1996 BUICK CENTURY light

Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause
the light
to turn on.
If
you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you
use. It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel
to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper
test equipment and
diagnostic tools to
fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this oil pressure
warning light may stay
on
after you start your engine,
or come
on when you are
driving. Stop your vehicle
and shut
off the engine if
this light stays on.
This indicates that oil is
not going through your
engine quickly enough
to keep it lubricated.
The engine could be low on oil, or could have
some other oil problem. Have your vehicle
serviced immediately.
ProCarManuals.com

The oil light could also come on in three other situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
the light will come
on as a test to show you it is
working, but the light will go out when
you turn the
ignition to START. If it doesn’t come on with the
ignition, you may have
a problem with the fuse or a
bulb. Have
it fixed right away.
Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a
light
may blink on and off. This
is normal.
moment. This
is normal.
A CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire.
You or others could be burned.
Check your oil
as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
Liftgate Ajar Warning Light (Wagon)
The TAILGATE AJAR
reminder light on your instrument panel will come
on if your liftgate is not
TAILGATE
AJAR
2-58
ProCarManuals.com

Rear Window Defogger
REAR
!
The rear window defogger
uses
a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear
window. In winter, it can
also keep ice from forming
on the rear window.
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 something 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.
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.
For mild outside temperatures, when
little heating or
cooling is needed, slide the upper lever to VENT.
Airflow is through the instrument panel outlets. Rotate
the control next to the outlets to turn on, adjust or turn
off the airflow. Adjust the lower lever
on the control
panel
to the temperature desired.
3-3
ProCarManuals.com

FORWARD: Press the right arrow to rapidly advance
the tape. It will continue forwarding until you press
STOP-EJECT lightly.
REVERSE: Press the left arrow to rapidly reverse the
tape. It will continue reversing until you press
STOP-EJECT lightly.
PROG-RCL: Press the upper knob while a cassette
tape is playing to hear the other side
of the tape.
STOP-EJECT Press this button to remove the tape or
stop playing the tape and switch to the radio.
Understanding Radio Reception
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 pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing
the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
Tips About Your Audio System
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.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
0 Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
0 Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can
add what you want.
If you can, it’s very
important to do it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of
your vehicle’s engine, Delco radio or other
systems, and even damage them. Your vehicle’s
systems may interfere
with the operation of
sound equipment that has been added
improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone
units.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
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 may cause failure
of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 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.
Cleaning may be done with
a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with
pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. It
is normal for the cassette to eject while cleaning. Insert
the cassette at least three times to ensure thorough
cleaning.
A scrubbing action cleaning cassette is
available through your Buick dealer.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses
a cassette with a fabric belt to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject. It may
not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing
type cleaner.
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.
ProCarManuals.com

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.
Power Antenna Mast Care
Your power antenna will look its best and work
well
if it’s cleaned from time to time. To clean the
antenna mast:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Turn on the ignition and radio to raise the antenna.
Dampen
a clean cloth with mineral spirits or
equivalent solvent.
Wipe the cloth over the mast sections, removing
any dirt.
Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Make the antenna
go up and down by turning the
radio
or ignition off and on.
Repeat if necessary.
I NOTICE:
Don’t lubricate the power antenna. Lubrication
could damage it.
NOTICE:
Before entering an automatic car wash, turn off
your radio to make the power antenna go down.
This will prevent the mast from possibly getting
damaged.
If the antenna does not go down when
i you turn the radio off, it may be damaged or
need to be cleaned. In either case, lower the
antenna by hand by carefully pressing the
antenna down.
If the mast portion of your antenna is damaged, you can
easily replace it. See your dealer for a replacement kit
and follow
the instructions in the kit.
3-10
ProCarManuals.com

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. Your
vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS
is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
Domestic Canadian
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on or flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.
ProCarManuals.com

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot
up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance.
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.
Using 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.
LOW
TRACTION
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this 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
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.’
.
4-8
ProCarManuals.com