2004 BUICK RAINIER brake light

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That’s normal. A chime
may also sound when
the light comes on.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-32earlier
in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, the engine
coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-29.
United StatesCanada
3-34

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-34.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for service.
4-7

See “Cruise Control” underTurn Signal/Multifunction
Lever on page 3-7. When the traction control off symbol
on the button is on, the TAS is off and will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control off symbol on the button will come
on under the following conditions:
The Traction Assist System is turned off, either by
pressing the TAS on/off button or by turning off
the automatic engagement feature of the TAS.
The transmission is in FIRST (1) gear; TAS will not
operate in this gear. This is normal.
The vehicle is driven on an extremely rough road.
When the vehicle leaves the rough surface, slows
down or stops, the light will go off and TAS will
be on again. This is normal.
A Traction Assist System, Anti-Lock Brake System
or engine-related problem has been detected and
the vehicle needs service.
The Traction Assist System, as delivered from the
factory, will automatically come on whenever you start
your vehicle. To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery
road conditions, you should always leave the system on.
But you can turn the TAS off if you ever need to. You
should turn the TAS off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in
sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required.To turn the system on or off, press the TAS button
located near the shift lever. If you used the button to turn
the system off, the traction control off symbol on the
button will come on and stay on.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The traction control off symbol
on the button should go off.
If desired, you can change the TAS automatic
engagement feature so that the system will not come on
automatically when the engine is started. To do so:
1. Turn the ignition to RUN.
2. Move the shift lever to NEUTRAL.
3. Apply the brake pedal and press the accelerator
pedal to the oor.
4. Press and hold the TAS button for at least
six seconds.
5. Release the TAS button and both pedals.
6. Start the engine and wait a few seconds.
The next time you start your vehicle, the TAS will not
automatically come on. You can restore the automatic
feature by using the same procedure. Whether the TAS
is set to come on automatically or not, you can always
turn the system on or off by pressing the TAS button.
4-10

Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you will want to
consider a number of things:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
What is at the bottom of the hill? Is there a there
a hidden creek bank or even a river bottom with
large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes
and they will not have to do all the work. Descend
slowly, keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
{CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause loss of control and a
seriousaccident. Apply the brakes lightly
when descending a hill and use a low gear
to keep vehicle speed under control.
4-24

Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you can not, try to slow down before
you hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not
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 are going fast enough. When your vehicle
is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not 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 reections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
4-32

Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle is equipped with a seven-wire trailer towing
harness. This harness has a seven-pin universal
heavy-duty trailer connector that is attached to a bracket
on the hitch platform.The seven-wire harness contains the following trailer
circuits:
Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
Dark Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
Brown: Running Lamps
White: Ground
Light Green: Back-up Lamps
Red: Battery Feed
Dark Blue: Electric Brakes
If you need to tow a light-duty trailer with a standard
four-way round pin connector, an adapter connector is
available from your dealer.
Your vehicle is also equipped with wiring for an electric
trailer brake controller. These wires are located inside
the vehicle on the driver’s side under the instrument
panel. These wires should be connected to an electric
trailer brake controller by your dealer or a qualied
service center.
4-63

Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc 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 rmly).
{CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
soon your brakes will not 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 rst 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 specications.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.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.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes
adjust for wear.
5-43

1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
Notice:If the other vehicle’s system is not a 12-volt
system with a negative ground, both vehicles can
be damaged. Only use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump start your vehicle.
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 rmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in PARK (P) or a manual transmission
in NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake.
If you have a four- wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case is not in NEUTRAL.
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 accessory power outlets (if equipped).
Turn off the radio and all lamps that aren’t needed.
This will avoid sparks and help to save both
batteries. And it could save your radio!
4. Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (−) terminals on each
battery. Your vehicle has a remote negative (−) jump
starting terminal. You should always use this
remote terminal instead of the terminal on the
battery. The remote negative (−) terminal is located
on the front engine lift bracket on vehicles with
the L6 engine or the engine accessory drive bracket
for vehicles with the V8 engine and is marked
GND. SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 5-14for more information on location.
5-46