2004 BUICK CENTURY ignition

Radio Messages
CAL (CALIBRATE):Your audio system has been
calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL
appears on the display it means that your radio has not
been congured properly for your vehicle and must
be returned to the dealer for service.
Playing a Cassette Tape
You tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer
than that are so thin they may not work well in this player.
The longer side with the tape visible should face to the
right. If the ignition and the radio are on, the tape can be
inserted and will begin playing. If you hear nothing or hear
a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press
the eject button to remove the tape and start over.
While the tape is playing, use the VOLUME and AUDIO
controls just as you do for the radio. The display will
show an arrow to show which side of the tape is playing.
If you want to insert a tape while the ignition or radio
is off, rst press the eject or DISP button. Cassette tape
adapter kits for portable CD players will work in your
cassette tape player.
Your tape bias is set automatically when a metal or
chrome tape is inserted.
If an error appears on the display, see “Cassette Tape
Messages” later in this section.1
s(Reverse):Press this pushbutton to reverse
quickly within the tape. The radio will play while the tape
reverses. Press it again to return to playing speed.
2
\(Forward):Press this pushbutton to advance
quickly within the tape. The radio will play while the tape
advances. Press this pushbutton again to return to
playing speed.
6 SIDE:Press this pushbutton to play the other side of
the tape.
©SEEK¨:Your tape must have at least three
seconds of silence between each selection for seek to
work. Press the left or the right arrow to go to the
previous or to the next selection on the tape. SEEK and
a negative or positive number will be displayed.
Pressing the left or right arrow multiple times will
increase the number of selections to be searched up
to -5 or +5. If -5 or +5 is shown on the display the
cassette tape player will fast forward or rewind through
the four selections and stop at the fth selection.
To scan cassette tape selections, press and hold either
SEEK arrow for two seconds until SCN appears on
the display. You will hear a beep. The tape will go to the
next selection, play for a few seconds, then go on to
the next selection. The cassette tape will only scan
forward. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop
scanning.
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BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive cassette or
CD will remain safely inside the radio for future
listening.
CD TAPE:Press this button to play a cassette tape or
a CD when listening to the radio.
Z(Eject):Press this button to eject a tape. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio
off. Cassettes may be loaded with the ignition or radio
off if you press this button rst.
Cassette Tape Messages
If an error message appears on the display, it could be
for one of the following reasons:
TIGHT TAPE:The tape is tight and the player
cannot turn the tape hubs. Remove the tape.
Hold the tape with the open end down and try to
turn the right hub counterclockwise with a
pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs
do not turn easily, your tape may be damaged
and should not be used in the player. Try a new
tape to make sure your player is working properly.
BROKEN TAPE:The tape is broken. Try a
new tape.CLEAN PLAYER:If this message appears on the
display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It
will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as
possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player on page 3-63.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error number, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
CD Adapter Kits
It is possible to use a portable CD player with your
cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature
on your tape player.
To activate the bypass feature, use the following steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Insert the adapter into the cassette slot.
4. Press and hold the CD TAPE button until READY
appears on the display.
The override feature will remain active until the eject
button is pressed.
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Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The
player will pull it in. The CD should begin playing. If you
want to insert a CD while the ignition or the radio is
off, rst press the eject button or DISP.
If you turn off the ignition or radio with a CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on the
ignition or system, the CD will start playing where
it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
As each new track start to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 8 cm single CDs
with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs
are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced
due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality
of the music that has been recorded, and the way the
CD-R has been handled. You may experience an
increase in skipping, difficulty in nding tracks, and/or
difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur
try a known good CD.
Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught
in the CD player.
Do not play 3 inch CDs without a standard adapter CD.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.1
s(Reverse):Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage.
2
\(Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play the
passage.
4 RDM (Random):Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order.
Press RDM again to turn off random play.
DISP (Display):Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within ve seconds to see
how long it has been playing. To change the default on
the display (track or elapsed time), press this button
until you see the display you want, then hold the button
until the display ashes. The selected display will
now be the default.
©SEEK¨:Press the left arrow to go to the start of
the current track if more than eight seconds have played.
If you hold the button or press it more than once, the
player will continue moving backward through the CD.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If you hold
the button or press it more than once, the player will
continue moving forward through the CD.
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To scan tracks, press and hold either SEEK arrow for
two seconds until SCAN appears on the display. You will
hear a beep. The CD will go to the next track, play for a
few seconds, then go on to the next track. The sound will
mute and SCAN and the track number will appear on the
display. The CD will only scan forward. Press either
SEEK arrow again to stop scanning.
BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive cassette or
CD will remain safely inside the radio for future
listening.
CD TAPE:Press this button to play a cassette tape or
a CD when listening to the radio.
Z(Eject):Press this button to eject a tape. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs
may be loaded with the ignition or radio off if you
press this button rst.
CD Messages
CHECK CD:If this message appears on the radio
display, it could be for one of the following reasons:
It is very hot. When the temperature returns to
normal, the CD should play.
You are driving on a very rough road. When the
road becomes smooth, the CD should play.
The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down.
The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
There may have been a problem while burning
the CD.
The label may be caught in the CD player.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason,
try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
3-61

