1993 BUICK RIVIERA warning

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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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:
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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.
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A CAUTION:
' ~ Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
--# parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them. If you I 1
.': do, you can be burned.
Don't
run the engine if there is a leak. If you run
the engine,
it could lose all coolant. That could
..~ cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
I_ '1 Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle. /I
,
A CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix
will. Your vehicle's coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn't get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you
or others could be burned. Use a
5060 mix of
clean water and a proper antifreeze.

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I
CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn
if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don’t spill coolant on a hot engine.
When the coolant in the coolant recovery tank is at or
above
“FULL COLD,” start your vehicle.
If the overheat warning continues, there’s one more
thing
you can try. You can add the proper coolant mix
directly to the radiator, but be sure the cooling system is
cool before
you do it.

Now put all the equipment back securely in the trunk.
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi (420
kPa). The compact spare is made to go up to 3,000 miles
(5000 km), so you can finish your trip and have your
full-size tire repaired or replaced where you want.
Of
course, it’s best to replace your spare with a full-size ti\
re
as soon as you can. Your spare will last longer and be in
good shape in case you need it again.
Your anti-lock brake system warning light may come on
when you are driving with a compact spare. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.
212

are made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than
DEXRONs-IIE is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under
“How to Check.”
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem with
engine overheating, see “Engine Overheating” in the
Index.
The proper coolant for your Buick
will:
Give freezing protection down to -34’F (-37 ’ C) .
0 Give boiling protection up to 262 ’ F ( 128 ’ C) .
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
0 Let the warning lights work as they should.
What to Use:
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half antifreeze that meets “GM Specification 1825-M,” which won’t damage aluminum
parts. Use GM Engine Coolant Supplement (sealer) with
any complete coolant change. You can also use a
recycled coolant conforming to “GM Specifications
1825-M” with a complete coolant flush and-refill.
If you
use these, you don’t need to add anything else.
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warnin!
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine coul
get
too hot but you wouldn’t get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and you
or others could be burned. Use a
50150 mix of
clean water and
a proper antifreeze.
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Brake Master Cylinder you’ll have too much fluid when you get new brake
linines. You should add (or remove) brake fluid, as
U
your brake master cylinder necessary, only when work is done on the brake
is here. It is filled with hydraulic system.
DOT-3 brake fluid.
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I
A CAUTION:
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill on
the engine. The fluid will burn
if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
arr’
your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake flutu
only when work is done on the brake hydraulic
system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in light will on. See System Warning
your master cylinder might go down. The first is that the Light,’ in the Index,
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the fluid level goes back
up. The other reason is that
fluid ’is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system fixed, since a leak means
that sooner or later
your brakes won’t work well, or
won’t work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’
your brake fluid. Adding brake fluid won’t correct a
leak. If you add fluid when your linings are worn, then
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