Rest BUICK ROADMASTER 1993 Owner's Manual

449
GREEN is used to guide the driver. Green signs may
indicate ,upcoming freeway exits or show the direction
you should turn to reach a particular place.
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HOSPITAL INFORMATION,
BLUE signs with white letters show motorists' services.
r
...... .
CANOEING SWIMMING
BROWN signs point out recreation areas or points of
historic or cultural interest.
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Braking
Braking action- involves perceDtion time and reaction
’time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s perception time. Then -you have to bring
up your
foot and do it. That’s reaction-time.
-
Average reaction time is about 314 ‘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. a part. So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. .But even in
3/4 0f.a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (1 00 h/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.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the saiface- of the raad.(whether it’s pavement or
gavel); the condition of the road (wFt, 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 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 lat of heavy braking.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your left foot rest
lightly on the brake pedal while driving.

vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues -
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface’’
- and slow .down when you
.have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid. Steer the way you want
to
go-
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired
-
by alcohol or drugs, with night vision prob1ems;or by
fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively. Remember, this is the most
dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See “Drunken Driving.” in
the Index for more on this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlights behind you.
Since’ you can’t see as well,
you may need to slow
down and
keep more space between you and other
vehicles. It’s hard to tell how fast the vehicle ahead
is going just
by looking at its taillights,
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlights can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull
off the road in a safe place and
rest.
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Wear good sunglasses in bright light. Glare can.
cause drowsiness.
But don’t wear sunglasses at I
night. They will drastically reduce your overall
vision at the very time you need all the seeing power
you have.
If you get sleepy, pull
off the road into a’rest, service,
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise,
or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as.
1
an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and
allow adequate following distances.
185

Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you
run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This:
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later
on
with your headlights. Let the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do
it as 'little as possible. Preserve the
fuel
as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and
do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Towing, a Trailer
/! CAUTION-
If you don't use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you
pull a
trailer.
For example, if the trailer is too heavy,
I the brakes may not work well - or even at all,
You and your passengers could be seriously'
injured. Pull
a trailer only if you have followed
I the steps in this section.

I 'P J 'IC
Getting UI er a vehicle when i s j; ied up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or kilied. Never get wnder
a hide wh I it. orted only by a jack.
Position theijack under the vekcle. ,Your .Buick,has:.m' '.
indentat&n,on the .fi-ame near each 'of the wheels. Raise ' '
the jack so the,jack head fits into-the indentation nearest
the wheel with the flat tire.
232

Aluminum Wheels
If your Buick has these, don’t use chrome polish on
them.
Use wax after you clean them. Also, don’t use
abrasive cleaners or cleaning brushps on them - you
could damaee the proutive caating.
Your Buick dealer has a
GM White Sidewall Tire
Cleaner. You can use
a stiff brush with it.
Weatherstrips
These are places where glass-or metal meets rubber.
Silicone grease there will make them last longer, seal
better, and not squeak. Apply silicone grease with
a
clean cloth at least every si%. mmtk. .-
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair
shop
applies anti-corrosion material to the parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Foreign Material
Calcium chloride and other salts, ice melting agents,
road oil and tar, tree sap, bird droppings, chemicals from
industrial chimneys, and other foreign matter can
damage your vehicle’s finish if they remain -on painted
surfaces. Use cleaners that are marked safe for painted
surfaces for these stains..
’
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Subscriptions
You can subscribe to all Buick Product Service
Publications
(PSP’s). This will include bulletins for all
cars sold by Buick and will not be limited to
PSP’s
applicable to any particular model. When you buy a
subscription, you wilheceive
the PSP’s in periodic
mailings, shortly after they come out.
A subscription
costs
U.S. $86.50 ($106.50 including a special binder)
and it entitles you to all PSP’s published by Buick
during the model year.
You can purchase a subscription
by sending a check or money order to Service
Publications, Post Ofice Box 1901, Flint
, Michigan
48501, along with the order form located in the
following text. You may get additional subscription
ordering forms by calling the toll-free number shown in
the following text.
Individual PSP’s
If you don’t want to buy all the PSP’s issued by Buick
for all models in the model year, you can buy individual
PSP’s, such as those which may pertain to a particular
model.
To do this, you will first need to see our index of
PSP’s.
It provides a variety of information. Here’s what
you’ll find in the index and how you can get one:
What You’ll Find in the Index:
+ A list of all PSP’s published b.y Buick in a model
year (1989 or later). PSP’s covering all models of
Buick cars are listed in the same index.
+ Ordering information so you can buy the specific
PSP’s you may want.
+‘ Price information for the PSP’s you may want to
bw*
How You Can Get an Index:
Indexes are published periodically. Most of the PSP’s
which could potentially apply to the most recent Buick
models will be listed in the most recent publication for
that model year. This means
you may want-to wait until
the end of the model year before ordering an index,
if
you are interested in buying PSP’s pertaining to a
current model year car or truck.
Some
PSP’s pertaining to a particular model year
vehicle may be published in later years, and these would
be listed in the later year’s index. When you order an
index for a model year that is not;over yet’’ we’ll send
you the
most recently published issue. Check the
ordering form
for indexes for earlier model years.
323

