1993 BUICK CENTURY tow

The air conditioner compressor operates in all AIR COND
positions, and in DEF (Defrost) when the outside
temperature is above about 40°F (4.5"
C).
Ventilation
For mild outside temperatures, when little heating or
cooling is needed, slide the upper lever to
VENT. Air
flow is through the instrument panel outlets. Rotate the
control next to the outlets to turn on, adjust or
turn off
the air flow. Adjust the lower lever on the control panel
to the temperature desired.
Heating
When outside temperatures are cold, sliding the upper
lever to
HEATER and the lower lever to HOT will send
heated air through the heater ducts, and some through the
defroster vents.
VENT and HEAmR are labeled
ECONOMY positions because the air conditioner
compressor doesn't run
in these two settings. This
reduces engine load, resulting
in improved he1 economy.
If either setting fails to keep you comfortable, or causes
your windows
to fog up, slide the upper lever to one of
the
AIR COND positions, or to DEF (Defrost).
Defrosting
The DEF setting directs most of the air through the
defroster vents, and some through the heater ducts.
Defogging Windows with Four Season
Climate Control
To quickly defog the windshield, set the upper lever to
DEF and move the hn switch to HI. Slide the lower
lever
to HOT.
In damp, cool weather (temperatures about 45"-65"F,
7"- 18" C), you can use BI-LEV to defog the side windows.
Set the upper lever to
BI-LEV and the fan switch to HI.
Aim the side vents toward the side windows. For increased
air flow to the side vents, close the center vents.
Rear Window Defogger (Option)
--
The rear window defogger
uses
a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear
window.
In winter, it can
also keep ice from forming
on the rear window.
Press the
ON portion of the
switch. The indicator light
will glow. The rear window
defogger will
turn off
automatically after about
10
minutes of use. You can
also turn
it off by turning
off the ignition or pressing the
OFF portion of the
switch.
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Part 4 Your Driving and the Road
~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions . We’ve
also included many other useful tips on driving
.
Part 4 includes:
Roadsigns ........................................................................\
. 134
DefensiveDriving
.................................................................... 142
Control of a Vehicle
DrunkenDriving
.................................................................. 143
Braking
........................................................................\
.. 146
SteeringTips
...................................................................... ~0
Steering in Emergencies ............................................................. E1
Passing ........................................................................\
.. 152
LossofControl .................................................................... E4
DrivingatNight ..................................................................... E5
DrivingintheRain ................................................................... ~8
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze .......................................................... 160
CityDriving ........................................................................\
162
FreewayDriving
..................................................................... 163
DrivingaLongDistance
.............................................................. 1~ .
HillandMountainRoads 166
ParkingonHills
..................................................................... 168
WinterDriving
...................................................................... 171
TowingaTrailer
..................................................................... 175
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..............................................................
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If necessary, you can use hand signals out the window:
Left arm straight out for a left turn, down for slow or
about-to-stop, and up
for a right turn.
Slowing down. If time allows, tap the brake pedal once
or twice in advance of slowing
or stopping. This warns
the driver behind you.
Disabled. Your four-way flashers signal that your vehicle
is disabled or is a hazard.
See “Hazard Warning
Flashers’’ in the Index.
Traffic Officer
The traffic police officer is also a source of important
information. The officer’s signals govern, no matter what
the traffic lights or other signs say.
The next section discusses some
of the road conditions
you may encounter.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please
start with a very important sakty device in your Buick:
Buckle up.
(See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything:’
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected:’ Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash out from behind parked cars,
often followed by other children. Expect occupants in
parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for movement
in parked cars-someone may be about to open
a door.
Expect other drivers to run stop signs when you are on a
through street. Be ready to brake
if necessary as you go
through intersections. You may not have to use the brake,
but if you do, you will be ready.
If you’re driving through a shopping center parking lot
where there are well-marked lanes, directional mows,
and designated parking areas, expect some drivers to
ignore
all these markings and dash straight toward one
part of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them. In general,
you must give way to pedestrians even if you
know you
have the right of way.
Rear-end collisions
are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It’s the best defensive driving maneuver, in both
city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle
in front of you is going
to brake or turn suddenly.
Here’s a final bit of information about defensive driving.
The most dangerous time for driving in the
U.S. is very
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If you are moving from an outside to a center lane on a
freeway, having more than two lanes, make sure another
vehicle isn’t about
to move into the same spot. Look at
the vehicles two lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn signals flashing, an increase in speed, or moving
toward the edge of the lane. Be prepared to delay your
move.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to-leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. Dashing across lanes at the last
minute is dangerous.
