brake light BUICK SKYLARK 1993 User Guide

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Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a.little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible. The three types
of skids correspond
to your Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide (as when you- turn a corner
on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road), ease your foot
off
the accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start
to slide. Quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten the front
wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you’l\
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want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
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A CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. The: ton’t
work well in
a quick stop and may cause pulling
to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or
car wash, apply your brake pedal ligh rtil
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
You might not be aware of hydroplaning. You could drive
along for some time without realizing your tires aren’t in
constant contact with the road. -You could find out the
hard way: when you have to slow, turn, move out to,pass
-- or if you get hit by a gust of wind. You could suddenly
fiid yourself out of control.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your
tires haven’t much tread or if the pressure in ?ne or more
is low. It can happen
if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can
see reflections from trees, telephone
poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there could
be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to
slow down when it is raining, and be
careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Turn on your headlights -- not just your parang
lights
-- to help make you more visible to others.
0 Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind.
You may want to use your headlights even in
daytime if it’s raining hard.
0 Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and
be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
If the road spray is so heavy you are
actually blinded, drop back. Don’t pass until
conditions improve. Going more slowly is better
than having an accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in the Index.)
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start bralung. If you must brake on the through lane, and
if there
is traffic close behind you, you can allow a little
extra time and flash your brake lights (in addition to your turn signal) as extra warning that you are about to
slow down and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed
according to your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds,
you may tend to think you are going slower than you
actually are. For example,
40 mph (65 km/h) might
seem like only
20 mph (30 km/h). Obviously, this could
lead to serious trouble on a ramp designed for
20 mph
(30 krn/h)!
Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are made on freeways,
there are still many made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and regular
highways is the same in some ways. The trip has to be
planned and the vehicle prepared, you drive at
higher-than-city speeds, and there are longer turns
behind the wheel. You’ll enjoy your trip more if you and
your vehicle are
in good shape. Here are some tips for a
successful long trip.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts in
Buick dealerships all across North America. They’ll be
ready and willing to help
if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
0 Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
WiDer Blades: Are they in good shape/
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
0 Lights: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
0 Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for long-distance driving?
Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
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The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for
hitches.
Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle
and. your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will not drop to
the road if it becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be provided by the
hitch manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And, never allow safety
chains to drag
on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Does your trailer have its own brakes? Be sure to read
and follow the instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and maintain them
properly. Because you have anti-lock brakes, do not try
to tap into your vehicle’s brake system. ff you do, both
brake systems won’t work well, or at all.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not.nearly
so
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform,
safety chains, electrical connector, lights, tires and
mirror adjustment. If the trailer has electric brakes, start
your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be sure the brakes are working. This lets you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load
is secure, and that the lights and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.

Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal \
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
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Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always. back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
nrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a
different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lights will also flash, telling other drivers
you’re about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long
or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your’brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, use the highest gear. possible. If
you cannot maintain posted speeds, driving at a lower
speed may help avoid overheating your engine and
transaxle.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could
start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
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You could be injured if the whicles rd. Sat ths
parking brake firmly on each ve,hicle, ‘Put an
automatic tra’nsaxle in “P*” (Pa~k) or a. ._,an#ual
transaxle in ‘W’ (Neutral).
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Turn off all
lights that aren’t needed, and radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. And it could
save your radio!
4. Open the hood and locate the batteries.
/1 CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the eng
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands
clothing and tools away from
electric fan.
Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on
each battery.
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when you are driving with a compact spare. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.

1 Brake Master Cylinder
Your brake master cylinder is here. It is filled with
1 DOT-3 brake fluid. won’t work
at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’
your brake fluid. Adding brake. fluid won’t correct a
leak. If you add fluid when your linings are worn, then
you’ll have too much fluid when you get new brake
linings.
You should add (or remove) brake fluid, as
necessary, only when work is done
on the brake
hydraulic system.
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A CAUTION:
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill on
the engine. The fluid will burn
if the engine is hot
enough. You or others could be burned, and your
vehicle could be damaged. Add brake fluid only
when work is done on the br,
e hl ‘raulic
system.
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There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
your master cylinder might go down. The first is that the
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings
are put in,
the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is that
fluid is leaking out
of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system fixed, since a leak means
that sooner or later your brakes won’t work well, or When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See “Brake System Warning
Light’’
in the Index.
What to Add:
When you do need brake fluid, use only DOT-3 brake
fluid
-- such as Delco Supreme and regular 11 (GM part
#1052535). Use new brake fluid from a sealed container only.
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Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your car are protected from short
circuits.by a combination of fuses, circuit breakers, and
fusible thermal links in the wiring itself. This greatly
reduces the chance of fires caused by electrical
problems.
Be sure to use the correct fuse. If you ever have a
problem on the road and don’t have a spare fuse, you
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can “borrow” one of the identical size and rating. Just
pick some feature of your car that you can get along
without
-- like the radio or cigarette lighter -- and use its
fuse, if it is of the value you need. Replace it as soon as
you can.
The fuse panel
is to the left of the steering column, near
the parking brake release lever. Pull the cover down to
access the fus.es.
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~~ Fuse Usage
Amp Description
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. 10
20
20
15
5
5
10
15
15
25
10
20
20
20
30
25 15
20
30
20
20 PRNDL
F/P INJ
STOP HAZ
CTSY
RKE
INST LPS
GAUGES
HORN
ALARM HTR-A/C
RDO IGN
TURN DR LK
TAIL LPS
WDO
WIPER
ERLS
FTP
ACC
IGN ECM HDLP Backup Lamps, Electronic PRNDL Display
Fuel Pump, Fuel Injectors
Stop Lamps, Hazard Flashers
Trunk Lamp,-Door Lock Switches, Power Mirrors
(Automatic Transmission Only) Remote Keyless Entry
Instrument Panel Lighting
Gauges, Rear Defog Relay, Antilock Brake Telltale, Brake Transmi\
ssion Shift Interlock
Horn
Multi-Function Alarm Module
Heater, Air Conditioning, Antilock Brakes, Daytime Running Lamps \
(Canada), Computer Controlled Ride
Radio Power, Cruise Control
Turn Signals
Power Door Lock Relay
.Tail Lamps, Marker Lamps, License Lamps (Circuit Breaker) Power Windows
Windshield Wipers Engine controls
Flash-to-Pass
(U.S. Only)
(Circuit Breaker) Rear Window Defogger, Power Door Locks, Powe\
r Seats, Power Antenna
Ecm, Ignition System (Circuit Breaker) Headlamps
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