Buick 1998 Century User manual

f

The 1998 Buick Century Owner’s Manual
1-1
Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safetybelts properly. It also explainsthe “SRS” system.
2-1 FeaturesandControls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1
4- 1
5- 1
6- 1
7-1
8- 1
9- 1
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This sectiontells you how to adjust the ventilation andcomfort controls and how tooperate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful informationand tips about the road and howto drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This sectiontells whatto do if you have a problem while driving, such asa flat tire or overheatedengine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly andlooking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenanceand whatfluidsand lubricantsto 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 informationon “Reporting SafetyDefects” on page
8-8.
Index
Here’s an alphabeticallisting of almostevery subjectin this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, theGM 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 furthernotice. 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 vehicle,
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
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We supportvoluntary
technician certification.
Foi-Lanadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propribtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guideen fraqaischez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1577Meyerside
Dr.
Mississauga,Ontario L5T 1B9
Litho in
U.S.A.
Part No. 10415722B Second Edition All Rights Reserved
ii
0 Copyright General Motors Corporation 1997
~

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receivetheir new vehicle. If
you do this, it will help you learn about the features
and controls foryour vehicle. In this manual, you’ll
find that pictures and
words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back
of the manual. It’s an alphabetical listof what’s in
the manual, and the page number where you’ll find it.
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 reducethe
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 and the word CAUTION to tell you
about thingsthat could hurtyou if youwere to ignore
the warning.
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.”
iii

VehicleDamage Warn s
Also, in this book you will find thesenotices:
I NOTICE:
These mean thereis 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, and
it couldbe
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 warningsin different
colors or in differentwords.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
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
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BAllERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
"E 4
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
A
FLASHER
FOG LAMPS 3 0
These symbols
are on
some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN I
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE Wb
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER n
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V

fi NOTES
vi

Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information about the seatsin your Buick and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some thingsyou should
not do with air bags and safety belts.
1-2
1-5
1-10
1-11
1-11
1-18
1-19
1-19
1-26
1-28
Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re forEveryone
Here Are QuestionsMany People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
Safety BeltUse During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Air Bag System
Center Passenger Position
Rear Seat Passengers
1-3
1
1-34
1-37
1-52
1-65
1-68
1-68
1-68
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children
and Small Adults
Children
Built-in Child Restraint (Option)
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
1-1

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you how to adjust the seats and
explains the reclining seatbacksand head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
You can lose controlof the vehicle if youtry to
adjust
a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement couldstartle and
confuse you,
or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seatonly when
the vehicle isnot moving.
2-Way Manual Seat
Lift the bar under the front of the seat using an upward
motion. This will unlock the seat. Slidethe seat to where
you want it and release the bar. Tryto move the seat
with your body to besure the seat is locked into place.
1-2

6-Way Power Seat (If Equipped)
You may have a six-way power driver’s seat and a
six-way power passenger’s seat (if equipped).
This switch is designed
to imitate the movements of
your seat cushion. The driver’s switch is located on the
left side of the driver’s seat cushion. The passenger’s
switch is located on the right side
of the passenger’s seat
cushion.
To move the seat forward or rearward, push the
switch forward or rearward. To raise or lower the entire
seat, push the switch up or down.
To raise or lower the
front portion of your seat, push the front
of the switch
up or down.
To raise or lowerthe rear portion of your
seat, push the rear
of the switch up or down.
1-3

Reclining Front Seatbacks
Lift the lever to release the seatback, then move the
seatback to where
you want it. Release the lever to lock
the seatback into place. Pull up on the lever without
pushing
on the seatback and the seatback will
move
forward.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
1-4

I
A ’ C, A UTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when yourvehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined likethis.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t beagainst yourbody. Instead, itwill be in
front of you. In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash the
belt couldgo up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not
at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For properprotection when the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint
is closest tothe top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
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 air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where heor 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 orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not beif you are buckled up.Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
1-5

CAU-ION:
I
It is extremely dangerous to ridein a cargo area,
inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are morelikeIy to be
seriously injured orkilled.
Do not allow people to
ride in any area
of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safetybelts. 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.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law 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’tknow if it will be abad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
seriousthat even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can surviveand sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
1-6

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Put someone
on it.
Take the simplest vehicle.
Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.

Get it up to speed.Then stopthe vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped
by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
1-8

or the instrument panel . . . or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you
slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time tostop.
You stop overmore distance,
and your strongestbones take the forces. That’swhy
safety belts make such good sense.

Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But
you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you
are belted.
@ If my vehiclehasairbags, why should I have to
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most
of them in the future.But they are
supplementalsystems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for salehas required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags,
you still have to buckleup to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in sideand other collisions.
wear safety belts?
@ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being
a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds
of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are foreveryone.
1-10

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to
know about safety
belts
and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies.
If a child will be ridingin your
vehicle,
see the part of this manual called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the beltacross
you veryquickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly
to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
1-11

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate
to make sure it is secure. If
the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender”
at the end of this section.
Make surethe release button
on the buckle is
positioned
so you would be able tounbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had
to.
-
5. To make the lap parttight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulderbelt.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low andsnug on
the hips,just touching the thighs.In
a crash, this applies
force
to the strongpelvic bones. And you’dbe less likely
to slideunder the lap belt.
If you slid underit, the belt
would applyforce
at your abdomen.This could cause
seriousor even fatal injuries. The shoulder beltshouldgo
over the shoulderand acrossthe chest. These
parts of the
body are best able
to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash,or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.