1993 BUICK LESABRE engine

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to “Lock.”
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from
your vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, your vehicle is in “P” (Park).
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could
move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in “P”
[Park) with the parking brake firmly set. And, if
you leave the vehicle with the engine running, St
could overheat and even catch fire. You or others
could be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with
the engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is
in “P” (Park) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the “P” (Park)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then,
see if
you can move the shift lever away from
“P” (Park)
without first pulling it toward you. If
you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into “P” (Park).
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Engine Exhaust
‘A CAUTION:
--
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
,,rbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming
in if:
rn Your exhaust system sounds strange or
different.
0 Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle
was damaged in a collision.
a Your vehicle was damaged when driving
over
high points on the road or over road
debris.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modified improperly.
If
you ever suspect exhaust is coming into your
vehicle:
Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any CO; and a
a Have it fixed immediately.
@ Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Running Your Engine While You’re
Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
wer have to, here are some things to know.
A CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the air system control off
could allow dangerous exhaust into your vehicle
(see the earlier Caution under “Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in’a closed-in place can let deadly
cdrbon monoxide (CO)
into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with CO -
can come in easily. NEVER park in a garage with
the engine running.
Another closed-in place
can be a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard”
in the Index.)
CAUTION: (Continued)
-

CAUTION: (Continued)
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever
is not fully in “P’ (Park) with the
parking brake firmly
set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re
on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake
and
after you move the shift lever to “P” (Park).&
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle
won’t move. See “Shifting Into ‘P’ (Park)’’ in the’
Index.
If you are parking OR a hill, or if you’re pulling a
trailer, also $&e “Parking on Hills’’ or “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index. , I
Power Windows
Your power window controls are on the armrest. The
switch for the driver’s window has an express-down
feature. Hold the switch down all the way, release it and
the window will lower automatically.
To stop the
window, from lowering push the switch again.
To
partially open the window, push the switch and quickly
release it.
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Your fuel gage shows about how much fuel is in your
tank. It works
only when the engine is on. When the
indicator nears
“E,” you still have a little fuel left. You
need to get more
fuel right away.
Here are four concerns some owners have had about the
fuel gage. All these situations are normal and indicate
nothing wrong with the
fuel gage.
0
0
0
0
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
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
1/2
full, but it took more (or less) than half of the
tank’s capacity to fill it.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner,
speed up, or stop your vehicle.
When
you turn the engine off, the gage doesn’t go all
the way back to “E”.
Low Fuel Light
If your Buick has this option, a yellow light near the fuel
gage, will
go on when your vehicle is low on fuel.
You should get more fuel as soon as you can.
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 the light will stay on
if your parking brake
doesn’t release
fully. If you try to drive off with the
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parking brake set, a chime will also come on until you
release the parking brake. If the light and chime stay on
after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you
have a brake problem. If the light and chime come 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 Car” in the Index.)
1 &!A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Rriving 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.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1-
ANTI
LOCK
With anti-lock, this light will go on when you start your
engine and may stay on for several seconds or
so. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t come on, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on or comes
on when you’re driving,
stop as soon as possible and turn the key off. Then start
the engine
to reset the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes
on again while you’re driving, your Buick
needs service. Unless
the regular brake system warning
light is also
on, you will still have brakes, but not
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light
is also on, see “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier
in this part.
108

/I CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed when the
“TRACTION OFF“ warning light is on, they can
explode and you or others could be injured. And,
spinning your tires with the “TRACTION OFF”
warning light on can cause the transaxle to
overheat
or can cause other problems. That
could
cause an engine fire or other damage.
When you’re stuck,
spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/hl as shown on the speedometer.
I
:’NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels whel. ..?e “Tl .A (ION
OFF” warning light is on can destroy parts 01
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin your
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle
back and forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
rheel!
s little B
I
When yor-’-e stud
possible. bin
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning
Light
TEMP
This light tells you that your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator cooling fans are
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
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.
HOT COOLANT CAN BURN YOU BADLY!
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERVICE
,ENGINE SOON
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
A computer monitors 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 indicating that
you have a problem. You should take your vehicIe in for
service soon.
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I NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle wlrn rnis llgr In,
after a while the emission controls won’t worK as
well, your fuel economy won’t be as good and
your engine may not run
as smoothly. This could
Engine Oil Pressure Light And Gage
i
This light tells you if there could be a problem with your
engine oil pressure.
If your car has the optional gage cluster, you can read
your oil pressure directly from the gage on your
instrument panel.
There are three ways this light can come
on briefly,
which is normal and doesn’t show a problem. They are:
1. The light comes on when you turn your key to
“Run.”
It goes off once you turn it to Start. That’s
just a check to be sure
the light works. If it doesn’t,
be sure to have
it fixed so it will be there to warn you
if something goes wrong.
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