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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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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.
Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug
trailer lights into your vehicle’s lighting system, its bulb warning lights may not
let you know if one of your
lights goes
out. So, when you have trailer lights plugged
in, be sure
to check your vehicle and trailer lights from
time to time to be sure they’re-all working. Once
you
disconnect the trailer lights, the bulb warning lights
again can
tell you if one of your vehicle lights is out.
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, shift down to
“D or 3” (Drive)
and reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to
reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle
overheating.
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.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into “F’”
(Park) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and
then shift to “P’ (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
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@ Part 5 Problems on the Road
=I i
~~
Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road .
Part 5 includes:
Hazard Warning Flashers
............................................................ 210
OtherWarningDevices
............................................................. 211
“Jump”Starting
.................................................................... 212
TowingYourBuick
................................................................ 217
Engineoverheating
................................................................ 221
IfaTireGoesFlat
................................................................. 228
ChangingaFlatTire
................................................................ 229
CompactSpareTire
................................................................ 237
If You’re Stuck
in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow .............................................. 239
209
...... c-~ ~
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Hazard Warning Flashers
I
7 '. . ..
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lights will flash on and
off.
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, >., :,
, , . ..,
Press the button in to make your front and rear turn
signal lights flash on and off.
Your hazard flashers work no matter what position your
key is
in, and even if the key isn't in.
To turn off the flashers, pull out on the collar. When the
hazard flashers are on, your turn signals won't work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle.
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Towing Your Car
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Buick
. The usual towing equipment is
a sling-type
(A) or a wheel lift (B) or car carrier (C) tow
truck.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything,
turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructions and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
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Engine Overheating
You will find the warning light about a hot engine on
your Buick instrument panel and if you have the
optional gage cluster,
a coolant temperature gage.
You will also find a low coolant warning light
on your
Buick instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
A CAUTION:
- _earn from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even
if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming
.. -m it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there
is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in
it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine
if it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
sngine is cool.
- -
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little
too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
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If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to “N” (Neutral).
If
you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just
to be safe, drive slower for about ten minutes.
If the warning doesn’t come back on,
you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if
you still have the
warning, TURN
OFF THE ENGINE AND GET
EVERYONE OUT
OF THE VEHICLE until it cools
down. You
may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
e
w . ._
,
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
Coolant recovery tank
* Radiator pressure cap
Electric engine fans
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