1993 BUICK PARK AVENUE wheel

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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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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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 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 km/h) 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:
Fuel economy
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.
Consider using a sway control if your trailer will
weigh
2,000 pounds (900 kg) or less. You should
always use a sway control if your trailer will weigh
more than
2,000 pounds (900 kg).
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 pounds (450 kg),
unless you have the optional
3,000 pound (1 350 kg)
trailer towing package. 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.
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Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting
out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle
you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly
so
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform,
safety chains, electrical connector, lights, tires and
mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has electric brakes, start
your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand
to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
Passing
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lights and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns. You’ll
need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move that hand
to the
left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in
advance.
lbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a
different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
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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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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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