1994 BUICK CENTURY light

Press the ON portion of the switch. The indicator light
will glow. The rear window defogger will turn off
automatically after about
10 minutes of use. You can
also turn it off by turning
off the ignition or pressing the
OFF portion of the switch.
I NOTICE:
Don’t use a razor blade or somerning else sharp
on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.
Flow-Through Ventilation System
Your Buick’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it
is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the heater or the air
conditioning fan is running.
Ventilation Tips
Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow, or
any other obstruction (such as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance of fogging the inside of your windows.
When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, turn the
blower fan
to HI for a few moments before driving
off. This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and
moisture, and reduces
the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.
Keep the air path under the front seats clear of
objects. This helps air to circulate throughout your
vehicle.
124
ProCarManuals.com

Audio Systems
Your Delco@ audio system has been designed to operate
easily and give years
of listening pleasure. But you will
get the most enjoyment out
of it if you acquaint yourself
with it first. Find out what your Delco@ system can do
and how to operate all its controls, to be sure you're
getting the most out of the advanced engineering that
went into it.
AM Stereo
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound. But FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with
FM signals, causing
the sound to come and
go.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can also
pick up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try reducing the treble to lower this noise. Your
Delco@ system may be able to receive C-Quam@
stereo broadcasts. Many AM stations around the country
use C-Quam@
to produce stereo, though some do not.
(C-Quam@ is a registered trademark of Motorola, Inc.)
If your Delco' system can get C-Quam@ signals, your
stereo indicator light will come on when you are
receiving
it.
Be aware that hearing damage from loud noise is almost
undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt
to higher volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal
can be loud and harmful to your hearing. Take
precautions by adjusting the volume control
on your
radio to a safe sound level before your hearing adapts
to it.
125
ProCarManuals.com

To Play a Cassette Tape
With the power switch on, insert a tape into the cassette
door. Using tapes that are longer than
90 minutes
(45 minutes on each side) is not recommended.
When the right indicator arrow is lit, selections listed on
the bottom side of the cassette are playing. When the left
arrow is lit, selections listed on the top side of the
cassette are playing. To change sides of the tape, press
the upper control
knob (VOL ) while the cassette is
playing. The tape player automatically begins playing
the other side when it reaches the end
of the tape.
Fast Forward
To rapidly advance the tape, press the button with the
arrow pointing in the same direction the tape is playing.
To stop fast forward, lightly press the STOP-EJECT
button.
Reverse
To rapidly reverse the tape, press the button with the
arrow pointing in the opposite direction the tape
is
playing. To stop reverse, lightly press the STOP-EJECT
button.
Stop-Eject
To stop playing a tape, fully press this button. The
cassette will eject, and the radio will begin playing.
To Play This Radio
Power
Press PWR to turn the unit on and off when the ignition
is
on.
130
ProCarManuals.com

Upper Knob
This knob does two things:
0 Rotate VOL slightly to the left or right to control the
volume.
0 Press it to mute the radio or tape player. Press again
to listen.
Balance
The BAL control behind the upper knob adjusts the
left/right speaker balance.
Lower Knob
This knob does two things:
0 Rotate TUNE slightly to the left or right to tune in
radio stations. If you hold it to the left or right, it will
tune rapidly.
0 Press to change between the AM and FM bands. The
band you select will appear on the digital display.
Fade
The FADE control behind the lower knob adjusts the
front/rear speaker balance.
Scan
Press the SCAN button to hear each station for a few
seconds. Push
it again to stop scanning.
Seek
Press the SEEK button to go to the next higher station
and stay there. Push
it again and it will find the next
higher station.
Recall
Press RCL to alternate the display between the time and
station frequency. When the ignition
is off, press to
display the time.
Bass
Press BASS up or down to increase or decrease the bass
level. Press the center of
the button for the factory preset
level.
Treble
Press TREB up or down to increase or decrease the
treble level. Press
the center of the button for the factory
preset level.
If a station is weak or noisy, reduce the
treble.
131
ProCarManuals.com

Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
I P
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If
they aren't, they may not operate
properly or cause failure
of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly each month
or after every
15 hours of use. If you notice a reduction in
sound quality, try a known good cassette to see
if the tape
or
the tape player is at fault. If this other cassette has no
improvement in sound quality, clean the tape player. Clean your tape player with
a wiping-action,
non-abrasive
cleaning cassette, and follow the directions provided with it.
Cassettes are subject
to wear and the sound quality may
degrade over time. Always make sure that the cassette
tape is
in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust.
If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in
a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping only from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the signal surface when handling
discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of
the hole and the outer edge.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged.
If the mast should ever become
slightly bent, you can straighten
it out by hand. If the
mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals,
you should
replace
it.
Check every once in a while to be sure the mast is still
tightened to the fender.
136
ProCarManuals.com

It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a
slightly lower BAC level.
DRINKING THAT WILL
RESULT IN A BAC nr 95%
IN THE TIM Sl., ...l
’ HOURS
OF DRINKS
NUMBER (as in plcture)
100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS HOURS
HOUR
The
law in most U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of
0.10 percent. In Canada the limit is 0.08 percent, and
in
some other countries it’s lower than that. The BAC
will be over
0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one
hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on how
much alcohol is
in the drinks, and how quickly the
person drinks them.
But it’s very important to keep in mind that the ability to
drive is affected well below
a BAC of 0.10 percent.
Research shows that the driving skills
of many people
are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and
that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are
impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent. Statistics
show that the chance of being in an accident increases
sharply for drivers who have a BAC
of 0.05 percent or
above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent (three
beers in one hour for a 180-pound
or 82 kg person) has
doubled his or her chance of having an accident. At a
BAC level of
0.10 percent, the chance of that driver
having an accident is six times greater; at a level of
0.15
percent, the chances are twenty-five times greater! And,
the body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink.
No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up.
ProCarManuals.com

And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of
the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in
spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a
lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops,
you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer
to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Buick has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent skidding.
ANTI-
LOCK
This light on the
instrument panel will
go on when
you start
your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when you begin to drive
away,
you may hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves a little while this is going on. This
is the ABS
system testing itself. If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system warning light
will stqy on or flash.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light” in
the
Index.
145
ProCarManuals.com

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal. If you get too
close
to the vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time
to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the system
working, or
you may notice some noise, but this is
normal. When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake
pressure to help avoid a braking skid, the
“LOW
TRACTION” light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Active Light”
in the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more
than even
the very best braking.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction
you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which
the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
147
ProCarManuals.com