Page 75 of 340

To start your 3.8 Liter engine:
I. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition
key to START. When the engine starts, let
go
of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
I NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to be
drained much sooner. And the excessive heat can
damage your starter motor.
2. If it doesn’t start right away, hold your key in
START for about three to five seconds at a time until
your engine starts. Wait about
15 seconds between
each try
to help avoid draining your battery.
3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal
all the way to the
floor and holding
it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
brietly but then stops again, do the
same thing, but
this time keep the pedal down for
five or six seconds.
This clears the extra gasoline from the engine. After
waiting about 15 seconds, repeat the normal starting
procedure.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way
the fuel injection system operates. Before adding
electrical equipment, check with
your dealer. If
you don’t, your engine might not perform
properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
2-13
ProCarManuals.com
Page 78 of 340

Make sure the shift lever is fully into PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your Buick has a
brake-transaxle shift interlock. You must fully apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK (P)
when the ignition is in RUN. If you cannot shift out of
PARK
(P), ease pressure on the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P) while keeping the brake
pedal pushed down. Release the shift lever button
if
you have a console shift. Then move the shift lever out
of PARK (P), being sure to press the shift lever button
if you have a console shift. See “Shifting Out of
PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while ybm vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice
or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N)
only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 82 of 340
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Column Shift
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as Fir as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from your vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
Console Shift
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Hold
in the button on the
lever, and push the lever all
the way toward the front of
your vehicle.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
walk away from your vehicle with the ignition key in
your hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
2-20
ProCarManuals.com
Page 84 of 340
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your Buick has a brake-transaxle shift interlock. You
must fully apply your regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK
(P) when the ignition is in RUN. See
“Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Release the
shift lever button
if you have a console shift. Then move
the shift lever
out of PARK (P), being sure to press the
shift lever button
if you have a console shift.
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
I. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and shift to the drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
Parking Over Things That Burn
2-22
ProCarManuals.com
Page 86 of 340
Power Windows
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. Switches on the driver’s door armrest control each
of the
windows when the ignition is on. In addition, each
passenger door has a switch for its own window.
The driver’s window switch has an auto-down feature.
This switch is labeled
AUTO. Tap the rear of the switch,
and the driver’s window will open a small amount. If the
rear of the switch is pressed all the way down, the
window will
go all the way down.
To stop the window while it is lowering, press the front
of the switch.
To raise the window, press and hold the
front of the switch.
2-24
ProCarManuals.com
Page 93 of 340
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into PARK (P) or NEUTRAL
(N), your cruise
control set speed memory is erased.
Lamps
The lamp controls are on the instrument panel. They
control these systems:
0 Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
0 License Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lamps
0 Courtesy Lamps
Turn the knob to
ON to turn on the headlamps and other
operating lamps.
Turn the knob to PARK to
turn on the parking and other
operating lamps without the headlamps.
Turn the knob to
OFF to turn off the lamps.
A warning chime will sound when you turn the ignition
switch
to OFF', LOCK or ACC with the lamps on.
2-31
ProCarManuals.com
Page 94 of 340

Instrument Panel Lamps
You can brighten or dim the instrument panel lamps by
moving the PANEL
LAMPS dial. If you turn the dial
past
HI, your courtesy or interior lamps will conle on.
Daytime Running Lamps (Canada Only)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered,
The
DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when: When the DRL
are
on, only your low-bearn headlamps
will be on. The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps
won‘t be
on. Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your low-beam
headlamps will change to
full brightness. The other lamps
that come
on with your headlamps will also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will
go off, and your low-beam headlamps change to the
reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking brake
while the ignition is
in OFF or LOCK. Then start your vehicle.
The
DIU will stay off until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system any time you need it.
0 The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off, and
0 The parking brake is released.
2-32
ProCarManuals.com
Page 95 of 340

Interior Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on. These
lamps
are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for you to enter
and leave your
vehcle. You can also turn these lamps on by
moving the PANEL LAMPS dial all the way up past
HI.
Some of the lamps have switches so you can turn them
on, even when the doors are closed. These lamps are
reading lamps.
To avoid draining your battery, be sure to
turn
off all reading lamps when leaving your vehicle.
Illuminated Entry
Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from draining
the battery, in case you accidentally leave the courtesy lamps
on. If you leave the PANEL LAMPS dial turned all the
way up past
HI, or if you leave a door open, the lamps will
automatically
turn off after 10 minutes if the ignition is off.
This feature will not turn off the reading lamps, only the
lamps controlled by
the PANEL LAMPS dial. Be sure to
turn off any reading lamps using the switch before you
leave the vehicle. Your
courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for
a set
time whenever you:
Pull a front door handle.
0 Press UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
0 Press DOOR on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
If you open
a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn off automatically about 18 seconds after
you close it. If you don’t open a door,
the lamps will
turn off after about 18 seconds, unless you pressed
UNLOCK
on the Remote Lock Control. If you pressed
UNLOCK and don’t open
a door, the lamps will turn off
after about 55 seconds.
Illuminated entry includes a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming,
the lamps don’t just
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they slowly
dim during the delay time
until they go out. The delay
time
is cancelled if you turn the ignition key to RUN or
START,
so the lamps will go out right away.
When the ignition is on, Illuminated Entry is inactive,
which means the courtesy lamps won’t come on.
ProCarManuals.com