2005 BUICK CENTURY maintenance

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply the regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start the engine.
Shift into a gear.
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store
the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
The vehicle will need service more often when it pulls a
trailer. SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for
more information. Things that are especially important in
trailer operation are automatic transaxle uid; which
should not be overlled; engine oil, drive belt, cooling
system, and brake system. Each of these is covered
in this manual, and the Index will help you nd them
quickly. If trailering, it is a good idea to review this
information before starting on a trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
The cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. SeeEngine Overheating
on page 5-25.
4-44

Wheel Replacement......................................5-67
Tire Chains..................................................5-68
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-69
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-70
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-71
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire................................................5-73
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools............5-79
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-81
Appearance Care............................................5-82
Fabric/Carpet...............................................5-82
Vinyl...........................................................5-84
Leather.......................................................5-84
Instrument Panel..........................................5-85
Interior Plastic Components............................5-85
Glass Surfaces.............................................5-85
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-85
Weatherstrips...............................................5-85
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-86
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.....................5-86
Finish Care..................................................5-86Windshield and Wiper Blades.........................5-87
Aluminum Wheels.........................................5-87
Tires...........................................................5-87
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-88
Finish Damage.............................................5-88
Underbody Maintenance................................5-88
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-88
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-89
Vehicle Identication......................................5-90
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-90
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-90
Electrical System............................................5-90
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-90
Headlamp Wiring..........................................5-91
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-91
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-91
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-91
Instrument Panel Fuse Block..........................5-91
Underhood Fuse Block..................................5-94
Capacities and Specications..........................5-96
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you
will want to use the proper service manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can. To order the proper service manual,
seeService Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-11.
Your vehicle may have an airbag system. If it does, see
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-58
before attempting to do your own service work.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-16.{CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
5-4

Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle
can affect the airow around it. This may cause
wind noise and affect windshield washer performance.
Check with your dealer before adding equipment to
the outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane
of 87 or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may get
a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs,
use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine.A little pinging noise when you accelerate or drive uphill is
considered normal. This does not indicate a problem
exists or that a higher-octane fuel is necessary. If you are
using 87 octane or higher-octane fuel and hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.
Gasoline Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide
Fuel Charter which is available from the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers at
www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline
meeting these specications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
5-5

{CAUTION:
Operating the engine with the air cleaner/lter
off can cause you or others to be burned.
The air cleaner not only cleans the air;
it helps to stop ame if the engine backres.
If it is not there and the engine backres,
you could be burned. Do not drive with it off,
and be careful working on the engine with the
air cleaner/lter off.
Notice:If the air cleaner/lter is off, a backre
can cause a damaging engine re. And, dirt
can easily get into your engine, which will damage
it. Always have the air cleaner/lter in place
when you are driving.
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check the automatic transaxle uid level
is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the uid and lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
Uses such as found in taxi, police or
delivery service.
If the vehicle is not used under any of these conditions,
change the uid and lter at 100,000 miles (166 000 km).
SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
5-19

1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag or
paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the
lower level. The uid level must be in the
crosshatched area.
4. If the uid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way.How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine
what kind of transaxle uid to use. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 6-4.
If the uid level is low, add only enough of the proper
uid to bring the level into the crosshatched area on
the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough uid at the
dipstick hole to bring it to the proper level.
It does not take much uid, generally less than
one pint (0.5 L).Do not overll.
Notice:Use of automatic transaxle uid labeled
other than DEXRON
®-III, Approved for the
H-Specication, may damage your vehicle, and the
damages may not be covered by your warranty.
Always use automatic transaxle uid labeled
DEXRON
®-III, Approved for the H-Specication.
3. After adding uid, recheck the uid level as
described under “How to Check,” earlier in
this section.
4. When the correct uid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
5-21

Battery
Your vehicle has a maintenance free battery.
When it is time for a new battery, get one that has the
replacement number shown on the original battery’s
label. We recommend an ACDelco
®replacement
battery. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for battery location.
Warning:Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands
after handling.
Vehicle Storage
If you are not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, remove the black, negative (−) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
are not careful. SeeJump Starting on page 5-40
for tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, seeTheft-Deterrent
Feature on page 3-63.
5-39

Windshield Wiper Blade
Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be inspected for wear
or cracking each time maintenance is performed.
SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
1. Turn on the wipers to LO.
2. Turn off the ignition while the wipers are at the
outer positions of the wiper pattern. The blades
are more accessible for removal or replacement
while in this position.
3. Pull the windshield wiper arm 3 to 4 inches
(7.5 to 10 cm) away from the windshield.
4. While holding the wiper arm away from the glass,
push the release clip from under the windshield
wiper arm connecting point and slide the blade
assembly down toward the glass to remove it from
the wiper arm.
5. Slide the new wiper blade securely on the wiper
arm until you hear the release clip click into
place. SeeNormal Maintenance Replacement Parts
on page 6-14for the type of windshield wiper
blades to use.
5-52