1993 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
On the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is good to share the
driving task with others. Limit turns behind the wheel to
about
100 miles (160 km) or two hours at a sitting.
Then, either change drivers or stop for some refreshment
like coffee, tea or soft drinks and some limbering up.
But do stop and move around. Eat lightly along the way.
Heavier meals tend to make some people sleepy.
On two-lane highways or undivided multilane highways
that do not have controlled access, you’ll want
to watch
for some situations
not usually found on freeways.
Examples are: stop signs and signals, shopping centers
with direct access to
the highway, no passing zones and
school zones, vehicles turning left and right off the road,
pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, and even animals.
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”? Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the wheel?
Call
it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with
the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road
in less than a second, and you could crash and be
injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
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Then here are some tips:
e
e
e
e Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors frequently
and your instruments from time
to time. This can
help you avoid
a fixed stare.
Wear
good sunglasses in bright light. Glare can
cause drowsiness. But don't wear sunglasses at
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
an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and
allow adequate following distances. Driving on
steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly
in steep country, or if you're
,planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain
roads.
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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.
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. Sh‘rft down to let your mgilne
assist your brakes on a steep downhill slope.
I
I
IA
I
Coastlng downhill On “N (Neutral) or with the
ignltbn off 5s dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They touid
get so hot that they woufdn’t work well. You
could crash. Always have your engine running
and your vehicle in gear when you go dawnhill,
I
Know how to go uphill. Shift down to “D’ (Drive).
This
will help cool your engine and transaxle, and
you can climb the hill better.
0 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.
It takes longer to pass another vehicle when you’re
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.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could
be something
in your lane, like a stalled car or an
accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that warn
of special problems. Examples are long grades,
passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks area, or
winding roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate
action.
0 Winter driving can present special problems. See
“Winter Driving”
in the Index.
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Parking on Hills
I
You can turn your front wheels to keep your vehicle
from rolling downhill or out into traffic.
Here’s
how:
Parking Downhill
Hills and mountains mean spectacular scenery. But
please be careful where
you stop if you decide to look at
the view
or take pictures. Look for pull-offs or parking
areas provided for scenic viewing.
Another part of this manual tells how
to use your
parking brake
(see “Parking Brake” in the Index). But
on
a mountain or steep hill, you can do one more thing. Turn
your wheels
to the right.
You don’t have to jam your tires against the curb, if
there is a curb.
A gentle contact is all you need.
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Parking Uphill
If there is a curb, turn your wheels to the left if the curb
is at the right side
of your vehicle.
If you’re going uphill on a one-way street and you’re
parking on the left side, your wheels should point to the
right.
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If there is no curb when you’re parking uphill, turn the
wheels to the right.
If there is no curb when you’re parking uphill on the left
side of
a one-way street, your wheels should be turned
to
the left.
Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into
“P” (Park) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out
of “F‘” (Park). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, always be sure to shift into “P”
(Park) properly before
you leave the driver’s seat. To
find out how, see “Shifting Into ‘P’ (Park)” in the Index.
When
you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
“P” (Park) BEFORE you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur,
you may need to have
another vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of
the pressure from the transaxle, so you can pull the shift
lever out of “P” (Park).
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Winter Driving You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk.
Here are some tips for winter driving:
0 Have your Buick in good shape for winter. Be sure
your engine coolant mix
is correct.
Snow tires can help in loose snow, but they may give
you less traction on ice than regular tires.
If you do
not expect to be driving
in deep snow, but may have
to travel over ice, you may not want to switch to
snow tires at all. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight,
a red cloth, and a
. couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between
your tires and
the road,
you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll
have a lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be very
careful.
c
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be
even more trouble because
it may offer the least traction
of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s about freezing
(32°F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid
driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution. Accelerate gently.
Try
not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate
too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a
hard stop on a slippery road. Even though
you have the
anti-lock braking system, you’ll want to begin stopping
sooner than you would on dry pavement. See
“Anti-lock” in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until
you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy
when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you see a patch of ice ahead
of you, brake before you
are on
it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers. road.
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