1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE engine overheat

NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics
in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts OF accessories, you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your dealer.
If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If yon ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the past of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
In very cold weather, 0 OF (- I 8 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant
heater can he8p. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine wm-up. Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
I_ -I
cigUTE[y%q @ -. .. b.8
Plugging t.he cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into
a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away from
moving engine parts. If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
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If you try to drive (approximately 20 feet (6.9 m)) with
the
parlkrng brake on, the brake light stays on and a
continuous chime sounds until you release the
parking
brake.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That part shows
what
to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If
you have left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground,
use the steps that
follow.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
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~ It can be dangerous to leave YQW vehicle with the
~ engine running. Your vehicle could move
i suddenly if the
shift lever is not hlPy in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it couk.€
overheat and even catch fire. YQU or others could
be injured. Don’t leave YOUK- vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
I
Hf you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehick is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you Ieave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the ?ARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if
YOU can move the shift lever away from PARK (?)
without first pulling it toward you. If you can, it means
that the shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
r-m naqae Le!#& I
If you are parking on ;I hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into PAKM (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too rntich force OD the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may f’ind it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) pr~perfy before you leave the driver’s
seat.
TQ find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) bejbre YOU retease the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle
push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the pxking pawl in the tramaxle, so you
can pull, the shiR lever out of PARK (P).
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Fuel Range: Press the FUEL button until the display
shows
FUEL RANGE. The fuel range will calculate the
remaining distance you can chive without refueling. This
calculation is based on the average fuel economy for the
last 25 miles (40.25 km) driven, and the fuel remaining
in the fuel
tank. The RESET button does not function in
this mode.
Fuel Used: Press the mTEk button until the display
shows
IFCTIEL USED. This display will show you how
much fuel has been used since the last reset.
TQ learn
how much fuel is used from a new starting point, press
the RESET button while the fbel used is displayed
-h
the DIC.
Oil Pressure: Press the GAGES button until OIL
PRESSURE appears in the display. If there are no
problems detected with the oil pressure, the display
will
show OIL PRESSURE NORMAL. If a low oil pressure
condition is detected, the display
will show OIL
PRESSURE LOW. If you see the OIL PRESSURE
LOW message, you could be low on oil or your oil is
not going through the engine properly. See your dealer
for service.
Coolant Temperature: Press the GAGES button until
COOLANT TEMB appears in the display. If there are no
problems detected with the temperature, C~C&4NI’
TEMP NORMAL will appear in the display. If the
temperature is too
high, COOLANT TEMP HOT will
appear in the display. If you see the COOLANT TEMP
HOT message, your engine is overheated. You should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and turn off your
engine as soon as possible.
This manual explains what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
Battery Volts: Press the GAGES button until the
display shows BATTERY STAm.
If the voltage is
normal the display will show BATTERY STATE
NORMAE. If the voltage drops below 10.5 volts, the
display will show
BATTERY STAm LOW. If the
voltage
is above 16 volts, the display will show
BATTERY STATE
HIGH. If the display shows the high
or low message, you need
to have your battery checked.
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Mere YOLI’HH find what to do about some problems that can occur the road.
5-2
5-2
5-3
5-7
5- 12
Hazard Warning Flashers
Other Warning Devices
Towing Your Vehicle
Engine Overheating
sump Starting
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E you get the overheat wming but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometines
the engine can get a BittIe too hot when you:
@B Climb a long hill on a hot day.
8 Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle
for long periods in tra€€ic.
9 Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with sign of stem,
try this for a mimte or so:
I. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest Fan
speed and opera the window as necessary.
otherwise, shift
to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a)
or THmD (3 1.
3. If you're Ira a tra€fic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
If you 1'10 longer have the overheat wmimg, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
IO minutes. If the warning doesn't come back on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, YOU can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you're parked, to see if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn c$ftthe engine and get everyone out of the
a,chicke until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water,
OF some other
liquid like alcohol,
can boil before the proper
coolant mixture will.
Your vehicle’s coolant
warning system
is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
your engine could get too hot but you wouldn’t
get the overheat warning. Your engine could
catch fire and you or others could
be burned.
Use a 50/50 mixture of clean water and
DEX-COOL@ coolant.
___~ __~ ~~ ___ __ __
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended cooisant and the proper
coolant mixture.
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Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind
of transaxle fluid to use. See “Recommended
Fluids
md Eubricmts” in the Index.
If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid
to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on
the dipstick.
I. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole
to bring it to the proper level.
It doesn’t
take much fluid, generally less than one
pint
(0.5 L). Don’t ove@Zl.
3. After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level ips
4. When the correct fluid level is obt.ained, push the
described
under “How to Check.”
dipstick back in
dl the way.
The cooling s stem in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 MI0 h) whichever occurs first, if you add only
DEX-COOL“ extended life coolant,
The following explains
your coding system and
how to add coolant when it is low. If YOU have a
problem with engine overheating, see “Engine
Overheating”
in the Index.
A 50/50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL’
coolant will:
J
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265 OF 129 ” C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
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