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Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. But please follow the steps below to do
it safely.
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
They contain acid that can burn you.
They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
0 They contain enough electricity to
If you don’t follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
burn
you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won’t work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
I NOTICE:
If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
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2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause
a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump
start procedure. Put your automatic
transaxle in
PARK (P) before setting the
parking brake.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter
or accessory power outlet. Turn off all lamps
that aren’t needed as well
as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t
be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. (Your
vehicle’s battery is located toward the front
of the
passenger’s side
of the vehicle’s engine, underneath
a diagonal brace.)
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood
electric fan.
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6. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before
you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to negative (-)
or a metal engine part. Don’t connect positive (+) to
negative
(-) or you’ll get a short that would damage
the battery and maybe other parts too.
A CAUTION:
I
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
I
7. Connect the red positive (+) cable to the positive (+)
terminal of the vehicle with the dead battery. Use a
remote positive
(+) terminal if the vehicle has one.
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Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex.
Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well
together if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Your vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
-- for example, when your brake linings wear
down and you have to have new ones put in
-- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts. If you
don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example,
if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rear brakes can change
-- for the worse. The braking
performance you’ve come to expect can change in many
other ways if someone puts
in the wrong replacement
brake parts.
Battery
Every new Buick has an ACDelco Freedom@ battery.
You never have to add water to one of these. When it’s
time for a new battery, we recommend an ACDelco
Freedom battery. Get one that has the replacement
number shown on the original battery’s label.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, remove
the black, negative (-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting” in the Index
for tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your vehicle
for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see “Theft-Deterrent
Feature”
in the Index.
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