1993 BUICK CENTURY warning

Headlight “On” Warning
If you open the door while leaving the lights on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that “Daytime Running Lights” (DRL)
are a useful feature, in
that DIU 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 parking brake is released.
At dusk, the exterior. lights will come bn &.nomatically
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).
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with DRL off, set the parking brake
while the ignition is in the
“Off’ or “Lock” position.
Then start the vehicle. The
DRL will stay off until you
release the parking brake.
Map Light
& Press the switch to turn the
map light on and
off.
MAP
ON
OFF
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Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both miles per
hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (ludh). Your odometer
shows how
fkr your vehicle has been driven, in either
miles (used
in the U.S.) or kilometers (used in Canada).
Your Buick has a “tamper-resistant odometer? If you can
see silver lines between the numbers, probably someone
has
tried to turn it back. The numbers may not be true.
You
may wonder what happens if a vehicle has to have a
new odometer installed. If possible, the new one has to
be set to the same reading the old one had. If it can’t \
be,
then it’s set at zero, but a label on the driver’s door\
must show the old reading and when the new one was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell
you how
far your vehicle
has been driven since you last set the trip odometer to
zero.
To set the trip odometer to
zero, press the reset knob to
the right of the trip
odometer.
Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that may
be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to 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.
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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ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the light
may blink on and
off. This is normal.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
moment.
This is normal.
1 A CAUTIONS
Don't keep driving if the oil pmssure is low. If
you do, your engine can become QO hot that It
catches flm. "ybu or others could be burned.
Check wur oil as soon as possible end have
your t rlcle senrlced.
I
Battery Light
The battery warning light
will come on briefly when
you
turn on the ignition,
but the engine is not
running, as a check to
show
you it is wcrking. Then it
should go out. If it stays on,
or comes on while you are
driving, you may have a
problem with the electrical
charging system. It could
indicate that you have a
or another electrical
. ., . loose generator drive belt
problem. Have it checked right away. Driving while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to
turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
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Volts Gage (Option)
When your engine is not
running, but
the ignition is
on (in the “Run” position),
the gage shows your
battery’s state of charge
in
DC volts. When the engine
is running, the gage shows
the condition of the
charging system. Readings
between the red warning
zones indicate the normal
operating range.
Readings in either red
warning zone indicate a possible problem in the electrical
system. Have your vehicle serviced immediately.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Buick‘s hydraulic
brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still work and stop you. For
good braking, though, you
need both parts working
well.
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 Buick” in the Index.)
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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.
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light
---I
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling
fan is not working.
If you have been operating
your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull
off the road,
stop your vehicle and
turn
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.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage (Option)
‘1 If you have the Gage
Cluster, you have a gage
that shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine is too
hot! That reading means the same thing as the warning
light. It means that your engine coolant has
overheated. If you have
been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your-
vehicle and
turn off the engine as soon as possible.
Also, the temperature symbol on the gage will come on
when your engine is too hot.
HOT COOLANT CAN BURN YOU BADLY!
In “Problems on the Road:’ this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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X"' 1 r-l
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
A computer monitors
I 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
I
indicating that you have a problem. You should take your
vehicle in
for service soon.
Liftgate Ajar Warning Light (Wagon)
.-
- The "TAILGATE AJAR"
~ light on your instrument
panel
will come on if your
I
TAI! GAY E
ALAR
liftgate is not completely
1 closed.
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Road Signs
The road signs you see everywhere are coded by color,
shape and symbols. It’s a good idea to know these codes
so that you can quickly grasp the basic meaning or intent
of the sign even behre you have a chance to read it.
Color of Road Signs
ETOF
1
A
-
Bo NOT‘ WRONG
WAY
STOP DO NOT WRONG
ENTER WAY
1
L
RR ADVANCE
CROSSING NARROW
BRIDGE NO PASSING
ZONE
YELLOW indicates a general warning. Slow down and
be careful when
you see a yellow sign. It may signal a
railroad crossing ahead, a no passing zone, or some other
potentially dangerous situation. Likewise, a yellow solid
line painted on the road
means “Don’t Cross:’
RED means STOP. It may also indicate that some
movement is not allowed. Examples are
DO NOT
ENTER
and WRONG WAY.
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Shape of Road Signs
The shape of the sign will tell you something, too.
x
An OCTAGONAL (eight-sided) sign means STOP. It is
always red with white letters.
r
-
A DIAMOND-SHAPED sign is a warning of something
ahead-for example, a curve, steep hill,
soft shoulder, or
a narrow bridge.
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