1996 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your
Buick. This section begins with service and fuel
information, and then it shows how to check important
fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical
information about your vehicle, and a part devoted to its
appearance care.
Service
Your Buick dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you’ll
go to your
dealer for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM
parts and GM-trained and supported service people. We
hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
Delco
....
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Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to get the proper Buick Service Manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your Buick than this
manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Buick” in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Index.
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged
if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, and the proper replacement parts and tools before you attempt any
vehicle maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or
fall off. You could be hurt.
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Fuel
The 8th digit of your vehicle identification number
(VIN) shows the code letter for your engine. You will
find the
VIN at the top left of your instrument panel.
(See “Vehicle Identification Number” in the Index.)
If you don’t have the 3800 Supercharged engine (VIN
Code l), use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane
or higher.
If you have the 3800 Supercharged engine, use premium
unleaded gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use should meet
specifications ASTM D4814 in the United States and
CGSB 3.5-M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have- been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
’ better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting ihe AAMA specification could
, ’ provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least 91
(at least 89 for middle grade and
87 for regular). If the
i octane is, less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive.
If it’s bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
,
If you have the 3800 Supercharged engine, in an
emergency, you may be able to use .a lower octane
-- as
low as 87
-- if heavy knocking does not occur. If you
are using 91 or higher octane unleaded gasoline and you
still heq heavy knocking, your engine needs service.
,
If you’re using fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you still hear heavy knocking, your engine
needs service. But don’t worry
if you hear a little
pinging noise when you’re accelerating or driving up a
hill. That’s normal, and you don’t have to buy a higher
octane fuel to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood tune-up label), it
is designed to operate’on fuels that meet California
specifications. If such fuels are not available in states
adopting California emissions standards, your vehicle
will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specifications, but emission control system performance
may be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on and/or your vehicle
may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for diagnosis to determine,the
cause of failure.
In the event it is determined that the
cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
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In Canada, some gasolines contain an octane-enhancing
additive called
MMT. If you use such fuels, your
emission control system performance may deteriorate
and the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on. If this happens, return to your
authorized Buick dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines are now required to
contain additives that will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine and fuel system, allowing your
emission control system to function properly. Therefore,
you should not have to add anything to the fuel. In
addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers
and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be
available in your area to help clean the air. General
Motors recommends that
you use these gasolines if they
comply with the specifications described earlier.
I NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t be covered under your warranty.
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text
on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use
of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll be driving.
You can also write us at the following address for
advice. Just tell
us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation
North American Export Sales
(NAES)
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
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Filling Your Tank
/A CAUTION:
Gasol-ine vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries..
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline
or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames, and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
I
The cap is behind a hinged door on the driver:s side of
your vehicle.
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--le release button for the
fuel door
is to the left of the
steering column. There
is also a manual fuel
door release. This
mechanism is located in the
top of the trunk
compartment, on the
driver’s side of
the vehicle.
Pull the white tab to release
the fuel
door.
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While refueling, hang the cap inside the fuel door. ,
To take off the cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
L I.
If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out on you
if you open the
fuel filler, cap too quickly. This spray can happer: if your tank isnearly full, and
is more likely in
hot weather. Open. the(fue1 filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
Be careful not to
spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from ,
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
Outside of Your Buick”
in the Index.
When you put the cap back on,
turn it to the right until
you hear at least three clicks. Make sure you fully install
the cap.
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NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for
you. If you get
the wrong type, it may not fit or have proper
venting, and your fuel tank and emissions system
might be damaged.
Checking Things Under the Hood
I
I
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any
underhood electric fan.
I
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start
a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber.
You or others
could be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto
a hot engine.
Hood Release
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