Acc (Ignition Key Position) ........................ 74
Adding Brake Fluid
.................................. 262
Coolant
.............................. 2 19.222. 257
Electrical Equipment
.......................... 287
Engineoil
................................... 249
Power Steering Fluid
.......................... 260
Transmission Fluid ............................ 254
Windshield Washer Fluid
....................... 261
Additives, Engine Oil
............................. 251
Adjustment, Brake
............................... 169
Adult Safety Belt Usage
............................ 27
AirBag
.......................................... 35
Aircleaner
...................................... 253
Air Conditioner
............................. 127, 132
Air Outlets
..................................... 126
Alcohol, Driving Under the Influence of
.............. 160
Alcohol in Gasoline ..................... ........ 243
Aluminum Wheels, Cleaning
....................... 284
AM Radio Reception
............................. 134
AM Stereo Radio Reception
....................... 135
Antenna Care
................................... 149
Antifreeze
...................................... 257
Antilock Brakes
.................................. 166
Antilock Brake System Warning Light
........... 121, 166
...
Part 9 Index
Anti-Theft Tips ................................... 72
Anti-Theft Feature. Delco
LOC I1 ..................... 147
Appearance Care
................................ 249
Appearance Care and Materials
..................... 286
Armrest. Storage
................................ 112
Ashtrays ........................................ 110
Assist Handles
.............................. 102. 113
Audio Systems
.................................. 134
Automatic Air Conditioning System
................. 129
Automatic Door Locks
............................. 64
Automatic Overdrive
.............................. 79
Automatic Pull-Down Feature
....................... 65
Automatic Transmission
........................... 78
Automatic Transmission Fluid
...................... 254
Automatic Transmission Torque Lock
................ 190
Axle. Rear
..................................... 256
Baby. Holding a
................................. 46
Battery
........................................ 264
Battery Cables. Starting With
....................... 206
Battery Warning Light ............................ 118
Blizzard. If You’re Caught In A
..................... 193
BloodAlcoholLevel
............................. 162
“Blowout”. Tire
................................. 224

.Gasoline ....................................... 243
Gasoline Tank. Filling Your
........................ 245
Gate Ajar Light
................................. 124
Gear Positions
................................... 78
Glass Cleaning
.................................. 282
Graphic Symbols
................................. 12
Guard Against Theft
.............................. 72
Guide en Francais
................................. 2
Halogen
Bulbs ................................. 265
Hazard Warning Flasher ........................... 204
Haze. Driving in ................................. 180
Headlamp Bulb Replacement
....................... 265
Headlight High-Low Beam Switch
. : ................. 90
Head Restraints ................................... 18
Heater
..................................... 128.. '13 1
Highway Hypnosis ............................... 185
Hill and Mountain Roads
.......................... 186
Hills. Parking on
.............. : ................. 188
Hitches. Trailer
.................................. 198
Holding
a Baby in Your Car ......................... 46
Hood. Opening the
............................... 247
Horn
........................................... 88
Hot Coolant Warning Light
........................ 122
Hot Engine. Safety Warnings About
................. 216
Hydroplaning
................................... 179
Ice. Driving
on ................................. 192
Identification Label. Service Parts
................... 287
Identification Number. Vehicle
..................... 287
Hearing Impaired. Customer Assistance
for
........... 320
High Speed Shifting When Your Engine
is Running ...... 79 Idling
Your Engine
................................ 86
If You're Stack: In Sand. Mud. Ice or Snow ........... 239
Ignition Key Positions
............................. 74
Indicator. Turn Signal
.............................. 89
Indicators. Disc Brake Wear
....................... 168
Infant Restraint
.................................. -47
Inflation. Tire
................................... 272
Inside Mirror
.................................... 102
Inspection. Tire
................................. 273
Instrument Panel
................................ 113
Interior Cleaning
............ *- .................. -280
Interlock. Brake-Transmission
Shift ............... 78. 84
Introduction. How
to Use this Manual ................. 10
Jack. Tire ..................................... 224
Jacking Up the Car
............................... 232
Jump Starting
................................... 206
Keys
.......................................... 62
Keyless Entry System. Remote
...................... 69
Kilometer Indicator
.............................. 114
Label. Service Parts Identification
.................. 287'
Lane Change Indicator
............................. 89
Lap-Shoulder Belt Usage by Children
.................. 56
Leaving Your Vehicle ............................ 65. 84
Light Bulbs. Replaceable
........................... 294
Light. Safety Belt
.............................. 21. 27
Light. Turn Signal Indicator
......................... 89
Indicators. Warning Lights. Gages
& ................. 114
LapBelt
........................................ 41