1997 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

Low Coolant Warning Light
I OW COOLANT
If this light comes on, your
system is low on coolant
and the engine may
overheat. See “Engine
Coolant” in the Index and
have your vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
The
light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned
on to show you that it is
working properly.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Service Engine Soon Eight)
SERVICE ENGINE
SOON
Your Buick is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation
of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD
I1 (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and
is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. (In Canada,
OBD I1 is replaced by
Enhanced Diagnostics.) The
SERVICE ENGINE
SOON light comes on and a chime will sound to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more
serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also
designed to assist your service technician
in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.
2-69
-.
ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead
to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
0
0
Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service is required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
0 Avoiding hard accelerations.
0 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light
Is On Steady” following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
2-70
ProCarManuals.com

If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently
put fuel into your vehicle?
If
so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel
cap has been left
off or improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed should turn
the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out.
A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If
so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the light
to
turn on. If you
experience one or more of these conditions,
change the
fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Warning Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine,
or come on when
you are driving.
This indicates that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it lubricated. The engine could
be low on oil or could have some other oil problem.
Have it fixed right away.
2-71
ProCarManuals.com

The oil light could also come on in the following situations:
The light will come on briefly when you turn on the
ignition to show you that it is working properly.
(If it
doesn’t come on with the ignition on, you may have
a
problem with the fuse or bulb. Have it fixed right away.)
0 Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
light may blink on and
off. This is normal.
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You
or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Low Oil Level Light
LOW
OIL
Your engine is equipped with
an oil level monitoring
system. When
the ignition
key is turned on, the
LOW
OIL light will come on
briefly.
If the light does not
come on briefly, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and turn the engine
off. Check the oil level using the
engine oil dipstick. (See “Engine Oil” in the Index.)
If
the light does not flash, have the low oil level sensor
system repaired
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s
a problem.
The oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key
on and engine
crank. It does not monitor engine oil level when the
engine is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed if
the engine has been turned off for a
considerable period of time, allowing the oil normally in
circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
2-72
ProCarManuals.com

Change Oil Soon Light
CHANGE OIL
SOON
Your CHANGE OIL SOON
light should come on as a
bulb check when you start
the engine. If this light stays
on for about 20 seconds
afte.r you turn
on the
ignition, have the oil
changed.
When to change your oil also depends
on driving habits
and conditions because they directly affect engine speed,
coolant temperature and vehicle speed. Because
of this,
the CHANGE OIL SOON light may come on as early as
2,000 miles (3,200 km) or less for harsh conditions. Remember,
after changing your engine
oil, the system
must be reset; with the ignition key in the
RUN position,
but the engine off,
fully push and release the accelerator
pedal three times within five seconds.
If the CHANGE
OIL SOON light flashes two times, the system is reset.
However if the light comes on and stays on for five
seconds, it did not reset. You’ll need to reset the system
again. (If you have a driver information center, the
system may be reset
by depressing the DIC RESET
button for five seconds while viewing the oil life display
on the DIC. See “Driver Information Center” later in
this section.)
ProCarManuals.com

Security Light Cruise Light
SECURITY
This light
will come on
when you turn the key to
START and stay on until the
vehicle starts. It will also
flash if your key is too dirty
or wet for the PASS-Key I1
system to read the resistor
pellet. See “Pass-Key 11” in
the Index.
If the resistor pellet is damaged or missing, the light
will come on.
If you’re driving and the SECURITY light comes on
and remains on,
your PASS-Key I1 system is not
working properly. Your vehicle
is not protected by
PASS-Key
11, and you should see your dealer.
CRUISE
The CRUISE light comes
on whenever you set your
cruise control. See “Cruise
Control” in the Index.
Performance Shift Light (If Equipped)
PERF
SHIFT
The PERF SHIFT light
comes on when you press
the performance shift button
to indicate that your vehicle
is in performance shifting
mode. See “Performance
Shifting’’ in
the Index.
2-74
ProCarManuals.com

Service Vehicle Soon Light
SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON
This light will come on
if you have certain
non-emission related
vehicle problems.
These problems may not be obvious and may affect
vehicle performance or durability. Consult a qualified
Buick dealership for necessary repairs to maintain top vehicle performance. The light will come on briefly
when your ignition is turned on to show that it is
working properly.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
LOW WASH
This light will come on
when your windshield
washers are working and the
fluid container is low. The
light will also come on
briefly when your ignition
is turned on to show that it
is working properly.
Door/Trunk Ajar Warning Light
DOOR/TRUNK
This light will come on if
your trunk or any door is
not completely closed.
2-75
ProCarManuals.com

Fuel Gage Low Fuel Light
1 12
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left when the ignition
is on. When the indicator
nears
EMPTY (E), you still
have a little fuel
left, but
you should get more soon.
Here are some things owners ask about. All these
situations are normal and do not show a problem with
your fuel gage:
At the service station, the pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
the tank was half full, but it actually took a little more
or less than half the tank’s capacity to fill it.
0 The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up. If
your fuel is low, a circular
light
on your instrument
panel cluster will come
on
and stay on and a chime will
sound periodically until you
add fuel. It will also come
on for a few seconds when
you first turn
on the ignition
as a check to show you it’s
working. If it doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed.
2-76
ProCarManuals.com