2003 BUICK REGAL stop start

If you accidentally use a key that has a damaged or
missing resistor pellet, the starter won’t work. The
SECURITY warning light on the instrument panel will
then come on. But you don’t have to wait three minutes
before trying another ignition key.
See your dealer or a locksmith who can service the
PASS-Key
®II to have a new key made.
If you’re ever driving and the SECURITY warning light
comes on, you will be able to restart your engine if
you turn it off. Your PASS-Key
®II system, however, is
not working properly and must be serviced by your
dealer. Your vehicle is not protected by the
PASS-Key
®II system.
If you lose or damage a PASS-Key
®II ignition key, see
your dealer or a locksmith who can service
PASS-Key
®II to have a new key made. Also, see
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6for more
information.
Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:Your vehicle doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.”But it will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
Don’t drive at any one speed—fast or
slow—for the first 500 miles (805 km). Don’t
make full-throttle starts.
•Avoid making hard stops for the first 200 miles
(322 km) or so. During this time your new
brake linings aren’t yet broken in. Hard stops
with new linings can mean premature wear and
earlier replacement. Follow this breaking-in
guideline every time you get new brake linings.
•Don’t tow a trailer during break-in. See “Towing
a Trailer” in the Index for more information.
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Starting Your Engine
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won’t start in any other position–that’sa
safety feature. To restart when you’re already moving,
use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Notice:Don’t try to shift to PARK (P) if your
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm.
Notice:Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid draining
your battery or damaging your starter.
2. If it doesn’t start within 10 seconds, hold your key in
START for about 10 seconds at a time until your
engine starts. Wait about 15 seconds between
each try.3. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could beflooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the same thing.
This time keep the pedal down forfive or six
seconds to clear the extra gasoline from the engine.
After waiting about 15 seconds, repeat the normal
starting procedure.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way the
engine operates. Before adding electrical equipment,
check with your dealer. If you don’t, your engine
might not perform properly.
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There are several different positions for your shift lever.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brakefirmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle won’t
move, even when you’re on fairly level ground,
use the steps that follow. If you’re pulling a
trailer, see“Towing a Trailer”in the Index.
PARK (P):This position locks your front wheels. It’s the
best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle can’t move easily.Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic
transaxle shift lock control system. You must fully apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition is in RUN. If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P) while keeping the brake
pedal pushed down. Release the shift lever button. Then
move the shift lever out of PARK (P). SeeShifting
Out of Park (P) on page 2-27.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, seeIf
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-30.
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Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you a little,
but not so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high-beam headlamps will turn on. They’ll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high-beam indicator on the dash will come on. Release
the lever to return to normal operation.
Windshield Wipers
To operate the windshield wipers turn the band located
on the multifunction lever upward or downward.
WIPER:Turn this band to control the windshield wipers.
OFF:Turn the band to OFF to turn off the windshield
wipers.
LO (Low Speed):Turn the band away from you to LO
and past the delay settings for steady wiping at low
speed.HI (High Speed):Turn the band away from you, to HI,
and past the delay settings for wiping steady at high
speed.
(Delayed Wiping):Turn the band away from you, just
past OFF, to one of thefive sensitivity settings, to
choose the delayed wiping cycle. The further the band
is turned upward, toward LO, the shorter the delay
will be. Use this setting for light rain or snow.
MIST:Turn the band to MIST for a single wiping cycle.
Hold it until the windshield wipers start. Then let it
go. The windshield wipers will stop after one wipe. If
you want more wipes, hold the band on MIST longer.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the windshield wiper
blades before using them. If they are frozen to the
windshield, carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades
do become worn or damaged, get new blades or
blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
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When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-31.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you’ve pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light
will come on for a few seconds when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If the anti-lock brake system
warning light stays on longer than normal after you’ve
started your engine, turn the ignition off. Or, if the
light comes on and stays on when you’re driving, stop
as soon as possible and turn the ignition off. Then
start the engine again to reset the system. If the light
still stays on, or comes on again while you’re driving, the
anti-lock brake system needs service. If the light is on
and the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you
still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. This is
normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.United States
Canada
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Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Modifications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
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—Amisfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
•Light On Steady—An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
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 stopsflashing and remains on steady, see“If
the Light Is On Steady”following.
If the light continues toflash, 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“If
the Light Is On Steady”following. If the light is still
flashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
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Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
If you have a problem with
your oil, this light may stay
on after you start your
engine, or come on when
you are driving.
This indicates that oil is not going through your engine
quickly enough to keep it lubricated. The engine
could be low on oil or could have some other oil
problem. Have itfixed right away.The oil light could also come on in the following
situations:
•The light will come on briefly when you turn on the
ignition to show you that it is working properly. If it
doesn’t come on with the ignition on, you may
have a problem with the fuse or bulb. Have itfixed
right away.
•Sometimes when the engine is idling at a stop, the
light may blink on and off. This is normal.
{CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catchesfire. 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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Low Oil Level Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with an oil level monitoring
system. When the
ignition key is turned on,
the LOW OIL light will
come on briefly.
If the light does not come on briefly, have itfixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the light stays on, stop the vehicle on a level surface
and turn the engine off. Check the oil level using the
engine oil dipstick. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-13.Ifthe
light does not come on briefly, have the low oil level
sensor system repaired so it will be ready to warn you if
there’s a problem.
The oil level monitoring system only checks oil level
during the brief period between key on and engine
crank. It does not monitor engine oil level when
the engine is running. Additionally, an oil level check is
only performed if the engine has been turned off for
a considerable period of time, allowing the oil normally
in circulation to drain back into the oil pan.
Change Engine Oil Light
The CHANGE OIL SOON
light should come on
briefly as a bulb check
when you start the engine.
If the light doesn’t come
on, have it serviced.
If the CHANGE OIL SOON light comes on and stays on
after you start the engine, have the oil changed.
For additional information, see“When to Change Engine
Oil (GM Oil Life System)”underEngine Oil on
page 5-13. To reset the CHANGE OIL SOON light, see
“How to Reset the System”underEngine Oil on
page 5-13.
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