Buick 1997 Riviera User manual

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The 1997 Buick Riviera Owner’s Manual
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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.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to 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.
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.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can useit to quickly find
something you want to read.
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I BUICK
GENERAL MOTORS, GM,the GM Emblem, BUICK,
the BUICK Emblem andthe name
RIVERA are
.: registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest information at the timeit
was printed.We reserve the right to ‘make changes in the
=productafter 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.
.Pleasekeep
this manual in your Buick, so it will be there
:if you ever need it when you’reon the road. If you sell
the vehicle, please leave this manualin
it so the new
owner can useit.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 25645980 B First Edition
..
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION
THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification..
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propribtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire dece guide enfraqais chez
votre concessionaireou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 1C7
@Copyright General Motors Corporation 1996
All Rights Reserved

Walter Marr and Thomas Buick
Buick’s chief engineer, Walter L. Marr (left), and
Thomas
D. Buick, son of founder David Dunbar Buick,
drove thefirstFlint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit
round tripin July 1904.
David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899,
and
Mar, his engineer, apparently built thefirst auto to
be called a Buickin 1900. However, Buick traditionally
dates its beginningsto1903,That
was theyear 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
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Durant also created a racing team that won 500 racing
trophies in 1909 and 1910, including successes at
'Indianapolistwo years beforethe Indy
500 began.
The success of Buick engines was visible not only on
the race track, butin endurance tests across the country
and around the world. Buick was the onlycar to
complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-NewYork race
in
1906. And a Buick was thefirst car to travel across
South America, drivenfromBuenos Aires, Argentina,
over the Andes to Santiago, Chilein 1914.
1911 Model 21 Touring Car on Buick's TestHill
Buick drew plentyof 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 awardedthe Croix de Guerre
by the French government.
As a builderof premier automobiles, Buick was hardhit
by the Great Depression. However, new General
Manager Harlow H. Curtice created popular new models
including the Special andtheRoadmaster. Buick sales
soon flourished.
First BuickFactory
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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.
1949 Roadmaster
A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953.
And Buick’s famous vertical pillar “toothy” @e
(introduced in 1942) became more massive in the
post-war era.
I953 Skylark
Motor Trend magazine named the 1962 Buick Special
“Car of the Year.” Thefirst production
V-6 engine was
used
in the Special.
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1962 Buick Special
Built inside the wallsof the old buildings in Buick’s
formerFlint complex, which formed the cornerstoneof
General Motors, Buick City is a state-of-the-art
assembly facility with more than
200 robots and other
high-tech equipment. It was completedin the
fall
of 1985.
Buicks are, and will continue tobe, 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

Safety Warnings and Symbols
% You will also find a circle
I
with a. slash^ through it in
this book. This safety
symbAol means “Don’t,’’
“Don’t do this,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
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 damage would
not be covered by your warranty, andit could be
costly. But the notice willtell you what todo
to help
avoid the damage.
When you read othermanuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings
in different
colors or in differentwords.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
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Vehicle Symbm
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used
on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYESBY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BAllERY
Thesesymbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOORLOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
PARKING
LAMPS
FOGLAMPS
$0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symDols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@I
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
n
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL E$
X

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and also about memory seats, reclining seatbacks
and head restraints.
0 Raise or lower the frontof the seat by holding the
front partof the horizontal control up
or down.
0 Raise or lower the rearof the seat by holding the rear
part of the horizontal control up or down.
control up or down.
0 Raise or lower the entire seatby holding the whole
0 Move the seat forward or back by holding the control
to the front or back.
Power Seats
Power
Lumbar Control (Option)
If you have this option, the driver's seatback lumbar
support can be adjusted by moving the single switch
located on the side
of the seat. To increase or decrease
support, hold the switch forward or rearward.
Thepower seat controls are located on the side
of the
driver's and passenger's seats.
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Memory Seat and Mirrors (Option)
The memory function controlsthe driver’s seatcushion
and outside mirror positions.It does notstorethe lumbar
or recline positions.
To setyour memory seat and mirrors:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat toyour desired position.
Adjust bothoutsidemirrorsto suit you. See
“Mirrors”in the Index.
2. Press theSETbutton and then pressthe 1 or 2 side
of the MEMORY switch withinfive seconds. You
will hear onebeep when you pressthe SETbutton
and two beeps when you pressthe MEMORY button
to confirm thatthe mirror and seat positions are
enteredinto memory.
When your Buick
is in PARK (P) withthe ignition on or
OFF, press the same side of the MEMORY switch to
recall the seat and mirror setting.
To do the same thingfor a second driver, followthe
preceding steps, but pressthe other side
of the
MEMORY switch.
The EXIT button allows you to get out
of the car easily.
When the gear shift selector isin
PARK (P) with the
ignition on or
OFF, push EXIT andthe seat will go all
the way down and back.
Remote Keyless Entry Personal
Choice Feature
Each remote keyless entry transmitter canbe
programmed to movethe driver’s seat and outside
mirrors to asetmemory position whenthe transmitter’s
UNLOCK button is pressed. For programming
instructions,
see “Personal Choice Features” in
the Index.

Heated Front Seat (Option) Reclining Front Seatbacks
If your vehicle has this
option, the switchis on the
driver’s armrest. With the
ignition in
ACCESSORY or
RUN, press the button once
and the seat will warm up.
The
HI light on the button
will come on.
Press the button a second time and the
LO light will
come on. The seat will warm to a lower temperature.
Press the button a third time to turn
off the heated seat.
The heater will also turnoff automatically when the
ignitionis turned
off.
forward to bring the seat to
a more upright position.
Push itrearward to recline
the seatback.
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But don’t haveaseatback rqdined if your vehicle is moving.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint
is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of aneck injury in a cr~ash.

a
Seatback Latches
If theseatbackisn’tlocked,itcouldmove .
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
The front seatback folds forward toletpeople get into
the back seat.
Your seatback will move back and forth
freely, unless you come to a sudden stop. Then
it will
lock
in place.
There’s one time the seatback may not fold without
some help from you. That’s if your vehicle is parked
going down
a fairly steep hill.
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To fold a seatback forward
if it does lock in place, push
the seatback toward the rear
as you lift this latch. Then
the seatback will fold
forward. Thelatch mustbe
down for the seat to
work properly.
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 safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system.
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Don’t let anyone ride wherehe or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected fromit. You can be seriously
injured
or killed. In the same crash,you might
not be if you arebuckled up. Alwaysfasten your
safety belt,and check that yourpassengers’ belts
arefastened properlytoo.
A ‘CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In
a collision,
people riding in theseareas are morelikely to be
seriouslyinjured orkilled.
Do not allow people to
ride in any areaof your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats andsafety belts. Be sure
everyone in yourvehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes
on as a reminder to
buckle
up. (See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
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h most states and Canadian provinces,theiaw says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know ifit will be a bad one.
A few crashes are
mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes arein between.
In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety beltsin vehicles,
the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’sjust a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed.Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
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