1997 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi
(420 kPa).
After installing the compact spare
on your vehicle, you
should stop as soon as possible and make sure your
spare tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare is
made to perform well at speeds up to
65 mph
(105 kmh) for distances up to 3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can finish your trip and have your full-size tire
repaired or replaced where
you want. Of course, it’s best
to replace your spare with a full-size tire as soon as you
can. Your spare will last longer and be in good shape in
case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught
on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts
of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t
mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
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If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help
you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle
or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels
as little as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle as well
as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has the Enhanced Traction System, you should turn
the system off.
(See “Enhanced Traction System” in
the Index.) If your vehicle has the Traction Control
System, you should turn the system
off. (See “Traction
Control System”
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth
between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the
wheels as little
as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when
the transaxle is in gear. If that doesn’t get
you out
after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
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& NOTES
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Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your Buick. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how
to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There is also technical information about your
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vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
Service
Fuel
Fuels in Foreign Countries
Filling Your Tank
Checking Things Under the Hood
3800 Supercharged (Code 1) Engine
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
Engine Coolant
Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery
Bulb Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside
of Your Buick
Cleaning the Built-in Child Restraint
Care
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Cleaning
the Outside of the Windshield and
Wiper Blades
Weatherstrips Cleaning the Outside of Your Buick
Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome Wheels
Cleaning Tires
Sheet Metal Damage
Finish Damage
Underbody Maintenance
Chemical Paint Spotting
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN)
Service Parts Identification Label
Electrical System Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Vehicle Dimensions
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
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Service
Your Buick dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it.
We hope you’ll go to your
dealer for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM
parts and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want
to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one
of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper Buick Service Manual. It tells
you much more about how
to service your Buick than
this manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications’’ in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your
Air
Bag-Equipped Buick” in the Index. You
should keep a record with
all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date
of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Index.
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A CAUl ON:
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You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged
if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused.
If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall
off. You could be hurt.
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Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your Buick dealer before adding equipment
to the
outside
of your vehicle.
Fuel
The 8th digit of your vehicle identification number
(VIN) shows the code letter for your engine. You will
find the VIN at the top left of your instrument panel.
(See “Vehicle Identification Number” in the Index.)
If you have the
3800 engine (VIN Code K), use
regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher.
If you’re using fuel rated at the recommended octane
or higher and you hear heavy knocking, your
engine
needs service. But don’t worry if you hear a
little pinging noise when you’re accelerating or driving
up a hill. That’s normal, and you don’t have to buy a
higher octane fuel to get rid
of pinging. It’s the heavy,
constant knock that means you have a problem.
If you have the 3800 Supercharged engine (VIN
Code l), use premium unleaded gasoline rated at
91 octane or higher. With the 3800 Supercharged
engine, in an emergency,
you may be able to use a
lower octane -- as low as 87 -- if heavy knocking
does not occur.
If you are using 91 or higher octane
unleaded gasoline and you hear heavy knocking, your
engine needs service.
At
a minimum, the gasoline you use should meet
specifications ASTM D48
I4 in the United States
and CGSB
3.5-M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting
the AAMA specification could
provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least
91
(at least 89 for middle grade and 87 for regular). If the
octane is less than 87, you may get
a heavy knocking
noise when you drive. If it’s bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
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If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications. If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn
on and/or
your vehicle may fail a smog-check test. If this occurs,
return to your authorized Buick dealer for diagnosis
to determine the cause of failure. In the event it is
determined that the cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs may
not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated
for low
emissions contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use of such gasolines.
If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp
on your instrument panel
may turn on. If this occurs, return to your authorized
Buick dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives
that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and
fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have
to
add anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines
containing oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available
in your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines
if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
I NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts
in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t be covered under your warranty.
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