1997 BUICK CENTURY brake

Shifting Into PP qK (P)
r A CAUTIO”’:
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.
If you have 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, use the steps
that follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see
“Towing a Trailer”
in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake with your
left foot.
2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position
like this:
0 Pull the lever toward you.
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Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Move the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is
in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
~ r-gine Rul:--'--T
I I
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don't leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have
to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the enginc
running, be sure your vehicle is in
PARK (P) anu your
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. After
you've moved the shift lever into the PARK
(P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pulling it toward you. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn't fully locked into PARK
(P).
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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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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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When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
/tl CAC LION:
Setting Cruise Control
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't
drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning,
and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
A CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and
go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch
off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SETKOAST
button at the end
of the
lever
and release it. The
CRUISE light on the
instrument panel will
come on.
'1 1
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This,
of course, shuts off
the cruise control.
But you don’t need to reset it.
Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise
control switch from
ON to
R/A (Resume/Accelerate)
for about half
a second.
You’ll
go right back up to
your chosen speed and
stay there.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed,
Push in the SETKOAST button, then release the
button and
the accelerator pedal. You’ll now cruise at
the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up
to the speed you want, and
then release the switch. (To increase your speed in
very small amounts, move the switch to R/A for less
than half
a second and then release it. Each time
you do
this, your vehicle will go about 1 mph
( 1.6 kmk) faster.)
The accelerate feature will only work after you set
the cruise control speed by pushing the
SETKOAST button.
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Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Push in the SETKOAST button until you reach the
To slow down in very small amounts, push the SET
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
lower speed
you want, then release
it.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to
the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness
of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going downhill,
you may
have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you
out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N), your cruise
control
set speed memory is erased.
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Daytime Running Lamps / Automatic
Headlamp Control
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but
they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system
will make your front turn signal lamps
come on when:
0 The ignition is on,
The headlamp switch is off and
0 The parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your your front turn signal
lamps will be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker
and other lamps won’t be
on. Your instrument panel
won’t be lit up either. When it’s
dark enough outside, your front turn signal
lamps will turn off and your vehicle’s headlamps and
parklamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, your headlamps will go
off and your front turn signal lamps will come on.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in
OFF or LOCK. Then start
your vehicle. The DRL, headlamps and parklamps will
stay off
until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need
it.
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