1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to GM specifications.
Your rear drum brakes don’t have wear indicators, but if
you ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected.
Also, the rear brake drums should
be removed and inspected each time the tires
are removed
for rotation
or changing. When you have the front brakes
replaced, have the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See “Brake System Inspection’’ in Section
7 of this
manual under Part
C “Periodic Maintenance
Inspections”.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you apply the brakes, with or without the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex. Its
many parts have to be of top quality and work well
together
if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Your vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
-- for example, when your brake linings wear
down and you have to have new ones put in
-- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts.
If you
don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example, if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rear brakes can change
-- for the worse. The braking
performance you’ve come to expect can change in many
other ways if someone puts in the wrong replacement
brake parts.
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Battery
Every new Buick has a Delco Freedom@ battery. You
never have to add water to one of these. When it’s time
for
a new battery, we recommend a Delco Freedom
battery. Get one that has the replacement number shown
on the original battery’s label.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, take off the black, negative
(-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down. Contact
your dealer to learn how to prepare your vehicle
for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature” in the Index.
Bulb Replacement
The following procedure tells you how to replace your
headlamp bulbs.
Halogen Bulbs
A CAUTION:
A CAUTION: Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside and
can burst if you drop or scratch the bulb.
You or
Batteries have acid that can burn
you and gas others could be injured. Be sure to read and
that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you follow the instructions on the bulb package.
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting” in the Index
for tips on working around
a battery without
getting hurt.
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Headlamps
Each headlamp is attached by thumb screws.
1. Remove the thumb screws by turning in a
counterclockwise direction.
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2. Pull the headlamp away from the car.
3. Remove the bulb
socket by turning it
one-quarter of
a turn
counterclockwise, while
pressing it firmly, then
pull it out. Note: You
can use pliers to remove
the bulb socket if you
are unable
to do it
by hand.
4. Remove the wire connector from the bulb by
lifting the lock tab and pulling it away from the
plastic base.
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5. Reverse the above steps to reassemble the
lamp assembly.
When reassembling the lamp, make sure to align the
pin at the outboard edge
of the headlamp assembly to
the plastic retainer at the outboard edge
of the vehicle.
Front Turn Signal
The front turn signal bulbs can be accessed by
removing the headlamp assembly as described in the
previous procedure.
Once the headlamp
assembly has been removed,
reach down from the
top of
the vehicle and, while
pressing the lock tab on the
socket, turn the socket
one-quarter
of a turn and
pull it out.
Remove the old bulb by pulling
it straight out of the
socket. Replace the bulb and turn the bulb assembly
back into place.
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Headlamp Aiming
Your vehicle has the composite headlamp system. These
headlamps have horizontal and vertical aim indicators.
The
aim has been pre-set at the factory and should need
no further adjustment.
If your vehicle is damaged in an accident and the
headlamp
aim seems to be affected, see your Buick
dealer. Headlamps on damaged vehicles may require
~ recalibration of the horizontal aim by your Buick dealer.
To check the aim, the vehicle should be properly
prepared as follows:
0 The vehicle must have all four tires on a perfectly
level surface.
0 The vehicle should not have any snow, ice or mud
attached to it.
0 There should not be any cargo or loading of the
vehicle, except it should have a
full tank of gas and
one person or 160 lbs. (75 kg) on the driver’s seat.
0 Tires should be properly inflated.
0 The horizontal indicator should read “0.”
NOTICE:
I
~~
To make sure your headlamps are aimed
properly, read
all the instructions before
beginning. Failure to follow these instructions
could cause damage to headlamp parts.
State inspection stations will allow a vertical reading of
plus 0.76 degrees or minus 0.76 degrees from the center
of the bubble.
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It is recommended that
the upper limit not exceed
plus
0.4 degrees from the
center
of the bubble. Other
drivers may flash their high
beams at you if your
adjustment is much above
plus
0.4 degrees.
The headlamp aiming device
is under the hood, directly
behind the headlamps.
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If you find that the headlamp aiming needs adjustment,
follow these steps:
Start with the vertical headlamp aim. Adjustment
screws can be turned with an
E8 Tom@ socket or T15
Torx screwdriver.
1. Check the vertical aim for each headlamp. The
vehicle must be on a level surface.
Turn the vertical
aiming screw until the bubble in the level is lined up
with the
0 (zero).
2. Now adjust the horizontal aim. The horizontal
aiming device is located on the inboard side of each
headlamp assembly, down lower from the vertical
aiming device. Check the horizontal aim and adjust
it
as necessary. There is a round dial located on the
horizontal adjuster, with an alignment notch
on it.
Turn the horizontal aiming screw until the zero is
lined up with the notch.
3. Now, visually recheck the vertical aim, to make sure
it is still correct after the horizontal aim adjustment.
Readjust, if necessary.
Taillamps
1. Open the trunk. On either side of the rear of the
trunk is a plastic retainer that holds the cargo net
and
taillamp assembly in place.
2. Unhook the cargo net
from the cargo net
retainer and remove the
retainer by turning it
counterclockwise.
3. Pull back the trunk trim panel.
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