a BUICK The 1996 Buick Century Owner's Manual ............................................................. This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.It also explains "SRS" system. FeaturesandControls .................................................................. This section explains how to start and operate your Buick. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ..................................................... Seats and Restraint Systems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. 1-1 2- 1 3-1 YourDrivingandtheRoad Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how drive under different conditions. to ProblemsontheRoad This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. .............................................................. .................................................................. 4-1 5-1 ............................................................ 6-1 Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good. Maintenanceschedule....... ...........................................................7-1 This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information ........................................................ 8-1 Service and Appearance Care This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 8-7. Index ................................................................................ 9-1 Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. i p+ CERTIFIED We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM and the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name CENTURY are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right 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 TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION THROUGH National Institutefor AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE For Canadian OwnersWho Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propriktaires canadiens:Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en franGais chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1500 Bonhill Rd. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7 Litho in U S A . Part No. 2563 1999 B First Edition 0 Copyright General Motors Corporation 1995 All Rights Reserved "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 as the nucleus of a giant distribution system. He knew the Buick as a "self-seller." If automobiles could be this 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, 19081. 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 inJuly 1904. David Buick was building gasoline enginesby 1899, and Marr, his engineer, apparently built the first autoto 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 1 William C. (Billy) Durant Durant also created a racing team that won 500 racing trophies in 1909 and 1910, including successes at Indianapolis two years before the Indy 500 began. The success of Buick engines was visible not only on the race track, but in endurance tests across the country and around the world. Buick was the only car to complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in 1906. Anda Buick was the first car to travel across South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina. over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914. 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 built Liberty aircraft engines as well as Red Cross ambulances so successfully that one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government. As a builder of premier automobiles, Buick was hard hit by the Great Depression. However, new General Manager Harlow H. Curtice created popular new models including the Special and the Roadmaster. Buick sales soon flourished. , 1911 Model 21 Touring Cur on Buick's TestHill First Buick Factory V In World War11, Buick built aircraft engines, tanks and other military hardware. This post-war period brought great styling and engineering changes which resulted in increased sales. Thetorque converter automatic transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced in the 1948 Roadmaster. Buick's famous "portholes" came along in 1949. I 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 Skylurk 1949 Roadmuter Motor Trend magazine named the 1962 Buick Special "Car of the Year." The first production V-6 engine was used in the Special. vi I I962 Buick Special Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick's former Flint complex, which forrned 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 Managel; Buick Motor Division Our mission is simple: "Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars backed with services that exceed our customers' expectations, throughout the 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 receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. I A CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the 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 could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Don't,'' "Don't do this," or "Don't let this happen." Index A good place to look for what you need is the Index 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. ~ Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in thisbook you will find these notices: not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will 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 different words. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. I NOTICE: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damagewould 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 BATTERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lights: These symbols are on some of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: DOOR LOCK UNLOCK TURN SIGNALS e e3 WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER COOLANT TEMP BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM I-1 FUSE P LIGHTER HORN BRAKE (a) COOLANT POWER WINDOW SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BATTERY DAYTIME RUNNING * ' LAMPS ' ,111, FOG LAMPS 0 #0 a - a w, (@) SPEAKER ENGINE OIL PRESSURE VENTILATING FAN FUEL p3 ANTI-LOCK BRAKES Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Here you'll find information about the seats in your Buick and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts. 1 Seats and SeatControls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, head restraints and folding seats. Manual Front Seat I I Move the lever under tne front seat to the left to unlock it. Slide the seat to I 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. /c\ CAUTION: l You can lose control of the vehicleyou try to if adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you,or make youpush a pedal whenyou don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. 1-1 -ewer aeaI: (uption, Center Control (C): Move the seat forward or backward 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 rear of the seat by holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower the rear of the seat. x1 - tE The switch islocated 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. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even you buckle if up, your safety beltscan't do their job when 4 you're reclined like this. The shoulder belt can't do its job-because it won't be against your body. Instead, it will bein front of you. In a crashyou could go inta it, receiving neckor other injuries. The lap.belt can't do its job either. In a crashthe belt couldgo up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could causeserious internal injuries. For properprotection when the vehicle is in motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and your safety wear belt properly. 1-3 Yead Restraints Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the .restraint is closest to top of your ears. Thisposition the reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. Folding Second Seat Folding Ret Seats I To add more cargo room, the seatback of your rear second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily folded down. Be sure to check your seatback latches now and then by pushing the seatback back and forth. If they do not latch properly, have them checked by your dealer. Remember to keep safety belts clearof seat hinges and latches so they are not damaged when you raise and lower the seatbacks. L 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. 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 Third Seat (Option) 2 . Pull the seatback toward the rear of the vehicle, then push it down to the locked position. To lower the rear-facing third seatback: I . Open the liftgate and lift the seat release lever located at t ...