1998 BUICK REGAL air condition

Heating Ventilation System
On cold days, use HTR with the temperature knobs all
the way in the red area. The system will bring in outside
air, heat it and send it to the floor ducts.
If your vehicle has an engine coolant heater, you can use
it
to help your system provide wm air faster when it’s
cold outside
(0°F (-18°C) or lower). An engine coolant
heater wms the coolant your engine and heating
system use to provide heat. See “Engine Coolant
Heater” in the Index.
Defogging and Defrosting
Your system has two settings for clearing the front and
side windows.
To defrost the windows quickly, press the
FRONT button; set the temperature to 90 OF (32”C),
select high fan speed and turn the DUAL button off. To
warm passengers while keeping the windows clear, push
the AIR
FLOW button until WINDSHIELDFLOOR
appears in the display. Select fan speed for comfort and
windshield clearing performance. Adjust the direction
of airflow by moving
the vents.
Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it
is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning
fan is running.
If the airflow seems very low when the fan knob is
turned
to the highest setting regardless of the mode
setting, your passenger compartment air filter may
need
to be replaced. See “Maintenance Schedule’’
in the Index.
3-10
ProCarManuals.com

Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road.
For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It
is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason
is that some dlivers are likely to be impaired -- by
alcohol or
dugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
4-17
ProCarManuals.com

If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a).
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 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 off the engine und get everyone out of the
vehicle
until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but
to get service
help right away.
5-16
ProCarManuals.com

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. 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
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
6-2
6-3
6-5 6-5
6-8
6- 12
6-
12
6- 17
6-20
6-23
6-27
6-28 6-30
6-33 6-34
6-39
6-49
6-49 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 Vehicle 6-5
1
6-52
6-52
6-52
6-53
6-54
6-55
6-57 6-58
6-58
6-59
6-65
6-65
6-66
6-67 6-67 Cleaning the Built-in
Child Restraint
Care of Safety Belts and Built-in Child
Restraint Harness
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Cleaning the Outside of the Windshield and
Wiper Blades
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome Wheels
Cleaning Tires
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
6- 1
ProCarManuals.com

At a minimum, the gasoline you use should meet
specifications ASTM
D4814 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.
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.
6-4
ProCarManuals.com

Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps
are on properly. Then just pull the hood down and close
it firmly.
3800 Supercharged (Code 1) Engine
(If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a 3800 Supercharged engine.
The supercharger is a device which is designed to pump
more air into the engine than it would normally use.
This
air is mixed with fuel, which creates increased
engine power. Since the supercharger is a pump and is
driven from an engine accessory drive belt, increased
pressure
is available at all driving conditions.
The Powertrain Control Module (PCM), works with a
vacuum control to regulate the increased pressure
required during specific driving conditions. When this
increased pressure or boost is not desired, such as during
idling and light throttle cruising, the excess air that the
supercharger is pumping is routed through a bypass. All
of these controls working together provide high
performance character and fuel efficiency in the
3800
Supercharged L67 engine.
Engine Oil
LOW
OIL
If the LOW OIL light on the
instrument panel comes on,
it means you need to check
your engine oil level right
away. For more
information,
see “Low Oil
Level Light” in the Index.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this
is
an added reminder.
It’s a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
6-12
ProCarManuals.com

Operating the engine with the air cleaner off can
cause you or others to be burned. The air cleaner
not only cleans the air,
it stops flame if the engine
backfires.
If it isn’t there, and the engine
backfires, you could be burned. Don’t drive with
it
off, and be careful working on the engine with
the
air cleaner off.
I NOTICE:
If the air cleaner is off, a backfire can cause a
damaging engine fire. And, dirt can easily get
into your engine, which will damage it. Always
have the air cleaner in place when you’re driving.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The passenger compartment
air filter is located
underneath your hood just
below the windshield wiper
arm on the car’s passenger
side (Underneath the air
inlet grille).
The filter traps
most of the pollen from the air entering
the air conditioning module. Like your engine’s air
filter, it may need to be changed periodically. For
information on how often
to change the passenger
compartment air filter, see “Maintenance Schedule” in
the Index.
6-18
ProCarManuals.com

Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that 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 firmy).
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.
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.
I 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.”
I NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
Brake Pedal navel
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.
6-32
ProCarManuals.com