2004 BUICK CENTURY open hood

Engine Coolant Heater
The vehicle may have this feature. In very cold weather,
0°F (−18°C) or colder, the engine coolant heater can
help. The vehicle will start easier and get better
fuel economy during engine warm-up. Usually, the
coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of four
hours prior to starting your vehicle. At temperatures
above 32°F (0°C), use of the coolant heater is not
required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The
cord is attached to the underside of the vehicle’s
diagonal brace, which is located above the engine
air cleaner/lter assembly.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will
not reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Unplug and store the cord as it was before to keep
it away from moving engine parts, before starting
the engine. If this is not done, the cord could
be damaged.
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Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates the interior for a period of time
after the ignition key is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed exit lighting to work.
When the ignition key is removed, interior illumination
will activate and remain on until one of the following
occurs:
The ignition is in RUN.
The power door locks are activated.
An illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on.
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the underside of the
rearview mirror. Press the button next to each lamp
to turn it on and off.
Dome Lamp
The dome lamp will come on when you open a door.
Battery Rundown Protection
This helps the vehicle’s battery from draining the battery
in case the interior courtesy lamps, reading lamps,
visor vanity lamps, trunk lamp, underhood lamp or glove
box lamps are left on. If any of these lamps are left
on while the ignition is off, they will automatically turn off
after 20 minutes. The lamps will not come back on
again until you do one of the following:
Turn the ignition on.
Turn the exterior lamps control off, then on.
Open a door.
If the vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on the
odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps after
only three minutes.
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Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing and tools away
from any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake uid, windshield washer and
other uids, and plastic or rubber. You or
others could be burned. Be careful not to drop
or spill things that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the interior hood
release handle located
below the instrument
panel, to the left of the
steering column.
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Engine Compartment Overview
When you open the hood, you will see:
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If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
{CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn
you badly, even if you just open the hood.
Stay away from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming from it.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Just turn it off and get everyone away from the
vehicle until it cools down. Wait until there is
no sign of steam or coolant before you open
the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch re. You
or others could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
See “Overheated Engine Protection Operating
Mode” underEngine Overheating on page 5-25
for information on driving to a safe place in an
emergency.
Notice:If your engine catches re because you
keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle can
be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” underEngine
Overheating on page 5-25for information on driving
to a safe place in an emergency.
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If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheated engine warning can indicate a serious
problem.
If there is an overheated engine warning and you do not
see or hear any steam, the problem may not be too
serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too hot
when the vehicle:
Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
Stops after high-speed driving.
Idles for long periods in traffic.
Tows a trailer.
If an overheated engine warning appears with no sign of
steam, try this for a minute or so:
1. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N)
while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road,
shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the
engine idle.2. Adjust the heater to the highest temperature and
fan speed settings and open the window as
necessary.
If the overheated engine warnings no longer exist, you
can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warnings do not come back on, you
can drive normally.
If the warning continues, and you have not stopped, pull
over, stop, and park the vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam, idle the engine for three
minutes while you are parked. If the warning still
exists,turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicleuntil it cools down. Also, see “Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode” listed previously in
this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
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Notice:If you leave your radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Always turn off your radio and
other accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
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 are not needed. This
will avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And
it could save the vehicle’s 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. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on page 5-12for more
information on location.
To uncover the remote positive (+) terminal,
squeeze the sides of the red plastic cap and pull it
upward. Always use the remote positive (+)
terminal instead of the positive (+) terminal on the
battery.
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A. Vertical Aim Adjustment Screw
B. Horizontal Aim Adjustment Screw
Open the hood and locate the vertical and horizontal
aim indicators. The aiming screw for the vertical
aim indicator (A) is at the center of the headlamp cover
and the aiming screw for the horizontal aim indicator (B)
is on the outboard side of the headlamp cover.A. Horizontal Aim Adjustment Screw
B. Horizontal Block Index Plate
C. Vertical Aiming Level
Start with the horizontal aim. The adjustment screws
can be turned with an E8 Torx
®socket.
Once the horizontal aim is adjusted, then adjust the
vertical aim.
1. Turn the horizontal aiming screw until the indicator
is lined up with zero.
2. Turn the vertical aiming screw until the level bubble
is lined up with zero. Driver’s Side Headlamp Shown
Passenger’s Side Headlamp Shown
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