warning BUICK RIVIERA 1993 Owners Manual

How to Use This Manual You will also find a red circle with a slash through it in
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. This
will help you learn about the features and controls for
your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find that pictures
and words work together to explain things quickly.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use yellow and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning. this book.
I This safety symbol means
“Don’t,’’ “Don’t do
this,”
or “Don’t let this happen.”
In the yellow caution area, we tell you what the hazard
is. Then we tell
you what to do to help avoid or reduce
the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you
or others could be
hurt.
10

HowtoUsethisManual ................................................................
This part tells you how to use your manual and includes safety and vehicle damage warnings & symbols.
SeatsandSafetyBelts ..................................................................
This part tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.
Featuresandcontrols ..................................................................
This part explains how to start and operate your Buick.
This part tells you how to adjust the ventilation
& comfort controls and how to operate your sound system.
YourDrivingandtheRoad ..............................................................
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
ProblemsontheRoad ..................................................................
This part tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or engine overheating.
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good.
Maintenanceschedule ..................................................................
This part tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubrica\
nts to use.
Customer Assistance Information ........................................................
This part tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also gives
you information on “Reporting Safety Defects.”
Index ........................................................................\
........
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems .....................................................
10
13
59
117
139
183
215
269
289
297

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these blue notices: In
the blue notice area, we tell you about something that
can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage
would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be
0 costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help
avoid the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or
in different words,. In this manual, we've used the
familiar words and colors that Buick has used for years.
"
You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same colors, and the words CAUTION or NOTICE.
11

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you will find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD pq
FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
FASTEN SEAT 4
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS TURN
HIGH BEAM
OR = =o
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD ’ ’ ’ 4- #-
WASHER
f0 -**
WINDSHIELD Q
WASHER I
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
L.
HEADLAMP - ,~*-,
WASHER iQ
WIPER -
L
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
TEMP --
ENGINE
CHARGING
I-1
BATTERY SYSTEM
RADIATOR
a
COOLANT
FUEL
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
Wb
TEMP OIL &
ANTILOCK (@)
BRAKE
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
RADIO
‘‘ill
SELECTOR
RADIO
k
VOLUME
CONDITIONING
AIR 33
HATCHBACK /y
TRUNK
RELEASE
t LIGHTER 1-
HORN
SPEAKER
cr
~ 12 , .

@) Part 2 Features & Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional featur\
es on your Buick. and information on starting. shifting
and braking
. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is working
properly
.. and what to do if you have a problem .
Part 2 includes:
Keys
........................................................................\
....
DoorLocks ....................................................................... \
NewVehicleBreak-In ..............................................................
StartingtheEngine .................................................................
ShiftingtheTransaxle ..............................................................
Windows ........................................................................\
.
TiltSteeringWheel ................................................................
Multi-FunctionLever ...............................................................
TurnandLaneChangeSignals ...................................................
Headlight High-Low Beam Changer ..............................................
Windshield Wipermasher ......................................................
CruiseControl ................................................................
Instrumentpanel ...................................................................
Speedometer and Odometer ......................................................
Warning Lights and Gages ......................................................
60
61
70
72
75 84
84
85
85 87
87
90
105
105
107
c 59

1 (First Gear) Parking Brake
This position gives you even more power (but lower
fuel economy) than
“2.” You can use it on very steep
hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the selector lever is
put in
“1,” the transaxle won’t shift into first gear
until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
The parking brakes uses the brakes on the rear wheels.
To set the parking brake:
Hold the regular brake pedal down with your right foot.
Push down the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come on.

Lights
'
1 0 Headlights
The LIGHTS switch controls these light systems:
Taillights
Parking Lights
0 License Lights
Sidemarker Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
0 Interior Courtesy Lights
Push the LIGHTS switch to turn the
headlights on or
off. Push the "P" (PARK) switch to turn the parking
lights
on or off.
Headlight ''On" Warning
If the light switch is left on you'll hear a warning tone
when you turn the ignition off and open the driver's
door.
\,
Panel and Interior Lights
The instrument panel light
brightness can be adjusted when the parking or
headlights are
on. Slide the
lever toward HI to make
them brighter; toward
LO to
dim them. Push the lever to
INT to
turn on the interior
lights.
96

Trip Odometer
I
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.
107

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.
I
nothing wrong with the fuel gage.
j 108 I ~ 1 1

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.
I
111
i