1997 BUICK CENTURY tow

Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot.
A warning chime will sound if the parking brake is set,
the ignition is
on and the shift lever is not in PARK (P)
or NEUTRAL (N).
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat.
You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push
the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your left
foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
released position.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer’’ in the Index. That section shows
what to
do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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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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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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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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Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor vanity
lamps, trunk lamp, underhood lamp or glove box lamps
on. If you leave any of these lamps on, they will
automatically turn off after
20 minutes, if the ignition is
in
the OFF position. The lamps won’t come back on
again until you:
0 Turn the ignition on,
0 Turn the lamp switch off, then on; or
Open a door.
Note that if your vehicle has less than
15 miles (25 km)
on the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Retained Accessory Power (If Equipped)
With retained accessory power, your power windows,
audio system and sunroof will continue to work
up to
10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to the OFF
position and none of the doors is opened.
Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lamps behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position).
To return the mirror
back to the day position, push the lever away from you.
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The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
Charging System Light
4
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn
on the ignition, as
a check to show
you it’s
working. Then it should
go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose drive belt or another
electrical problem. Have it checked right away. Driving
while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain
to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Buick’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If
one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be
a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
This light should come
on briefly when you turn
the ignition key
to RUN.
If it doesn’t come
on then,
have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn
you if there’s
a problem.
If the light comes
on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing, have
the vehicle towed for service. (See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” and “Towing Your Vehicle” in
the Index.)
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Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay
on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when
you start your
engine and it will stay
on
for three seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be
a problem with your
regular brakes. Pull off the road and stop carefully.
You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal
may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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