r . . . ..,.. The 1995 Buick Century Owner's Manual HowtoUsethisManual viii This section tells you how to use your manual and includes safety and vehicle damage warnings and symbols. Seats and Restraint Systems 1-1 This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. also explains the "SRS" system. It Featuresandcontrols 2-1 This section explains how to start and operate your Buick. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems 3-1 This section tells you howto adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your sound system. YourDrivingandtheRoad 4-1 Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. ProblemsontheRoad 5-1 This section tells you what to if you have a problem while driving, such as flat tire or engine do a overheating, etc. Service and Appearance Care 6-1 Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good. Maintenanceschedule 7-1 This section tells you whento perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information 8-1 This section tells you howto contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page8-4. Index 9-1 Here's an alphabetical listingof almost every subject in this manual.You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. ................................................................ ............................................................. .................................................................. ..................................................... .............................................................. .................................................................. ............................................................ .................................................................. ........................................................ ................................................................................ i We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM and the GM Emblem, BUICK, and the BUICK Emblem are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve theright to make changes in the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your Buick, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. . WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNlCiAN CERTIFICATIONTHROUGH Narlonal Insill~1:s for 1 AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE j For Canadian OwnersWho Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en francais chez votre concessionaire ou au DGN Marketing Services Ltd., I500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, OntarioL5T 1C7. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 25620610 A Second Printing 0Copyright General Motors Corporation 1994 All Rights Reserved ii iii "valve-in-head" engine, a light, powerful and reliable engine which would eventually influence the entire automotive industry. William C. Durant was instrumental in promoting Buicks across the country using his Durant-Dort Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople asthe nucleus of a giant distribution system. He knew the Buick as a "self-seller". If automobiles could bethis good, he thought, maybe it was time to switch from the horse and buggy business to automobiles. At the 1905, New York Auto Show, Durant took orders for 1,000 Buicks before the company had built 40. On Buick's success, Durant created a holding company, September 16, 1908. He called it General Motors. Walter Marr and Thomas Buick Buick's chief engineer, Walter L. Marr (left), and Thomas D. Buick, son of founder David Dunbar Buick, drove the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit round trip in July 1904. David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899, and Marr, his engineer, apparently built the first auto to be called a Buick in 1900. However, Buick traditionally dates itsbeginnings to 1903. That was the year the company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product innovator. Buick engineers developed the William C. (Billy)Durant iv Durant also created racing team that won 500 racing a trophies in 1909 and 1910, including successes at Indianapolis two years before the 500 began. Indy : The successof Buick engineswas visible not only on in country the race track, but endurance tests across the and around theworld. Buick was the only car to complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in 1906. And a Buickwas the first car travel across to South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the Andes to Santiago, Chile 1914. in Buick drew plenty of attention because it could climb hills and run through mud like no other car. Buick's endurance and reliability were world famous. During World War I, Buick builtLiberty aircraft engines as well as Red Cross ambulances so successful that one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government. As a builderof premier automobiles, Buick was hard hit by the Great Depression. However, new General Manager, Harlow H. Curtice createdpopular new models including the Special the Roadmaster. Buick and sales soon flourished. 1911 Model 21 Touring Car on BuickS Test Hill First Buick Factory V In World War 11, Buick built aircraft engines, tanks and other military hardware. This post-war period brought great styling and engineering changes which resulted in increased sales. The torque converter automatic transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced in the 1948 Roadmaster. Buick's famous "portholes" came along in 1949. A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953, And Buick's famous vertical pillar "toothy" grille, (introduced in 1942), became more massive in the post-war era. I953 Shylurk 1949 Roadmaster Motor Trend magazine named the 1962 Buick Special, "Car of the Year". The first production V-6 engine was used in the Special. vi 1962 Buick Special Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick's former Flint complex, which formed the cornerstone of General Motors Buick City, is a state-of-the-art assembly facility with more than 200 robots and other high-tech equipment. It was completed in the fall of 1985. Buicks are, and will continue to be, premium American motorcars with smooth power, high performance, rich detail and comfortable accommodation. Ed Mertz, General Manager, Buick Motor Division Our mission is simple: "Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars backed with services that exceed our customers' expectations, throughoutthe purchase, ownership, service and repurchase experience." Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL. Buicks are DISTINCTIVE. Buicks are POWERFUL. Buicks are MATURE. vii How to Use This Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receivetheir new vehicle. This will help you learn aboutthe features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explainthings quickly. Index A good place to look for what you need is theIndex in the back of the manual. It's an alphabetical list of all that's in the manual, and the page number where you'll find it. In the gray caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions.If you don't, you or others couldbe hurt. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box with gray background and the word CAUTION to tell you about thingsthat could hurt you if you were to ignorethe warning. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. 1 1 This safetv svmbol means d d "Don't,'' "Don't do this," or "Don't let this happen." viii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, thisdamage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the noticewill tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals,you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in differentwords. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use yellow for cautions, blue for notices the words and CAUTION or NOTICE. NOTICE: These mean there something that is could damage your vehicle. ix ~ Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC BAHERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BAHERY These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: ENGINE COOLANT TEMP BAllERY CHARGING SYSTEM BRAKE Here are some other symbols you may see: FUSE A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: DOOR LOCK UNLOCK These symbols have to do with your lights: These symbols are on some of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER -FI-1 FASTEN BELTS & SEAT TURN SIGNALS e9 WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER () 0 RADIO VOLUME RADIATOR COOLANT a b AIR CONDITIONING HAZARD WARNING FLASHER A $0 WINDOW DEFOGGER FUEL ENGINE OIL PRESSURE W TRUNK RELEASE 6 n VENTILATING FAN LIGHTER t ,111, FOG LAMPS TEMP ANTI-LOCK BRAKE 477 OIL HORN )tr (@) SPEAKER b X Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how t o adjust them, and also about folding seats, reclining front seatbacks. and head restraints. Move the lever under the front seat to the left to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it then release the lever to lock. Try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place. Manual Seat 1-1 Power Seat (Option) Center Control (C): Move the seat forward or back by holding the control to the right or left. Raise or lower the seat by holding the control up or down. Rear Control(R):Raise the rearof the seat by holding the switch up. Hold the switch down lower the rear the seat. to of Reclining Front Seatbacks The switch is located on the front of the seat. To recline the seatback hold the switch up. Hold the switch down to raise the seatback. The power seat controls are located on the front of the seat. To adjust the power seat: Front Control (F):Raise the front of the seat by holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower the front of the seat. 1-2 But don't have seatback reclined your vehicleis moving. a if Head Restraints Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable so on others. Slide adjustable head restraint up or down an that the top the restraint is closest to the top of of your ears. of This position reduces the chancea neck injury in a crash Folding Rear Seats (Wagon) To add more cargo room, the seatback your rear of second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily folded down. Be sure to check your seatback latches now 1-3 and then by pushing the seatback back and forth. If they do not latch properly, have themchecked by your dealer. Remember to keep safety belts clear of seat hinges and latches so they are not damaged when you raise and lower the seatbacks. To raise the split second seatback: Lift the seatback until it locks in the upright position. Push back and forth on the seatback to be sure it is locked in place. Folding Second Seat Folding Third Seat (Option) To lower the rear-facing third seatback: To lower the split second seatback: Each seat has its own release button. Hold the release button down and pull the seatback forward and down. 1. Open the liftgate and lift the seat release lever located at the lower corner of the storage compartment on the passenger side. 1-4 " 2. Pull the seatback toward the rear of the vehicle, then push it down to the locked position. 3. Lower the storage compartment lid. 1-5 To raise the rear-facing third seatback: If your vehicle is equipped with a roll-up cargo cover, it must be removed before raising the seatback. 1. Open the liftgate and lift the storage compartment lid. 3. Press down on the seat release levers (one on each side of the seat), and allow the seatback to pop up. 2. Fold it forward against the seatback. 1-6 4. Push the seatback all the way up until it locks in the upright position. Push back and forth on the seatback to be sure it is locked in place. f l car has a light Your v Safety Belts: They're for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with saf ...