1998 BUICK REGAL turn signal

Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention
to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come
on briefly when you start the
engine just to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with
one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s
a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes
on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of
the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even dangerous.
So please
get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re
a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a driver information system
that
works along with the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System” in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver‘s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds,
then it will flash for about
55 seconds. If the driver’s
belt is already buckled,
neither the chime nor
the
light will come on.
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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane
to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than
it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make
it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying
to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited
to existing conditions, and by not “overdriving”
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid
are best
handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
I-
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction.
It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts
to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make
it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank filled
with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to
separate
from the inserts.
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City Driving Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to
traffic signals.
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Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough to
need it. When a light turns green, and just before you
start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared the intersection or may be running the
red light.
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Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of
all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep
to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on
a freeway as a passing lane. At the
entrance, there is usually
a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder
as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once
you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay
in
the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to
make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving
on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well
in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back
up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
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Making Thns
I NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer
to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very
sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider
turns than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike
soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Buick dealer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes
or stop.
When towing
a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even
if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don‘t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On
a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating.
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Hazard Warning Flashers
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Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lamps will flash on and off. Press the switch on top
of
the
steering column to make
your front and rear turn
signal lamps
flash on and
off. Your hazard warning
flashers work no matter
what position your key is in;
they even work if the key
isn’t in the ignition.
To turn off the flashers, press the switch again. When
the hazard warning flashers are on, your
turn signals
won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
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NOTICE:
Horizontal aim of the headlamp must be done
first. Adjusting vertical
aim first will result in
2. Using an E8 Torx@ socket, turn the horizontal
aiming adjustment screw
(B) until the “0” (zero) on
the pointer is lined up with the center marking on the
horizontal block index plate
(C).
3. To adjust the vertical aim, use an E8 Torn@ socket
and turn the vertical aiming adjustment screw
until the bubble inside the level
(D) is centered at
“0” (zero).
Front Parking and I’urn Signal Lamp
1. Remove the headlamp assembly. Refer to the
removal procedure earlier in this section.
2. Remove the rubber bulb access cover.
3. Twist and pull the sidemarker lamp socket from the
4. Holding the base of the bulb, pull the bulb from
5. Push the new bulb into the socket.
headlamp assembly.
the socket.
B.
C.
D.
Passenger’s Side Headlamp Shown
Horizontal aim adjustment screw Horizontal block index plate
Vertical aiming level
6. Put the socket back into the headlamp assembly and
turn it to the right until it is secure.
7. Replace the rubber bulb access cover.
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