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed and the
radio is placed in a different vehicle. This feature
requires no user input to be activated. It is automatically
armed when it is put into the vehicle for the rst time.
When the ignition is turned off, the blinking red light
indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
If THEFTLOCK
®is activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen. The radio will display LOCKED and a red
LED indicator light will come on above the key symbol
to indicate a locked condition. If this occurs, the radio will
need to be returned to the dealer.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering
wheel.
wSEEKx:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station.
If a cassette tape or CD is playing, the player will
advance to the next or the previous selection.
3-62

{CAUTION:
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They could
get so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Always
have your engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you go downhill.
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your
engine and transaxle, and you can climb the
hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Do not swing wide
or cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn of special problems. Examples are long
grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks
area or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
4-25

Dinghy Towing
Notice:If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels
on the ground, the drivetrain components could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not tow your vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground.
Your vehicle was not designed to be towed with all four
wheels on the ground. If your vehicle must be towed,
you should use a dolly. See “Dolly Towing” that follows
for more information.
Dolly Towing
Your vehicle can be towed using a dolly. To tow your
vehicle using a dolly, follow these steps:
1. Put the front wheels on a dolly.
2. Put the gear shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Set the parking brake and then remove the
ignition key.
4. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead
position.
5. Release the parking brake.
4-33

How to Reset the CHANGE OIL SOON
Light
The GM Oil Life System calculates when to change
your engine oil and lter based on vehicle use. Anytime
your oil is changed, reset the system so it can
calculate when the next oil change is required. If a
situation occurs where you change your oil prior to a
CHANGE OIL SOON light being turned on, reset
the system.
After changing the engine oil, reset the system by
performing the following steps:
1. With the engine off, turn the ignition key to RUN.
2. Fully press and release the accelerator pedal slowly
three times within ve seconds.
If the CHANGE OIL SOON light ashes, the system
is resetting.
3. Turn the key to OFF, then start the vehicle. The oil
life will change to 100 percent.
If the CHANGE OIL SOON light comes back on
when you start your vehicle, the engine oil life
system has not reset. Repeat the procedure.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain elements that may be
unhealthy for your skin and could even cause cancer.
Do not let used oil stay on your skin for very long. Clean
your skin and nails with soap and water, or a good
hand cleaner. Wash or properly dispose of clothing or
rags containing used engine oil. See the manufacturer’s
warnings about the use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all the oil from the
lter before disposal. Never dispose of oil by putting it
in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into sewers, or into
streams or bodies of water. Instead, recycle it by
taking it to a place that collects used oil. If you have a
problem properly disposing of your used oil, ask
your dealer, a service station or a local recycling center
for help.
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