If you miss your exit do not, under
any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to the
next exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane. Ideally it should
be long enough for you to enter it at freeway speed (after
signaling, of course) and then do your braking before
moving onto the exit ramp. Unfortunately, not all
deceleration lanes are long enough-some are too short
for
all the braking. Decide when to start braking. If you
must bkke 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 ludh). Obviously, this could lead
to serious trouble on a ramp designed for
20 mph
(30 ludh)!
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.
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Know how to go down hills. The most important thing
to know is this: let your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes do
it all. Shift to a
lower gear when you go down a steep or long hill.
That way, you will slow down without excessive use
of
your brakes.
I A CAUTION:
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going
down
a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on a steep
downhil lope.
Coasting downhill in
“N” (Neutral) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do
all the work of slowing down. They could
get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You
could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go
downhill.
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down to
a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your engine
and transaxle, and you can climb the
hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane roads
in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut across
the center
of the road. Drive at speeds that let you stay
in your own lane. That way, you won’t be surprised by
a vehicle coming toward you in the same lane.
going uphill. You’ll want to leave extra
room to pass. If
a vehicle is passing you and doesn’t have enough room,
slow down to
make it easier for the other vehicle to get by.
be something in your lane, like a stalled car or an
accident.
It takes longer to pass another vehicle when you’re
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of
special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a Ming rocks area, or winding
roads. Be alert to these and
take appropriate action.
Winter driving can present special problems. See
“Winter Driving” in the Index.
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Towing a Trailer
A CAUTION:
If you don’t use the correct equipment and
drive properly, you can lose control when you
pull a traller. For example, If the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well--or wen
at all. Mu and your passengets could be
seriously Injured. Pull a trailer only if you have
followed all the steps in this section.
hicle and result
Your Buick can tow a trailer. To identify what the vehicle
trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should read
the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that appears
later
in this section. But trailering is different than just
driving your vehicle
by itself. Trailering means changes
in handling, durability, and fuel economy. Successful,
safe trailering
takes correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly. That’s the reason for this section.
In it are many time-
tested, important trailering tips and safety rules. Many
of
these are important for your safety and that of your
passengers.
So please read this section carefully before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies, and tires are forced to work harder against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably
to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
All of that means changes in:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
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If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
There are many different laws having to do with
trailering. Make sure your rig will be legal, not only where you live but also where you’ll be driving.
A
good source for this information can be state or
provincial police.
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 500 miles
(800 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine, axle
or other parts could be damaged. .
Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you tow
a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 Wh) and don’t
make starts at full throttle. This helps your engine and
other parts of your vehicle wear
in at the heavier loads.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
Your vehicle can tow normally up to 1,OOO pounds
(450 kg). If your vehicle has a V6 engine with a four-
speed automatic transaxle and is equipped with the
optional heavy-duty engine cooling system,
it can tow
up to 2,000 pounds
(900 kg).
But even that can be too heavy. It depends on how you
plan to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside temperature and how much your vehicle
is used to pull
a trailer are all important. And, it can
also depend on any special equipment that you have on
your vehicle. You can ask your dealer for our trailering
information or advice, or you can write us at Buick
.
Motor Division, Customer Assistance Center, 902 E.
Hamilton Ave., Flint, MI 48550.
In Canada, write to General Motors of Canada
Limited, Customer Assistance Center, 1908 Colonel
Sam Drive, Oshawa, Ontario,
LlH 8W.
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Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because it affects the total capacity
weight of your vehicle. The capacity weight includes
the curb weight
of the vehicle, any cargo you may carry
in it, and the people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must subtract the
tongue load from your vehicle’s capacity weight
because your vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading Your Vehicle” in the Index for more
information about your vehicle’s maximum load capacity. The trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 10% of
the total
loaded trailer weight
(B). After you’ve loaded your
trailer, weigh the trailer and then the tongue, separately,
to see if the weights are proper.
If they aren’t, you may
be able to get them right simply by moving some items
around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for
cold tires. You’ll find these numbers on
the
Tire-Pressure Certification label at the rear edge of the
driver’s door (or see “Tire Loading” in the Index). Then be sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit for your
vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by,
and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here are
some rules
to follow:
Will you have to make any holes in the body of your
vehicle when you install a trailer hitch?
If you do, then
be sure to seal the holes later when you remove the
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