1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

NOTICE:
Using the wrong fluid can badly damage
brake system
parts. For example, just a few
drops
of minerallbased oil, such as engine
oil, in your brake system can damage brake
system
parts so badly that they’ll have to be
replaced.
Don’t let someone gut in the
If you spill brake fluid OEI your vehicle’s
painted
surfaces, the paint finish can be
damaged. Be careful
not to spill brake fluid
on your vehicle. If you do, wash it off
immediately. See “Appearance Case” in
the Index. wrong
kind of fluid.
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc
brake pads have built-in wear inchcators &at make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except
when
you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly).
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won’t work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
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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.
Properiy
torqued whee! nuts irre necessary to heIp
prevent
brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake
pacts for wear and evenly torque wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to GM specifications.
Brake linings should always be replaced 2s complete
axle seis.
See "Brake System Inspectioc" in Section 7 of this
nanuai under Part C "Periodic Maintecance
Inspections."
Every time
you apply the brakes, with or wiFhcut the
vehicle moving, your brakes adjust for wear.
Tie braking system a modem vehicle is complex.
Its many parts have to be of top quality and work weII
together if the vehicle is io lxwe reakly good braking.
Your vehicle \vas designed and tested with top-quality
GM brake puts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
-- for example, when your brake kings wear
down and you have to Rave new ones put irn -- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts. If YOQ
don't, your brakes may no ionger work properly. For
example,
if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rex brzkes can change -- for the worse. The braking
performance
you've come to expect cm change in many
other ways if someone ~dts in the wrong replacement
brake
parts.
Every new Buick has an ACIMCQ ~reedcm~ battery.
You never have to add water to one of these. Wen it's
time for a new battery, we recommend m ACDelco
Freedom battery. Get one
that has the replacement
mrnber shown cn the original battery's label.
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If you're not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or mcre, remove the black, negative (-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
Bse$tesies have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You ran be badly hurt if JW.I
aren't careful. See "Jump Starting" in the Index
for tips on working around a battery without
getting
hurt.
Contact yoirr dealer to Iem how to prepzre your vehicle
for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see 'Theft-Deterrent
Feature"
in the Index.
Halogen bulbs have pressurized g;as inside and
can burst if YOU drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions on the btrbb package.
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Each headlamp is amached by thumb screws.
........... .......... ...........
.. ......a , .. .... q::z;*: .... .....
... .... ............ ....... ....... ... , .. , .... ..... ..
1. Remove the thumb screws by turning them to
the left.
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2. Pull the headlamp away from the car.
3. Remove the bulb socket
by
turning it onequarter
of a tuna to the left,
while pressing it firmly,
then pull it out. Note:
YQU can use pliers to
remove the bulb socket
if you are unable to do Et
by hand.
.. I '.
..
4. Remove the wire connector from the bulb by
lifting the EQC~ tab ad pulling it away from the
plastic base.
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5. Reverse the above steeps to reassemble ahe Bamp
assembly. The
fiont 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
onequarter
of a turn and
pull it out.
When reassembling the lamp, make sure
to align
the pin at the outboapd edge of the headlamp
assembly to
the plastic retainer at the outboard
edge
of the vehicle. Remove the
old bulb
by pulling it straight out of the
socket. Replace the bulb
md turn the bulb assembly
back into place.
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ff ysbts vehicle is damaged in m accident and the
headamp
ain seems to be affected, see your dealer.
Headlamps
sn damaged vehicles may require
recttiibration of the horizontal aim by your dealer.
To check the ala, prepared 2s follows:
The vehicle should aot have any snow, ice OK- aud
attache6 to it.
o There sh~dd not be any CS~Q or loading of the
vehicle, except
it should have 2 full tank of gas and
me person or 160 Ibs. (75 kg) on the driver’s seat.
@ Tires should be properly inflated.
Rock the vehicle to stabilize the suspension.
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For the vertical. adjustment, state inspection stations
generally wiJl
allow a reading of plus 0.76 degrees or
minus 0.76 degrees from the center of the bubble. ...... ...... ...... ......
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 beans at you if your
adjustment is
much above
plus 0.4 degrees.
The headlamp
aiming device is under the hood, directly
behind the headlamps.
If you find that the headlamp aiming needs adjustment,
follow these steps:
Stat with the vertical headlamp aim. Adjustment
screws can be tanned with
an E8 Torn@ socket or
TI5 Tom screwdriver.
1. Check the vertical aim for each headlamp (A). The
vehicle must
be on a Bevel surface. Turn the vertical
aiming screw
(B) until the bubble in the level is lined
up with the
0 (zero).
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