warning BUICK REGAL 1998 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.)
1 CAUI
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.
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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 vehicle 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.
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.
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.
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Traction Control System Warning Light
(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 located on the black panel directly
behind your automatic transaxle shift lever, 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.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays
on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
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Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
TRAC
OFF
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
0 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
“Enhanced Traction System” in the Index for
more information.)
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.
Traction Control System Active Light
LOW TRAC
When your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin, this light will come on.
Slippery road conditions
may exist if the traction
control system active light
comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the traction
control system stops limiting wheel spin.
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.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Light
This light tells you that your
engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
- cooling fan is not working.
TEMP
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.
The “Problems on the Road” section of this manual
shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
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.
The “Problems on the Road” section of this manual
shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
LOW 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.
Low Tire Light (If Equipped)
LOW
TIRE
The tire pressure monitor
system can alert you to
a
large change in the pressure
in one tire. After the system has “learned”
tire pressures with
properly inflated tires, the
LOW TIRE light will come
on if the pressure in one tire becomes
12 psi (83 kPa)
lower than the other three tires. The tire pressure
monitor system won’t alert you if the pressure in more
than one tire
is low, if the system is not yet calibrated, or
if the vehicle is moving faster than
70 mph (1 10 kdh).
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 light will stay on until you turn off the ignition or
reset the system. See “Tire Pressure Monitor System” in
the Index.
The
LOW TIRE 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 if the
pressure in a tire is low or high.
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Have you recently cnanged 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.
Qil 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.
The oil light could also come on
in the following
situations:
0
0 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.)
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
light may blink on and off. This
is normal.
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Cruise Light
CRUISE
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you set your
cruise control. See “Cruise
Control” in the Index.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON
Performance Shift Light (If Equipped)
PERF
SHIFT
The PERF SHIFT light
comes on when you press
the performance shift button
to indicate that your vehicle
1 is in performance shifting
mode. See “Performance
Shifting” in the Index. 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
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.
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Door/Trunk Ajar Warning Light
This light will come on if
your trunk or any door is
DOOR/TRUNK
not completely closed.
Fuel Gage
1 /2
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:
0 At the service station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
0 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.
Low Fuel Light
If your fuel is low, a circular
light
on your instrument
anel cluster will come on
Rl and stay on and a chime will JJ! UNLEADED sound periodically until you
0
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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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 or pulses 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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