light BUICK RIVIERA 1993 Owner's Manual

-Headlights Reminder Light (Canada Only)
If your vehicle was first sold, when new, in Canada, this
light will go on at night to remind you to turn on the
headlights.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that
“Daytime Running Lights” (DRL) are a useful feature,
in that DRL can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours.
DRL are required on new vehicles sold in Canada. Your
DRL work with a light sensor on
top of the
instrument panel. Don’t cover it up.
The low beam headlights will come
on at reduced
brightness in daylight when:
The ignition is on.
The headlight switch is off, and
The transaxle is not in “P” (Park).
At dusk, if the Twilight Sentinel feature is turned
on, the
exterior lights will come on automatically and the low
beams will change to
full brightness. At dawn, the
exterior lights will
go out and the low beams will
change to the reduced brightness of DRL (if the
headlight switch is
off). If the Twilight Sentinel is off, at
dusk a “HEADLIGHTS SUGGESTED” message will
appear on the instrument panel to remind you to turn. on
the headlights.
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into
T“ (Park). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of “P”.(Park).
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Automatic (Option) Settings
Your Buick may have the automatic inside mirror.
The automatic mirror adjusts for the glare of headlights
behind you.
It detects changes in light, and then adjusts
for day or night operatiol-~
During the day the mirror reflects all the light from
behind your car. At night, when the glare is too high, it
changes to the night mode. Then,
it reflects only part of
the light from behind you. When the mirror changes to
the night mode, it holds that position until glare is no
longer present.
MIN: The minimum setting is suggested when driving
where glare conditions change
often. '"in" works well
for city driving at night.
MAX: Maximum sensitivity is a good setting for
highway driving in light traffic. The mirror
starts to
darken in any glare, such as headlights a long way
behind your car.
OFF: The mirror will stay in the day mode.
Time Delay
The mirror delays before switching from the night back
to the day position.
This delay prevents rapid changing
of the mirror as you drive under lights and through
traffic.
Reverse Gear Day Mode
The reverse mode is another important feature of the
automatic mirror. When the shift lever is placed in
"R"
(Reverse), the mirror shifts to the day mode. This gives
you a bright image in the mirror as you back up.
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Cigarette Lighter Console and Cupholder
It’s near the ashtray. To use the cigarette lighter, push it
all the way in and let it go. When it’s ready, it will pop
back by itself.
Electronic Level Control
This feature keeps the rear of your car level as the load
changes. It is automatic
- you don’t need to adjust
anything. You may hear the electronic compressor
operate even when the load hasn’t changed. This is
normal.
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The center console has space for cassette storage, a
coinholder and a cupholder. The cupholder is on the
front of the storage console. Press on the exposed edge
of the cupholder, and it will slide out for use. Press the
front edge again, to slide it back to it’s storage position.
Rear License Plate Holder
To use it, open the trunk lid and slide your license plate
into the slot. Always close the trunk to prevent theft of
the plate.
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Trip Odometer
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Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
A trip odometer can tell you
how many miles you have Warning lights and gages can signal t\
hat something is
driven since you last set it wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
back to zero.
TO reset, push expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
the button. your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be or
is a problem
with one
of your vehicle's functions. As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some warning lights come on briefly when you turn the ignition key just to
let you know they're working.
If you are familiar with
this section, you should not be alarmed when this
happens.
This section describes the warning lights and gages that
are on your vehicle. The pictures will help
you locate
them. Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one
of your vehicle's functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there's a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells
you
what to do about it. Please follow the manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They're a big help.
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Fuel Gage
I
Your fuel gage is a bar graph. When you fill the tank,
the bar segments will light up. The fuel gage shows
about how much fuel is in your
tank. It works only when
the ignition is on. When the fuel gage shows only two
bar segments the
“LOW’ light will come on. If the fuel
~ supply is in the one bar segment, the yellow warning bar
’ will flash to remind you to get more fuel soon.
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads
“F’.
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
said. For example, the gage said
1/2 full, but it took
more
- or less - than half of the tank’s, capacity to fill
it.
Engine Oil Pressure Gage and Light
When “LOW, comes on
there could be a problem
with your engine oil
pressure.
~ Here are concerns some owners have had about the fuel You
can also read your oil pressure directly from the
~ gage. All these situations are normal and indicate gage on you\
r instrument panel.
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nothing wrong with the fuel gage.
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When the “LOW OIL LEVEL” light comes on you
should check your engine oil level and
fill if necessary.
See Engine Oil in the Index.
There are three ways the
LOW light can come on
briefly. Those
three are normal and don’t show a
problem. These three ways are:
1.
2.
3.
could be low on oil, or you might have some other
oil problem.
CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
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Volts Gage and Light
c 1
Tachometer
When you turn the key to “Run,” the “LOW’ light will The tachometer tells you how fast the engine is go\
ing. It
come on briefly, to show that your alternator and battery disp\
lays engine speed
in revolutions per minute (RPM).
charging systems are working. If a light stays on, you As engine speed increases, the bars light up on the
need service, and you should take your Buick to the tachometer\
display. Each bar represents
100 RPM. Do
dealer at once. To save your battery until you get there, not operate your car’\
s engine in the red line range. If
turn
off all accessories, and set your air system to you do, you can cause severe engine damage.
“OFF.”
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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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111
i

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1
I’
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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.
112

Engine Coolant Temperature Warning
Light and Gage Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service
Engine Soon Light)
the engine off as soon as
possible.
HOT COOLANT CAN
BURN YOU BADLY!
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index. A computer monitors operation
of your fuel, ignition
and emission control systems. This light should come on when the ignition
is on, but the engine is not running, as
a check to show you it
is working. If it does not come on
at all, have it fixed right away. If it stays
on, or it comes
on while you are driving, the computer is indicating that
you have a problem. You should take your vehicle in for
service soon.
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