2002 BUICK CENTURY brake light

4-9
Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may also
upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See ªEnhanced
Traction System Active
Lightº in the Index.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re
-engage the cruise control. See ªCruise Controlº
in the Index.

4-10
The Enhanced Traction System operates in THIRD (3)
and OVERDRIVE (
). If you are in THIRD (3), the
system can upshift the transaxle to OVERDRIVE (
).
The Enhanced Traction System is turned off in
SECOND (2) or FIRST (1) gear. See ªAutomatic
Transaxleº in the Index.
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on to let you know
if there's a problem.
See ªEnhanced Traction System Warning Lightº in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and
rocking the vehicle is required. See ªRocking Your
Vehicleº in the Index.
To turn the system off, your gear shift lever must be in
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) gear. See ªRocking Your
Vehicleº in the Index. When you turn the system off,
the Enhanced Traction System warning light will come
on and stay on. If the Enhanced Traction System is
limiting wheel spin when you turn the system off, the
warning light will come on
-- but the system won't
turn off right away. It will wait until there's no longer a
current need to limit wheel spin. Also, if you set the
parking brake, the system will turn off.
You can turn the system back on at any time by shifting
to OVERDRIVE (
) or THIRD (3). The Enhanced
Traction System warning light should go off.

4-19
CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.If you can see reflections from trees, telephone poles
or other vehicles, and raindrops ªdimpleº the water's
surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles
or standing water, water can come in through
your engine's air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you
can't avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.

5-4
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 an automatic transaxle in
PARK (P) before setting the parking brake.
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the auxiliary power outlet. Turn off the
radio and all lamps that aren't needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And it
could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (
-) terminal location on
each vehicle. You will not need to access your
battery for jump starting. Your vehicle has a remote
positive (+) jump starting terminal for that purpose.
The terminal is located on the same side of the
engine compartment as your battery. See ªEngine
Compartment Overviewº in the Index for more
information on location.

6-28
Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is on the driver's side
of the engine compartment. It is filled with DOT
-3 brake
fluid. See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº in the Index.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in the
reservoir might go down. The first is that the brake fluid
goes down to an acceptable level during normal brake
lining wear. When new linings are put in, the fluid level
goes back up.The other reason is that fluid is leaking out of the brake
system. If it is, you should have your brake system fixed,
since a leak means that sooner or later your brakes won't
work well, or won't work at all.
So, it isn't a good idea to ªtop offº your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won't correct a leak. If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you'll have too much
fluid when you get new brake linings. You should add
(or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when work is
done on the brake hydraulic system.
CAUTION:
If you have too much brake fluid, it can spill
on the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine
is hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fluid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See ªBrake System Warning
Lightº in the Index.

6-30 Brake Wear
Your vehicle has front disc brakes and rear drum 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 firmly).
CAUTION:
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.
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
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 tighten wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to GM torque specifications.
Your rear drum brakes don't have wear indicators, but if
you ever hear a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected immediately. Also, the rear
brake drums should be removed and inspected each
time the tires are removed for rotation or changing.
When you have the front brake pads replaced, have
the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See ªBrake System Inspectionº in Section 7 of this manual
under Part C ªPeriodic Maintenance Inspections.º
Brake Pedal Travel
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.