check engine light BUICK REGAL 2011 User Guide

Black plate (15,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-15
When to Check and What
to Use
The brake/hydraulic clutch fluid
reservoir cap has this symbol on it.
The common hydraulic clutch and
brake master cylinder fluid reservoir
is filled with either DOT 3 or DOT 4
brake fluid as indicated on the
reservoir cap. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6 for reservoir location.
How to Check and Add Fluid
Visually check the brake/clutch fluid
reservoir to make sure the fluid level
is at the MIN (minimum) line on the
side of the reservoir. The brake/
hydraulic clutch fluid system should
be closed and sealed. Do not remove the cap to check the
fluid level or to top‐off the fluid level.
Remove the cap only when
necessary to add the proper fluid
until the level reaches the MIN line.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for the location of the
engine air cleaner/filter.
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
Inspect the air cleaner/filter at the
scheduled maintenance intervals
and replace it at the first oil change
after each 80 000 km (50,000 mile)
interval. See Scheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for more
information. If you are driving in
dusty/dirty conditions, inspect the
filter at each engine oil change.
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/filter,
remove the filter from the vehicle
and lightly shake the filter to release loose dust and dirt. If the filter
remains covered with dirt, a new
filter is required.
To inspect or replace the engine air
cleaner/filter:
2.0 L L4 Engine
1. Open the hood. See
Hood on
page 10‑5.
A. Electrical Connector
B. Air Duct Clamp
C. Screws (5)
2. Disconnect the outlet duct by loosening the air duct clamp (B).

Black plate (26,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
10-26 Vehicle Care
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder and, on
manual transmission vehicles, the
clutch hydraulic system use the
same reservoir. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6 for the location of the
reservoir. The reservoir is filled with
with either DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake
fluid as indicated on the
reservoir cap.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in the reservoir
might go down:
.The brake fluid level goes down
because of normal brake lining
wear. When new linings are
installed, the fluid level goes
back up.
.A fluid leak in the brake/clutch
hydraulic system can also cause
a low fluid level. Have the brake/
clutch hydraulic system fixed,
since a leak means that sooner
or later the brakes will not
work well.
Do not top off the brake/clutch fluid.
Adding fluid does not correct a leak.
If fluid is added when the linings are
worn, there will be too much fluid
when new brake linings are
installed. Add or remove fluid, as
necessary, only when work is done
on the brake/clutch hydraulic
system.
{WARNING
If too much brake fluid is added, it
can spill on the engine and burn,
if the engine is hot enough. You
or others could be burned, and
the vehicle could be damaged.
Add brake fluid only when work is
done on the brake/clutch
hydraulic system.
Checking Brake Fluid
The brake/clutch fluid can be
checked without taking off the cap
by looking at the brake/clutch fluid
reservoir.
The fluid level should be above
MIN. If it is not, have the brake/
clutch hydraulic system checked to
see if there is a leak.
After work is done on the brake/
clutch hydraulic system, make sure
the level is above MIN but not over
the MAX mark.
When the brake/clutch fluid falls to a
low level, the brake warning light
comes on. See Brake System
Warning Light on page 5‑16.
What to Add
If the vehicle has DOT 3 brake fluid,
as indicated on the reservoir cap,
use only new DOT 3 brake fluid
from a sealed container. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑6.

Black plate (71,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-71
2.0L Engine Shown, 2.4L Similar
The jump start positive (B) is
located under a trim cover in the
engine compartment on the driver
side of the vehicle.2.0L Engine Shown, 2.4L Similar
These locations are used instead of
a direct connection to the battery.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged. 2. Position the two vehicles so that
they are not touching.
3. To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in Neutral
before setting the parking brake.
Notice: If the radio or other
accessories are left on during the
jump starting procedure, they
could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by the
warranty. Always turn off the
radio and other accessories when
jump starting the vehicle.
4. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF and switch off all lights and
accessories in both vehicles,
except the hazard warning
flashers if needed.

Black plate (1,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-15
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-29
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-12
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-29
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80 Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Audio System Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-25
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-30
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-20, 7-21, 7-23
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-16

Black plate (2,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32, 6-4
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-34
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-13
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-29 Child Restraints
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57, 3-59
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . 13-9
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Black plate (4,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
EngineAir Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-27
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-24
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-14
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6 Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 10-32, 6-4
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-45
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-45
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-20
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-45
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Fuses
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40

Black plate (5,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
G
GasolineSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-50
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-34 Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Interactive
Drive Control System . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Interactive Drive Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Black plate (10,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
i-10 INDEX
SeatsAdjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-5
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-5
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57, 3-59
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 11-9
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1 Service (cont.)
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13-11
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-7
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36 Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Storage Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage Areas Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Interactive Drive Control . . . . . . 9-38