1996 BUICK REGAL engine

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage

TEMPERATURE
You have a gage that shows
the engine coolant temperature. 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.
In “Problems on the Road,”
this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
Low Coolant Warning Light
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.
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Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Service Engine Soon Light)
SERV. ENGINE
SOON
Your Buick is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation
of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
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 SERV. ENGINE
SOON
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.
1 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
or 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.
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If the Light Is Flashing If the Light Is On Steady
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
0 Reduce vehicle speed.
0 Avoid hard accelerations.
0 Avoid steep uphill grades.
0 If towing a trailer, reduce the amount of cargo being
hauled
as soon as it is possible.
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. You
may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you just put fuel into your vehicle?
If
so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly installed. This will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle
of water?
Tf 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.
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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.
Oil Warning Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on when
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 it fixed right away.
The oil light could also come on
in two 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 on, you may have a problem with the fuse or
bulb. Have it fixed right away.
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Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
light may blink on and off. This is normal.
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.
Low Oil Level Light
LOW OIL
LEVEL
Your engine is equipped
with
an oil level monitoring
system. When the ignition
key is turned on, the LOW
OIL LEVEL light will
briefly flash. If the light
does not flash, have
it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there’s a problem.
If
the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and turn
the engine off. 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.
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.
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Heating
On cold days, use HTR with the temperature lever all
the way to
WARM. The system will bring in outside air,
heat it and send it
to the floor ducts.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you can use
it to help your system provide warm air faster when it’s
cold outside
(0°F (-18°C) or lower). An engine coolant
heater warms the coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See “Engine Coolant
Heater” in the Index.
Ventilation System
Adjust the direction of airflow by moving the
louvered vents.
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when
it is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning
fan
is running.
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Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger
uses
a warming grid to
remove
fog from the rear
window. Press the button
to turn the defogger on. It
will turn itself off after
about
ten minutes.
If you turn it on again, the defogger will only run for about
five minutes before turning off. You can also turn it off by
turning off the ignition or pressing the button again.
Do not attach anything like a temporary vehicle license
or decal across
the defogger grid.
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.
Audio Systems
Your Delco@ audio system has been designed to operate
easily and give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of
it if you acquaint yourself
with
it first. Find out what your Delco system can do
and how to operate all its controls, to be sure you’re
getting the most
out of the advanced engineering that
went into it.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HRS until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold MIN until the correct minute appears.
You may set
the clock with the ignition off if you
press
RECALL first and follow the same procedure
described above.
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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:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
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.
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