1993 BUICK RIVIERA Owners Manual

Towing Your Vehicle Before you do anything, turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
Try to have a
GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your Buick. The usual towing equipment is When you call, tell the towing service:
a sling-type
(A) Or a wheel-lift (B) Or Car carrier (c) tow 0 That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
truck.
. The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
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.
0 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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/! CA TlON:
To help-avok rjury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that I
Never tow fastt than safe or postec
Never tow ith damaged parts not fully
Never get under your vehicle after it has
Always use separate safety chains on
is being towed.
speec
secured.
been lifted by the tow truck.
each.side when towing a vehicle.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
0 Never use “J” hooks. Use T-hooks
instead.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key off. The steering wheel should be clamped in a.
straight-ahead position, with a clamping device designed
for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering
column lock for this. The transaxle should be in Neutral
and the parking brake released.
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A CAUTION:
t
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
properly secured. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage.
The vehicle should be tightly secured with
chains or steel cables before it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut by sha
.
edges underneath the towed vehicle.
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Position a 4" x 4" wood beam across the sling chains
contacting the forward extensions of the engine cradle.
, Position the lower sling crossbar halfway between the
timber and the lower edge of facia. Attach
a separate safety
chain around the outboard
end
of each lower control
arm.

Engine Overheating
You willi find a coolant temperature gage and the
warning light about a hot engine on your Buick
instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
I
A CAUTION:
Steam 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 from
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 engine 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.
Id.le for long periods in traffic.
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
3. Try to keep your engine under load (in a drive gear
speed and open the window as necessary.
where the engine runs slower).

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.
197

When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll
see:
Coolant recovery tank
Radiator pressure cap
Electric engine fan
An electric fan under the hood can start up even
when the engine is not running and can injure
you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
I
If the coolant inside the coolant recovery tank is boiling,
don’t do anything else until it coals down. The coolant level should be at or above
“FULL COLD.”
If it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else
in
the cooling system.
198