1997 BUICK CENTURY Owners Manual

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out
of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a
little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your Buick has a brake-transaxle shift interlock. You
must fully apply your regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in RUN. See
“Automatic Transaxle Operation” in the Index.
If
you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Then move
the shift lever
out of PARK (P).
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the engine and shift to the drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
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Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust
r
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don’t park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
1
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide
(CO), which you can’t see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:
Your exhaust system sounds strange
Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.
Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.
Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.
Repairs weren’t done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:
0 Drive it only with all the windows down to
0 Have your vehicle fixed immediately.
or
different.
modified improperly.
blow out any
CO; and
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Running Your Engine While
You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
Idling the engine with the climate control system
off could allow dangerous exhaust into your
vehicle (see the earlier Caution under
“Engine Exhaust”).
Also, idling in
a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with
CO -- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be
a blizzard. (See
“Blizzard” in the Index.)
A CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK
(P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have
to. If you’ve left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won’t
move. See “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you’re pulling a
trailer, also see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
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Windows
Power Windows
Switches on the driver’s door armrest control each of the
windows when the ignition is
on. In addition, each
passenger’s door
has a switch for its own window. The
driver’s window switch has
an express-down
feature. This switch is labeled
AUTO. Tap the rear of
the switch, and the driver’s window will open a small
amount. If the rear of the switch is pressed all the way
down, the window will go all the way down.
To stop the window while it is lowering, press the front
of the switch. To raise the window, press and hold the
front
of the switch.
The driver’s window controls also include a lock-out
switch. Press
LOCK to stop front and rear passengers
from using their window switches. The driver can still
control all the windows with the lock on. Press the other
side of the
LOCK button for normal window operation.
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Horn Tilt Steering Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows
you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive. You
can also raise it
to the
highest level to give your
legs more room when you
exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
Press on or anywhere near the horn symbols on your then release the lever to lock the wheel into place.
steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
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Turn SignaUMultifunction Lever
L
Lr
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlamp HighLow Beam
Windshield Wipers
0 Windshield Washer
0 Cruise Control
0 Flash-to-Pass
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow
you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the
turn is finished, the lever will return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel will flash in the
direction of the turn
or
lane change.
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To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts
to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release
it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrow
flashes faster than normal, a signal bulb may be burned
out and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If
the arrows don’t go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned-out bulbs and then check
the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers’’
in the Index).
A chime will sound if you leave your turn signal on for
more than
3/4 mile (1.2 km).
Headlamp High/Low Beam
To change your headlamps
from low beams to high
beams, or high
to low, pull
the multifunction lever all
the way toward you. Then
release
it. When the high
beams are on, a light on
the
instrument panel also will
be on.
Flash-to-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are
off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you a little,
but not
so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high-beam headlamps will turn
on. They’ll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high-beam indicator
on the dash will come on. Release
the lever to turn the high-beam headlamps off.
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Windshield Wipers
I
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
marked WIPER. For a single wiping cycle, turn the band
to MIST. Hold it there until the wipers start, then let go.
The wipers will stop after one cycle. If you want more
cycles,
hold the band on MIST longer.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band to LO. For
high-speed wiping, turn the band further,
to HI. To stop
the wipers, turn the band to OFF.
You can set the wiper speed for a long or short delay
between wipes. This
can be very useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band to choose the delay time. The
closer
to LO, the shorter the delay.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen
to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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