1997 BUICK CENTURY key

Twilight Sentinel
Twilight Sentinel provides a period of exterior
illumination as you leave the vicinity of your vehicle.
The feature is activated when your vehicle’s headlamps
are on due to the automatic headlamp control feature
described previously
in this section, and when your
vehicle’s ignition is turned off. Your headlamps will
then remain
on until the headlamp switch is moved from
OFF to the parklamp position or until a 90 second
illumination period has elapsed.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamp switch in
the parklamp or headlamp position, the Twilight
Sentinel cycle will not occur.
You can customize the vehicle
to activate the Twilight
Sentinel when your vehicle’s ignition is turned off under
the conditions described above, or you may choose not
to activate this feature under any conditions. The
enabled/disabled state of this feature will be toggled
when you perform the following sequence with the
doors closed and the ignition key
in the RUN position: Press
and hold
the power door lock switch. While
holding
the door lock switch, cycle the headlamp switch
on and then off two times. Release the power door lock
switch. These operations must be carried out
in a time
period
of less than 10 seconds, followed by a delay
period of no more than
10 seconds. Then, press and hold
the power door unlock switch. While holding the door
unlock switch, cycle the headlamp switch on and then
off two times. Release the courtesy door unlock switch.
These operations must be carried out
in a time period of
less than 10 seconds.
After releasing the door unlock switch, a single chime
will be heard if the Twilight Sentinel function has been
disabled; two chimes
will be heard if the feature has
been enabled. This feature will be enabled when your
vehicle is shipped from the factory. Disconnecting the
vehicle’s battery for up to a year will not change the
programmed operation of this feature.
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Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
You can brighten or dim the instrument panel lights by
moving the LIGHTS dial.
If you turn the dial past
MAX, your courtesy or interior lamps will come on.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on. These
lamps are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for you to
enter and leave your vehicle.
You can also turn these
lamps
on by moving the interior lamps dial all the way
to the right.
Illuminated Entry
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever you press UNLOCK on the remote
keyless entry transmitter.
If you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn
off automatically about 25 seconds after
you close it. If you press UNLOCK and don’t open a
door, the lamps will turn off after about 40 seconds.
Illuminated Entry includes
a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps don’t just
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they slowly dim after the delay time until they go out. The delay
time
is canceled if you turn the ignition key to RUN or
START,
so the lamps will dim right away.
When the ignition is on, Illuminated Entry is inactive,
which means the courtesy lamps won’t come on unless a
door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed Entry Lighting illuminates your vehicle’s
interior for
a period of time after all the doors have been
closed.
The ignition must be off for Delayed Entry Lighting
to
work. Just after all the doors have been closed, the
Delayed Entry Lighting feature will continue to
work until:
0 The ignition is turned to the RUN position.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during
the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period will be canceled and the interior lamps will remain on since a door is open.
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Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates your vehicle’s interior for a
period
of time after the ignition key is removed from
the ignition.
The vehicle’s ignition must be
off for Delayed Exit
Lighting to work. When the ignition key is removed,
interior illumination will activate and remain on until:
0 The ignition is turned to the RUN position.
0 The power door locks are activated.
0 An illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on since a door is open.
Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps
(If Equipped)
Use the switch next to each lamp to turn them on
and
off.
Dome Lamp
The dome lamp will come on when you open the doors.
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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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Storage Compartments
Glove Box
Use the door key to lock and unlock the glove box. To
open, lift the latch.
Storage Armrest (If Equipped)
To use the storage area, fold down the armrest located in
the center front seat. Press the latch on the front edge
and pull
up. Dual oversized cupholders will fold out
from within the storage armrest.
You may also have an armrest located within the center
back seat of your vehicle. It may have a storage area and
cupholders.
To open, pull up on the lever at the end of
the armrest and
lift. Two cupholders will then be
accessible and you will have access to
the storage
compartment area.
Convenience Net (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a convenience net. You’ll see it
on the back wall of the trunk.
Put small loads, like grocery bags, behind
the net. It can
help keep them from falling over during sharp turns or
quick starts and stops.
The
net isn’t for larger, heavier loads. Store those in the
trunk
as far forward as you can.
You can unhook the net so that it will lie flat when
you’re not using it.
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When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when
you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about
it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting
to do repairs can be costly -- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt
is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds, then it
will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the chime nor the
light
will come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air bag symbol. The system
checks the air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. The
system check includes the air bag modules, the wiring
and the crash sensing and diagnostic module. For more
information
on the air bag system, see “Air Bag” in
the Index.
This right will come on
when you start your engine,
and it will flash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should
go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays
on after you start the
engine or comes on when
you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
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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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ON:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock brake system warning light flashing can lead
to an
accident. After you’ve pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine, turn
the ignition
off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If
the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Buick needs service, If the
light is
on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly 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.
4nti-Lock Brake System Active Light
1
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking
skid,
the anti-lock brake system
Slippery road conditions may exist if this light comes
on,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The light will
stay
on for a few seconds after the system stops
adjusting brake pressure.
The anti-lock brake system active light also comes
on
briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
there to tell you when the system is active.
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