The 1997 Buick Park Avenue Owner's Manual 1-1 2-1 Seats and Restraint Systems This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the "SRS" system. Features and Controls This section explains how to start and operate your Buick. 3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. 4-1 5-1 Your Driving and the Road Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and howto drive under different conditions. Problems on the Road This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. 6-1 7-1 8- 1 Service and Appearance Care Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good, Maintenance Schedule This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 8-8. 9- 1 Index Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find sometlvng you want to read. i GM GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name PARK AVENUE are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the timeit was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the product after thattime 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 yourBuick, 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 Institute for We support voluntary technician certification. AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE For Canadian OwnersWho Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux proprietaires canadiens:Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en fraqais chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1500 Bonhill Rd. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7 .. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 25645978 B First Edition @CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1996 All Rights Reserved 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 of a Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople as the nucleus giant distribution system. He knew the Buick as a this "self-seller." If automobiles could be 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 for1,000 Buicks before the company had built 40. On Buick's success, Durant created a holding company, September 16, 1908. He called it General Motors. WalterMarr and Thomas Buick Buick's chief engineer, Walter Marr (left), and L. 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 its beginnings to 1903. That was the year the William C. (Billy) Durant company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product innovator. Buick engineers developed the iv Buick drew plenty of attention because could climb it hills and run through mud like no other car. Buick's endurance and reliability were world famous. I, The success of Buick engines was visible not only on During World War Buick built Liberty aircraft engines so as the race track, but in endurance tests across the country well as Red Cross ambulances successfully that one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croix de Guerre and around the world. Buick was the only car to by the French government. complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in 1906. And a Buick was the carto travel across first As a builderof premier automobiles, Buick was hard hit South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Great Depression. However, new General over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914. new Manager HarlowH. Curtice created popular models including the Special and the Roadmaster. Buick sales soon flourished. Durant also created a racing team that wonracing 500 trophies in 1909 and 1910, including successes at Indianapolis two years before the Indy began. 500 1911 Model 21 Touring Car on Buick's 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 introducedin 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 Skylark 1949 Roadmaster Motor Trend magazine namedthe 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, throughout the purchase, ownership, service and repurchase experience." Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL. Buicks are DISTINCTIVE. Buicks are POWERFUL. Buicks are PREMIUM. 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. These mean there something that could hurt is you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what todo 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. viii Vehicle Damage Warnings these mtices: Also, in this book you will find NOTICE: These mean there something that could is damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would 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. 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 BAllERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BAllERY A & ,\I/, These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lamps: 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: COOLANT TEMP DOOR LOCK UNLOCK TURN SIGNALS 6 WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER I-1 FUSE BAlTERY CHARGING SYSTEM LIGHTER a FASTEN SEAT BELTS BRAKE (a) HORN )tr COOLANT POWER WINDOW DAYTIME RUNNING * ' LAMPS . ' * - 0 WINDOW DEFOGGER ENGINE OIL PRESSURE a (@) SPEAKER IJ e, p3 FUEL FOG LAMPS $0 ANTI-LOCK BRAKES X 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. 1-2 1-8 1-12 1-13 1-13 1-19 1-20 1-20 1-26 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts-- and the Answers How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Driver Position Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Right Front Passenger Position Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Center Passenger Position 1-28 1-31 1-33 1-35 1-44 1-47 1-47 1-47 Rear Seat Passengers Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides Children for and Small Adults Children Child Restraints Larger Children Safety Belt Extender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint SystemParts After a Crash 1-1 Seats and Seat Controls This part tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, and also about memory seats, reclining seatbacks and head restraints. Power Seats 4-way Power Lumbar Control (Option) If you have this option, the driver's and passenger's seatback lumbar support can be adjusted four ways by moving the single switch located on the side of the seat. To increase or decrease support, hold the switchforward or rearward. To move the lumbar up and down, hold the switch upward or downward. Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by holding the front part of the horizontal control up or down. Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by holding the rear part of the horizontal control up or down. Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding the whole control up or down. 1-2 0 Move the seat forward or back by pushing the horizontal control to the front or back. Tilt the seatback by pushing the vertical control forward or rearward. Raise or lower the shoulder belt and head rest by pushing the vertical control to the top orbottom. 0 1. Adjust the driver's seat and lumbar position (if equipped) to a safe and comfortable driving position. Adjust both outside mirrors to suit you. See "Outside Mirrors" in the Index. 0 Memory Seat and Mirrors (Option) If your Buick has this option, the control on the driver's door armrest looks like this: You can use this memory function to save your seat cushion (minus the head restraint), optional lumbar, mirror adjustment, HVAC and radio settings by using the following procedure: 2. Press one of the two MEMORY buttons corresponding with your driver number, for longer than three seconds. You will hear two beeps to confirm that the mirror and seat positions have been entered into memory. When your Buick is inPARK (P), push and release the memory button you just stored. The seat and mirrors will move to the set position. You will hear one beep. To set the seat and mirror positions for a second driver, follow the previous steps, but use the other MEMORY button. If you press the wrong MEMORY button, or if there is a third driver, the seat adjuster will still work. The EXIT button allows for easy exit from the vehicle. Push and release the EXITbutton while in PARK (P) and the seat will move all the way back. You will hear a beep when the EXIT button is pressed. You can also set unique exit positions by moving the seat to the desired position, and then pushing and holding the EXIT button for greater than three seconds. You will hear two beeps to confirm the position has been set. The exit position will be set for the previously identified driver. If the ignition is not in RUN, automatic seat and mirror movement will occur if the UNLOCK button on the remote keyless entry transmitter is pressed. Automatic seat and mirror movement is programmed through the Driver Information Center (DIC) so that the driver can select whether the seat moves to the programmed driving position, the programmed exit position or does not move at all. For memory seat and mirror recall programming instructions, see "DIC Personal Choice Programming" in the Index. 1-4 Heated Seats (Option) , Reclining Front Seatbacks :.'..<. ,^ ...