGE OIL SOON 
light should  come  on as a 
bulb  check  when you start 
the  engine.  If this  light  stays 
on for about 20 seconds 
afte.r  you  turn 
on the 
ignition,  have  the oil 
changed. 
When  to  change  your  oil  also  depends 
on driving  habits 
and  conditions  because  they directly  affect engine  speed, 
coolant  temperature  and vehicle  speed.  Because 
of this, 
the CHANGE  OIL  SOON  light  may come  on as early  as 
2,000 miles (3,200 km) or  less  for harsh  conditions.  Remember, 
after  changing  your  engine 
oil, the system 
must  be reset;  with the ignition key  in  the 
RUN position, 
but  the  engine  off, 
fully push and release  the  accelerator 
pedal  three  times  within five  seconds. 
If the  CHANGE 
OIL SOON light flashes  two  times,  the system  is  reset. 
However  if the  light  comes  on  and stays  on for  five 
seconds,  it did  not reset.  You’ll  need to reset the  system 
again.  (If  you  have  a  driver  information  center, the 
system  may be reset 
by depressing  the DIC RESET 
button for  five  seconds  while viewing the oil  life display 
on  the  DIC.  See “Driver  Information  Center”  later  in 
this  section.) 
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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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Fuel  Gage Low Fuel Light 
1 12 
Your fuel  gage  tells you 
about  how much  fuel you 
have  left when  the ignition 
is on. When  the  indicator 
nears 
EMPTY (E), you  still 
have  a little  fuel 
left, but 
you should get more soon. 
Here  are  some  things owners  ask  about.  All these 
situations  are normal and  do not  show  a problem  with 
your  fuel  gage: 
At  the  service  station, the  pump  shuts  off before the 
gage  reads 
FULL (F). 
It  takes a little  more  or less fuel to fill  up  than  the  gage 
indicated.  For  example,  the  gage may have  indicated 
the  tank  was  half  full,  but  it actually  took  a little  more 
or less  than  half  the tank’s capacity  to  fill it. 
0 The  gage moves a little when  you turn a corner  or 
speed  up.  If 
your  fuel  is  low, a circular 
light 
on your  instrument 
panel  cluster  will come 
on 
and stay on and a chime  will 
sound  periodically until  you 
add  fuel.  It  will also  come 
on  for  a few  seconds when 
you  first  turn 
on the ignition 
as a  check  to show  you it’s 
working.  If it doesn’t  come 
on  then,  have  it  fixed. 
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Page 153 of 422

Driver  Information  Center  (Option) 
- PSI kPa 
INST- - -MPG % 
AvGmm B 4 
OIL umh! L/lOO km 
LIFERANGE 
SC BOOST 
3.8L  L67  Supercharged  Engine 
AvGmm n 
INST- - -MPG% 
OIL u.h!L/iOO krn 
LIFERANGE 
3.8L  L36  Engine 
Your  Driver  Information  Center, (DIC) located below 
the  tachometer 
on the  instrument  panel cluster,  gives 
you  important  safety and  maintenance  facts.  When  you 
turn the ignition on, the entire  center  lights  up for  a  few 
seconds.  Then  it  goes 
to work. 
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Page 168 of 422

Do not attach anything  like a temporary vehicle  license 
or decal across the  defogger grid. 
[NOTICE: 
Don’t  use a razor  blade  or  anything  else  sharp  on 
the  inside 
of the  rear  window. If you do, you 
could  cut  or  damage  the  warming  grid,  and  the 
repairs  wouldn’t  be  covered 
by your  warranty. 
Audio Systems 
Your  Delco@  audio system has been designed to operate 
~ easily and  give years of listening pleasure.  You will get 
~ the most  enjoyment  out of it if you  acquaint yourself 
with  it  first.  Find out what  your Delco  system  can  do 
and how to  operate all its controls, 
to be sure  you’re 
getting the most out 
of the advanced engineering that 
went  into it. 
Setting  the Clock 
Press and hold HRS until  the  correct hour appears.  Press 
and hold 
MIN until the correct  minute  appears. 
You may  set  the clock  with the ignition off if  you  press 
RECALL first and follow the same procedure 
described  above. 
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