1996 BUICK REGAL light

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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Security Light
SECURITY
This light will come on
when you turn the key to
START and stay on until the
vehicle starts. It will also
come on and stay on if your
key is too dirty or wet for
the PASS-Key
IT system to
read the resistor pellet.
If the resistor pellet is damaged or missing, the light
will flash.
If you’re driving and the SECURITY light comes on
and remains
on, your PASS-Key TI system is not
working properly. Your vehicle is not protected by
PASS-Key
11, and you should see your dealer.
Cruise Light
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you set your
cruise control.
CRUISE
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Fuel Gage
F
L
UNLEADED FUEL ONL’
1
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have
left when the ignition
is on. When the indicator
- nears EMPTY (E), you still
1 have a little fuel left, but
b
you should get more soon.
Here are some things owners ask about. All these
situations are normal and do not show a problem with
your
fuel gage:
0
0
0
At the service station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
a little more or less than half the tank’s capacity to
fill it.
The gage moves a little when
you turn a corner or
speed up.
Low Fuel Light
LOW
If your fuel is low, a light
will come on and stay on
until you add fuel. It will
also come on for
a few
seconds when
you first turn
on the ignition as a check to
show you it’s working. If it
doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed.
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The lever on the passenger's
door sets the temperature
for the front seat passenger.
Press the
DUAL button on the system face so the light on
it is lit. Slide the lever on the door toward
W to raise the
temperature. Slide it toward
C to lower the temperature.
To allow the driver to set
the temperature, push the DUAL
button again. The
panel has several settings to control the direction
of
airflow. The indicator light on the button will glow
when
the button is pressed.
OFF: The setting turns the system (including the
fan) off.
VENT This setting brings in outside air and directs it
through the instrument panel outlets.
HTR: This setting sends most of the air through the
ducts near the
floor. The rest comes out of the defroster
and side window vents.
BLEND: This setting allows half of the air to go to the
floor ducts and half to the defrost and side window vents.
FRONT This setting directs most of the air
through the defroster and side window vents. Some
of
the air goes to the floor ducts. The air conditioning
compressor will run automatically
in this setting unless
the outside temperature is below
40°F (4.5"C).
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MAX: This setting recirculates much of the air inside
your vehicle and sends it through
the instrument panel
outlets. The air conditioning compressor will run
automatically
in this setting unless the outside
temperature is below 40°F (4.5"C).
NORM: This setting brings in outside air and sends
it through the instrument panel outlets. The air
conditioning compressor will run automatically
in this
setting unless the outside temperature is below 40°F
(4.5 " C).
BI-LEV: This setting brings in the outside air and
directs
it two ways. Half of the air is directed through
the instrument panel outlets. Most
of the remaining air is
directed through the floor ducts and
a little to the defrost
and side window vents. The air conditioning compressor
will run automatically in this setting unless the outside
temperature
is below 40°F (4.5"C).
Air Conditioning
On very hot days, open the windows long enough to let
hot, inside air escape. This reduces the time the
compressor has to
run, which should help fuel economy.
For quick cool-down on very hot days, use
MAX with
the temperature lever all the way to COOL.
If this
setting is used for long periods of time,
the air in your
vehicle may become too dry.
For normal cooling on hot days, use
NORM with the
temperature lever all the way to COOL. The system will
bring
in outside air and cool it.
On cool but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper
body, but your lower body may not be warm enough.
You can use BI-LEV with the temperature knob in the
middle. The system will bring
in outside air and direct it
to your upper body, while sending slightly warmed air to
your lower body. You may notice this temperature
difference more at some times than others.
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