1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

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This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:

Reducing vehicle speed.

Avoiding hard accelerations.

Avoiding steep uphill grades.

If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see ªIf
the Light Is On Steadyº following.If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A
few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
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Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
ªFuelº in the Index). Poor fuel quality will cause your
engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start
-up, stalling when you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration
or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go
away once the engine is warmed up.) This will be detected
by the system and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least one
full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Oil Pressure Light
This light tells you if there
could be a problem with
your engine oil pressure.The oil pressure light can come on briefly when you turn
your key to RUN. It goes off once you turn the key to
START. That's just a check to be sure the light works. This
is normal and doesn't show a problem. If it doesn't come
on and then go off, be sure to have it fixed so it will be
there to warn you if something goes wrong.
When this light comes on and stays on, and a chime
sounds, it means oil isn't going through your engine
properly. You could be low on oil, or you might have
some other oil problem. See your dealer for service.
CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil problems
can be costly and is not covered by your warranty.
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2-81 Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on if
you have certain
non
-emission related
vehicle problems.
For example, if the entire electrical system fails to send
and receive messages from the vehicle's components, the
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON warning light comes on.
These problems may not be obvious and may affect
vehicle performance or durability. Consult a qualified
dealership for necessary repairs to maintain top vehicle
performance. The light will come on briefly when your
ignition is turned on to show that it is working properly.
Cruise Light
The CRUISE light comes
on when you set your cruise
control. See ªCruise
Controlº in the Index.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about
how much fuel is in your
tank. It works only when
the ignition is on.
When the indicator moves to the edge of the low fuel
warning band, the low fuel light will turn on and a
chime will sound. You still have a little fuel left, but you
need to get more fuel right away.
A concern owners have had about the fuel gage is that it
takes more (or less) gas to fill up than the gage
indicated. For example, the gage may have indicated
half full, but it took more (or less) than half of the tank's
capacity to fill it. This situation is normal and indicates
nothing wrong with the fuel gage.
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Head-Up Display (HUD)
(If Equipped)
CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your field of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it's dark outside.
Be sure to keep the HUD image dim and placed
low in your field of view.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Head-Up Display
(HUD), you can see some of the driver information that
appears on your instrument cluster.
The information may be displayed in English or metric
units and appears as a reflection in the windshield. The
HUD consists of the following information:

Speedometer Reading

Turn Signal Indicators

High
-Beam Headlamp Indicator

CHECK GAGES Message
The HUD shows these images when they are lighted on
the instrument panel cluster.
Be sure to continue scanning your displays, controls and
driving environment just as you would in a vehicle
without HUD. If you never look at your instrument
panel, you may not see something important, such as a
warning light.
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NOTICE:
Although the HUD image appears to be near the
front of the vehicle, do not use it as a parking aid.
The HUD was not designed for that purpose. If
you try to use the display as a marker for the
front of your vehicle, such as in a parking lot, you
may misjudge distance and hit an obstacle or
another vehicle.
The HUD controls
are located in the
overhead console.1. Start your engine and slide the HUD dimmer control
all the way up.
The brightness of the HUD image is determined by
whether the headlamps are on or off, and where you
have the HUD dimmer control set.
2. Adjust the seat to your driving position. Slide the
image height adjuster control all the way up, raising
the image as far as possible.
3. Now slide the image height adjuster control down so
the image is as low as possible but still in full view.
4. Slide the dimmer control downward until the HUD
image is no brighter than necessary.
To turn the HUD display off, slide the dimmer control
all the way down.
If the sun comes out, the sky becomes cloudy, or if you
turn your headlamps on, you may need to adjust the
HUD brightness using the dimmer control. Polarized
sunglasses could make the HUD image harder to see.
To change the display from English to metric units,
push the ENG/MET button located to the left of the
steering column.
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2-84 Care of the HUD
Clean the inside of the windshield as necessary to
remove any dirt or film that reduces the sharpness or
clarity of the HUD image.
To clean the HUD lens, spray household glass cleaner
on a soft, clean cloth. Gently wipe and dry the HUD
lens. Do not spray cleaner directly on the lens to avoid
cleaner leaking inside the unit.
If You Can't See The HUD Image When the
Ignition is On
If the ignition is on and you can't see the HUD image,
check to see if:

The headlamps are on.

