battery BUICK REGAL 1998 User Guide

Twilight Sentinel
Twilight Sentinel provides a period of exterior
illumination
as you leave the vicinity of your vehicle.
The feature is activated when your vehicle’s headlamps
are on due to the automatic headlamp control feature
described previously
in this section, and when your
vehicle’s ignition is turned off. Your headlamps will
then remain on until the headlamp switch
is moved from
OFF to the parking lamp position or until a 90 second
illumination period has elapsed.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamp switch in
the parking lamp or headlamp position, the Twilight
Sentinel cycle will not occur.
You can customize the vehicle to activate the Twilight
Sentinel when your vehicle’s ignition is turned off under
the conditions described above, or you may choose
not
to activate this feature under any conditions. The
enabled/disabled
state of this feature will be toggled
when
you perform the following sequence with the
doors closed and the ignition key
in RUN:
1.
2.
3.
Press and hold the power door lock switch. While
holding the door lock switch, cycle the headlamp
switch
on and then off two times.
Release
the power door lock switch. These
operations must be carried out
in a time period of
less than 10 seconds, followed by a delay period of
no more than 10 seconds.
Then, press and hold
the power door unlock switch.
While holding the door unlock switch, cycle the
headlamp switch
on and then off two times. Release
the courtesy door unlock switch. These operations
must be carried out
in a time period of less than
IO seconds.
After releasing the door unlock switch, a single chime
will be heard if the Twilight Sentinel function has been
disabled; two chimes will be heard if the feature
has
been enabled. Disconnecting the vehicle’s battery for up
to a year will not change the programmed operation of
this feature.
2-43
ProCarManuals.com

Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps
(If Equipped)
Use the switch next to each ].amp to turn them on
and off.
Dome Lamp
The dome lamp will come on when you open the doors.
Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor vanity
lamps, trunk lamp, underhood lamp or glove box lamps
on.
If you leave any of these lamps on, they will
automatically turn
off after 20 minutes, if the ignition is
in
OFF. The lamps won’t come back on again until you:
Turn the ignition on,
0 Turn the lamp switch off, then on; or
Open a door.
Note that if your vehicle has less than
15 miles (25 km)
on the odometer,
the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Retained Accessory Power
With retained accessory power, your power windows,
audio system and sunroof will continue to work up to
10
minutes after the ignition key is turned to OFF and none
of the doors are opened.
2-46
ProCarManuals.com

Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air bag symbol. The system
checks the air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. The
system check includes the air bag modules, the wiring
and the crash sensing and diagnostic module. For more
information on the air bag system, see “Air Bag” in
the Index.
This light will come
on
when you start your engine,
and it will flash for
a few
seconds. Then
the light
should
go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when
you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds 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.
Charging System Light
4
+I
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn on the ignition, as
a check to show you it’s
working. Then it should
go out.
If it stays
on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose drive belt or another
electrical problem. Have it checked right away. Driving
while
this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn
off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
2-60
ProCarManuals.com

44 (3): Press and hold this button to quickly reverse
within a track. You will hear sound.
.. (4): Press and hold this button to quickly advance
within a track. You will hear sound.
RAND (6): Press this button to hear the tracks in
random, rather than sequential, order. Press
RAND
again to turn off random play.
RECALL: Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within five seconds to see how
long it has been playing.
To change what is normally
shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press the
RECALL button until you see the display you want,
then hold the
RECALL button until the display flashes.
AM-FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is in the player.
SOURCE: Press this button to change to the disc
function when the radio is on. When a disc
is inserted,
the disc will play until you press AM-FM. Then the
disc will stop playing and the radio will play. Press
SOURCE again to play a disc again. CD PLAY will
show on the display.
EJECT Press this button to remove the disc. The radio
will play. If you
turn off the ignition or radio with a disc in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn
on the
ignition or system, the disc will start playing where it
stopped, if it was the last-selected audio source.
Also, as a protection feature, if a CD is ejected and left
in the player, it will be pulled back in the player with the
ignition on
or off.
Theft-Deterrent Feature (If Equipped)
THEFTLOCK@ is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code
to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed.
If THEFTLOCK is active, the THEFTLOCK indicator
will flash when the ignition is off.
The THEFTLOCK feature for the radio may be used or
ignored. If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by the feature. If THEFTLOCK is
activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with
the secret code
before it will operate.
3-25
ProCarManuals.com

Unlocking the Theft-Deterrent Feature After a
Power
Loss
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
LOC appears when the ignition is on.
Press MIN and
000 will appear on the display.
Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press
HRS to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press AM-FM after
you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show SEC, indicating the radio
is
now operable and secure.
If you enter the wrong code eight times, INOP will
appear on the display.
You will have to wait an hour
with the ignition on before
you can try again. When
you try again, you will
only have three more chances
(eight tries per chance) to enter the colrect code before
INOP appears.
If you lose or forget your code, contact your dealer.
Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
Turn the radio off.
Press the 1 and
4 buttons together. Hold them down
until SEC shows on the display.
Press MIN and
000 will appear on the display.
Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
Press
HRS to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
---, indicating that the radio is
no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect,
SEC will appear on the
display. The radio will remain secured
until the correct
code is entered.
When battery power is removed and later applied to a
secured radio, the radio won’t turn on and
LOC will
appear on the display.
3-27
ProCarManuals.com

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 headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
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.
Loading Your Vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly calry. The Tire-Loading Information label
is inside the trunk lid. The label tells you the proper size,
speed rating and recommended inflation pressures for
the tires
on your vehicle. It also gives you important
information about the number of people that can be in
your vehicle and the total weight you can carry. This
weight is called the vehicle capacity weight and includes
the weight of all occupants, cargo and all
nonfactory-installed options.
4-31
ProCarManuals.com

Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. But please follow the steps below to do
it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
0 They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
burn
you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
5-3
ProCarManuals.com

2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause
a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump
start procedure. Put your automatic
transaxle in
PARK (P) before setting the
parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter
or accessory power outlet. Turn off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t
be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. (Your
vehicle’s battery is located toward the front
of the
passenger’s side
of the vehicle’s engine, underneath
a diagonal brace.)
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood
electric fan.
5-4
ProCarManuals.com

5. Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery. Your vehicle has a remote positive (+)
jump starting terminal. The terminal is on the same
side
of the engine compartment as your battery. To
uncover the remote positive (+) terminal, squeeze the
sides
of the red plastic cap and pull the cap upward.
You should always use the remote positive
(+)
terminal instead of the positive (+) terminal on
your battery. Using
a match near
a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don’t
need to add water to the ACDelco Freedom@
battery installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if
a battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to take care
of that first.
If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes
or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5-5
ProCarManuals.com

6. 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.
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 positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts too.
A CAUTION:
I
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
I
7. 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.
5-6
ProCarManuals.com