Page 114 of 308

Your Buick has a “tamper-resistant odometer.” If you
can see very noticeable bright silver lines between the
numbers, probably someone has tried to turn
it back.
The numbers may not be true.
You may wonder what happens
if a car has to have a
new odometer installed. If possible, the new one has to
be set to
the same reading as the old one. If it can’t be,
then it’s set at zero, and a label on the driver’s door must
show the old reading and when the new one
was
installed.
Trip Odometer
A trip odometer can tell
you how many miles you
have driven since
you last
set
it back to zero. To reset
it, push the button.
Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could
also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights
go on when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will see in
the details on the next few pages, some warning lights
come on briefly when you turn the ignition key
just to
let you know they’re working.
If you are familiar with
this section, you should not be alarmed
when this
happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let
you know when
there’s a problem
with your vehicle.
112
ProCarManuals.com
Page 115 of 308

When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or
when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about
it. Please follow the manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about
how much fuel is
in your
tank.
It works only when
the engine is on. When the
indicator nears
“E,” you
still have a little fuel left. Here
are some concerns owners have had about the fuel
gage. All these situations are normal and indicate
nothing wrong
with the fuel gage.
0
0
a
0
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads
“F”.
It takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage indicated 1/2
full,
but it took more -- or less -- than half of the tank’s
capacity to
fill it.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner,
speed
up, or stop your vehicle.
When you turn the engine off, the gage d&sn’t go all
the way back to
“E”.
113
ProCarManuals.com
Page 116 of 308
* LOW
FUEL
L
When your fuel gage reads in the red band, this light will
go on. You should get
more fuel
as soon as you
can.
Brake System Warning Light
BRAKE
Your Buick’s hydraulic
brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t
working, the other
part can
still work and stop you..For
good braking, though, you
need both parts working
well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be
a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle.
If it
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light comes
on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor.
114
ProCarManuals.com
Page 117 of 308

It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Car” in the
Index.)
The brake system warning light will also come on when
you
set your parking brake, and it will stay on if your
parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after
your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a
brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI-LOCK
With anti-lock, this light will come on when you start
your engine and
it will stay on for three seconds. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t come on, have
it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with your regular
brakes. Pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may
notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may
115
ProCarManuals.com
Page 118 of 308

go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. Have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Car”
in the Index.) Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the
red area, your engine
is too
hot!
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or,
if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Buick needs service. If the
light is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on,
you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes. It means
that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions,
you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
The chapter “Problems on the Road,” this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the
Index.
116
ProCarManuals.com
Page 119 of 308
LOW Coolant Warning Light Engine Oil Pressure Gage
LOW
COOLANT
If this light comes on, your
system
is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat.
See “Engine Coolant”
in the Index and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
1
You can read your engine
oil pressure directly from
the gage
on your instrument
panel.
If the gage reads in the red band and stays there, it
means oil isn’t going through your engine properly.
You
117
ProCarManuals.com
Page 120 of 308

could be low on oil, or you might have some other oil
problem. Have your vehicle serviced as soon
as you can.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Warning Light
LOW
OIL
Your vehicle is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key is turned on, the light
will flash briefly.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface and
turn
off the engine. Check the oil level using the engine oil
dipstick. See “Engine Oil” in the Index. If the light does
not flash, have the low oil level sensor system repaired so
it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
Note: The oil level monitoring system only checks oil
level during the brief period between key
on and engine
crank. It does not monitor engine oil level when the
engine
is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed
if the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time allowing the oil normally
in
circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
118
ProCarManuals.com
Page 147 of 308

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 stay on or flash.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index. Here’s how
anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out
in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens
with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels
is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels.
145
ProCarManuals.com