Something is covering the HUD unit.

The HUD dimmer control is adjusted properly.

The HUD image is adjusted to the proper height.

A fuse is blown. See ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in
the Index.
Keep in mind that your windshield is part of the HUD
system. If you ever have to have your windshield
replaced, be sure to get one that is designed for HUD or
your HUD image may look blurred or out of focus.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(If Equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Driver Information
Center (DIC). The DIC will display information about
how your vehicle is functioning, as well as warning
messages if a system problem is detected.
The following buttons are
on the DIC control panel
which is located to the left
of the steering column:

ODO/TRIP: Use this button to display your total and
trip miles.

FUEL INFO: Press this button to display fuel
information such as fuel used, fuel range and
fuel economy.
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GAGE INFO: Use this button to display oil
pressure, oil life, coolant temperature, tire pressure
and battery information.

RESET: This button, used along with other buttons,
will reset system functions.

ENG/MET: Use this button to change the display
between English and metric units.
DIC Controls and Displays
There are two lines in the DIC display. The bottom line on
the display area is left blank when the DIC displays the
driver number identified when entering the vehicle. You
can have your dealer program your name to appear on this
display line. See your dealer for more information.
When you turn the ignition on, the DIC will display your
DRIVER NUMBER. The system will then perform a status
check and display any messages if a problem is detected.
If there are no problems detected, the display will return
to the mode selected by that driver the last time the
ignition was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a diagnostic message will
appear in the display. The following pages will show the
messages you may see on the DIC display.The message center is continuously updated with the
vehicle's performance status.
ODO/TRIP
When this button is pressed, the display will show the
total mileage, and TRIP 1 or TRIP 2 miles. TRIP 1 and
TRIP 2 will display the miles traveled since the last
reset. To reset the trip odometer, press the ODO/TRIP
button until the trip miles are shown in the DIC display,
then press the RESET button. The trip odometer will
now accumulate miles until the next reset.
FUEL INFO
Fuel Used: Press the FUEL INFO button until the
display shows FUEL USED. This display will show you
how much fuel has been used since the last reset. To
learn how much fuel is used from a new starting point,
press the RESET button while the fuel used is displayed
in the DIC.
Fuel Range: Press the FUEL INFO button until the
display shows FUEL RANGE. The fuel range will
calculate the remaining distance you can drive 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.
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Instantaneous Fuel Economy: Press the FUEL INFO
button until the display shows FUEL ECONOMY INST.
Instantaneous fuel economy varies with your driving
conditions, such as acceleration, braking and the grade
of the road being traveled. The RESET button does not
function in this mode.
Average Fuel Economy: Press the FUEL INFO button
until the display shows FUEL ECONOMY AVERAGE.
Average fuel economy is viewed as a long term
approximation of your overall driving conditions. To
learn the average fuel economy from a new starting
point, press the RESET button while the average fuel
economy is displayed in the DIC.
GAGE INFO
Coolant Temperature: Press the GAGE INFO button
until COOLANT TEMP appears in the display. If there
are no problems detected with the temperature,
COOLANT 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 ªEngine
Overheatingº in the Index.Battery Volts: Press the GAGE INFO button until the
display shows BATTERY STATE. If the voltage is
normal the display will show BATTERY STATE
NORMAL. If the voltage drops below 10.5 volts, the
display will show BATTERY STATE 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.
Oil Pressure: Press the GAGE INFO 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.
Oil Life Monitor (Index): Press the GAGE INFO button
until OIL LIFE INDEX appears in the display. The OIL
LIFE INDEX NORMAL display will show an estimate of
the oil's remaining useful life. When the oil life index is
less than 10%, the display will show OIL LIFE INDEX
CHANGE OIL. When you have the oil changed, you will
have to reset the oil life monitor. To reset the Oil Life
Monitor (Index), see ªEngine Oil Life Monitorº or
ªEngine Oil, When to Changeº in the Index.
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