1996 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

Traction Control System Warning Light
(Option)
TRACTION
OFF
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine. If the warning
light doesn’t come on then,
have
it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
If it stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there
may be a problem with your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel
spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. The
traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the instrument panel, left of the steering
column, the warning light will come on and stay on.
To turn the system back on, press the button again.
The warning light should go off. (See “Traction
Control System” in the Index for more information.)
0 If there’s a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system will turn off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn
off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
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Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
h -
TEMP
One of these lights will come on to tell you that your
engine coolant has overheated or your radiator cooling
fans are not working.
If you have been operating your
,vehicle under normal driving conditions, you should
pull
off the road, stop your vehicle and turn the engine
off as soon as possible. I
The section “Problems on the Road,” in this
manual explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage (Option)
If’ you have the gage cluster,
you have a gage that shows
the engine coolant
temperature
in degrees
Fahrenheit. Canadian
instrument panels measure
the coolant temperature in
degrees Celsius.
-If the gage
pointer moves into the red
area, your engine is too hot!
That reading means ,the same thing as the warning light.
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 section “Problems’ on the Road,” in
this
manual explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
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Low Coolant Warning Light
COOLANT
LOW
When this light comes on,
the cooling system is
low on
coolant. As a bulb check, it
will come on when the
ignition in the
RUN
position and then go off.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light)
CHECK
Your Buick is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation
of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
If the coolant level is low, the light will come back on. If
this happens, see “Engine Coolant” in the Index for
proper cooling system fill.
After the coolant level
is returned to its proper level, the
LOW COOLANT light will go off after
20 seconds or
remain
off on the next ignition cycle. This system
is called OBD I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. (In Canada, OBD I1 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The CHECK ENGINE light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent, which may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
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NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered
by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is
on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage
the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid hard accelerations.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see
“If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do
so,
stop the vehicle. Put your vehicle in PARK (P). Turn the
key off, wait at least
10 seconds and restart the engine.
If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On
Steady” following. If the light
is still flashing follow the
previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your dealer or
qualified service center for service.
hauled
as soon
as it is possible.
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If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine may
not run as efficiently as designed since small amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap properly.
It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off. 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.
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Oil Pressure Light/Gage
FZ
OIL
If your car has the optional gage cluster, the oil pressure
gage shows the engine oil pressure in pounds per square
inch (psi). Canadian vehicles indicate pressure in
kilopascals (Pa). There
are three ways the oil pressure light can come on
briefly, which are normal and don’t
show a problem.
They are:
0 The light comes on when you turn your key to RUN.
It goes off once you turn the key to START. That’s
just a check to be sure the light works. If it doesn’t,
be sure to have it fixed
so it will be there to warn you
if something goes wrong.
If you’re “idling” at a stop sign, the light may blink
on and then off.
If you make a hard stop, the light may come on
for a moment.
When this light
comes on and stays on, it means oil isn’t
going through your engine properly.
You could be low
on oil, or you might have some other oil problem. See
your dealer for service.
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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.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and
is not covered by
your warranty.
Check Oil Level Light (Option)
CHECK
OIL LEVEL
The CHECK OIL LEVEL
light comes on for three
seconds as a bulb check
each time the ignition key is
turned to the
RUN position.
If the light doesn’t come on,
have your vehicle serviced.
If the engine oil is more than one quart low, the light
will come on briefly, then go off for
15-25 seconds, and
then come back on for
20-40 seconds.
However, the system will not register low engine oil if it
has not been more than eight minutes since the engine
was last shut off.
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light comes back on, the
engine oil should be checked at the dipstick then
brought up to the proper level if necessary. See “Engine
Oil” in the Index.
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Change Oil Soon Light (Option)
CHANGE
OIL SOON
This light is activated by the
Engine Oil Life Monitor
System. The system
determines the condition of
the engine oil and lets you
know when the oil should be changed. (See “Engine
Oil” in the Index.)
It does this by using information about engine speed
(revolutions per minute), coolant temperature and
vehicle speed. The system uses this data to determine
how much the oil has degraded. When to
change your oil depends on driving habits and
conditions because these directly affect engine speed,
coolant temperature and vehicle speed. Because of this,
the CHANGE OIL SOON light may come
on as early as
2,000 miles or less for harsh conditions.
The CHANGE
OIL SOON light comes on for five
seconds as a bulb check each time the ignition key
is turned
to the RUN position. It will stay on for
60 seconds once 90% of the oil life has been used
and each time the engine is started after that.
If the
CHANGE
OIL SOON light is on continuously, there
is a problem with the Oil Life Monitor System and
service is required.
After changing the engine oil, the system should be
reset. This will cause the CHANGE
OIL SOON light to
be lit again for the bulb check period
of three seconds.
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