brake BUICK RIVIERA 1993 User Guide

To Reduce Speed While Using Cruise
Control Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
1. Push in the button at the
end of the lever until
you reach the lower Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the Cruise Control speed you set earlier.
speed you want, then
Using Cruise Control on Hills
release it. How well your Cruise Control will work
on hills
2. To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower. depends upon your speed, load, and
the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have
to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When
going downhill, you
may have to brake or shift to a
lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes
you out of Cruise Control.
Many drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use Cruise Control
on steep hills.

Brake System Warning Light
1 Your Buick’s hydraulic
I two parts. If one part isn’t
~ working, the other part can
~ still work and stop you. For ’ good braking, though, you
brake system is divided
into
1 well.
need both parts working
If the
warning light goes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle. If it
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem. This light will
also come
on when you set your parking
brake, and will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake
is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem. If the
light comes on while driving, 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. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
I A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have the vehicle
towed for service.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1
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If the light stays on or comes on when you’re driving,
stop as soon as possible and turn the key off. Then start
With anti-lock, this light the engine to reset the system.
If the light still stays on,
will go on when you start or comes on again while you’re driving, your Buick
your engine and may stay needs service. Unless the regular brake system’ warning
on for several seconds or light is also on, you will still have brakes, but not
so. anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning
light
is also on, see “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light may also come on when you are driving with
a compact spare tire. If
this happens, the light means you won’t have anti-lock
until you replace the compact spare, with a full-size tire.
If the warning light stays on after you replace the
compact spare with
a full-si.ze tire, or if it comes on
again when you’re driving, your Buick needs service.
That’s normal.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it fixed
~ so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Hazard Warning Flasher Service A/C
- This light
on your
instrument panel lets you
know when you have the
hazard warning flashers
on.
When the hazard flashers are on, your turn signals will
not work.
If you apply the brakes, the flashing will stop
until’you release the brake pedal. See “Hazard Warning
Flashers” in the Index for more information.
If this light stays on 60
seconds or more, your air
conditioning system needs service. It comes
on as a
bulb cheek, whenever you
turn the ignition to “Run”.

Your Own Signals
Drivers signal to others, too. It’s not only more polite,
it’s safer to let other drivers know what you are doing.
And in some places the law requires driver signals.
urn and lane change signals. Always signal when you
plan to turn or change lanes.
If necessary, you can use hand signals out the window:
Left arm straight out for a left turn, down for slow or
about-to-stop, and up for a right turn.
Slowing down. If time allows, tap the brake pedal once
or twice in advance of slowing or stopping. This warns
the driver behind you.
Disabled. Your four-way flashers signal that your
vehicle is disabled or is a hazard. See “Hazard Warning
Flasher” in the Index.
Traffic Officer
The traffic police officer is also a source of important
information. The officer’s signals govern, no matter
what the traffic lights or other signs say.
The next section discusses some of the road conditions
you may encounter.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with
a very important safety device in your
Buick: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash out from behind parked cars, often- followed by other children. Expect occupants in
parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for
movement in parked cars
-- someone may be about to
open a door.
Expect other drivers to run stop signs when
you are on a
through street. Be ready to brake if necessary as you go
through intersections. You may not have to use the
brake, but
if you do, you will be ready.
If you’re driving through a shopping center parking lot
where there are well-marked lanes, directional arrows,
and designated parking areas, expect some drivers to
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ignore all these markings and dash straight toward one
part of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them.
In general,
you must give way to pedestrians even
if you know you
have the right of way.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
:‘accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
.following distance. It’s the best defensive driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
Iknow when the vehicle in front of you
is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Here’s a final bit of information about defensive driving.
The most dangerous time for driving in the
U.S. is very
early on Sunday morning. In fact,
GM Research studies
show that the most and the least dangerous times for
driving, every week, fall on the same day. That day is
Sunday. The most dangerous time is Sunday from
3 a.m.
to
4 a.m. The safest time is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11
a.m. Driving the same distance on a Sunday at 3 a.m.
isn’t just
a little more dangerous than it is at 10 a.m. It’s
about
134 times more dangerous!
That leads to the next section.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every
year. Alcohol takes away three things that anyone needs
to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol
- a driver, a
passenger or someone else, such as a pedestrian, had
been drinking.
In most cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and driving. Over
25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each year because of
alcohol, and thousands of people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is too much if
a person plans to
drive? Ideally, no one should drink alcohol and then
drive. But
if one does, then what’s “too mucli”? It can be
a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some general
information on the problem.
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Control of a Vehicle Braking
You
have three systems that make your vehicle go where Braking act\
ion involves perception time and reaction
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and time.
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work First\
,
you have to decide to push on the brake pedal,
at the places where the tires meet the road.
That’s perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do
it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a
~ vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20
m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
~ And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition of
your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with care. Some,
however, overwork the braking system with poor
driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
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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.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your left foot rest
lightly on the brake pedal while driving.
I
A CAUTION:
“Riding” your brakes can cause them to
overheat to the point that they won’t work well.
You might not be able to stop your vehicle in
time to avoid an accident. If you “ride” your
brakes, they will get
so hot they will require a lot
of pedal force to slow you down. Avoid “riding”
the brakes.
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Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. The
computer separately works the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels. You
can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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I A CAUTION:
Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to
get your foot up
to the brake pedal. If you get
too close to the vehicle in front of you, you
won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though
you have anti-lock brakes.
. 5 ’,.
To Use Anti-Lock:
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. You may hear the
anti-lock pump or motor operate, and feel the brake
pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Your Buick has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly).
I ‘
A CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work well.
That could lead to an accident. When you hear
the brake wear warning sound, have your
:~
vehicle serviced. &tz
some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied.
This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
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