I :. , The 1994 Buick Roadmaster Owner's Manual Litho in U.S.A. 'Copyright General Motors Corporation 1993 Part No. 25609689 B First Edition All Rights Reserved. 1 I 7 i‘4 WE SUPPQRT .VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN ~GERT1FlCATION THROUGH Nallonal lnslttule for i- 1 .?<.> AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE ‘,Thismanual hcludes the latest information at the timeIF?$;”< EXGELLENCE wasprinted. We reserve the right to make, changes in the’.: ]pko&ct after that. time without further’notice.For ..: . :: . 1 3- 3 Walter Marr and Thomas Buick Buick’s chief engineer, WalterL. Man (left), and Thomas D. Buick, sonof 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 firstauto to be called a Buickin 1900. However, Buick traditionally dates its beginnings 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 4 Durant also created a racing team thatwon 500 racing Buick drew plentyof attention because it couldclimb trophies in 1909 and 19 10, including successes at hills and run throughmud like no other car. Buick’s Indianapolis two years beforethe Indy 500 began. endurance and .reliability were world famous. The success of Buick engines was visible not only on During World War I, Buick built Liberty aircraftengines the race track, but inendurance tests across the country as well as Red Cross ambulances so successful that one and around the world. Buick was the only carto Buick ambulance was awarded the Croixde Guewe by complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in the French government. 1906. And a hick was the first car to travel across As a builder of premier automobiles, Buickwas hard hit South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Great Depression. However, new General over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 19 14. M%nager, HarlowH. Curtice created popular new models including-theSpecial andthe Roadmaster. Buick sales soon flourished. I9II Model 21 Touring Car on Buick’s TestHill I First Buick Factory 3 In World War II, Buick built aircraft engines, tanks and A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953. other military hardware. This post-war period brought And Buick’s famous vertical pillar “toothy” grille, great styling and engineering changes which resulted in (introduced in 1942), became more massive in the increasedsales. Thetorque converter automatic post-war era. transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced in the 1948 Roadmaster. Buick’s famous “portholes” came along in 1949. 1953 Skylark Motor Trend magazine- namedthe 1962 Buick $pecial, “Car of the Year”. The first production V-6 engine was I949 Roadmaster used in the Special. 1962 Buick Special Ed Mertz, General Manager, Buick Motor Division Built insidethe walls of the old buildingsin Buick’s Our mission is simple:- former Flint complex, which formed the cornerstoneof “Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars General Motors, Buick City, is a state-of-the-art backed withservices,that exceed our customers’ assembly facility with more than200 robots and other expectations, throughout the purchase,ownership, high-tech equipment. It was completed in the fallof service andrepurchase experience.” 1985. Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL. Buicks are, and will continue to be, premium American motorcars with smooth power,high performance, rich Buicks are DISTINCTIVE. detail andcomfortable accommodation. Buicks arePOWERFUL. Buicks are MATURE. 7 1923 Sport Roadster 8 Table of Contents ~ ~~ How to Use this Manual ................................................................. 10 This part tells you how to use your manual and includes safety and vehicle damage warnings and symbols. Seats and Restraint Systems ............................................................. 13 This part tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SRS” system. FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 63 This part explains how to start and operateyour Buick. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ..................................................... 127 This part tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controlsand how to operate your sound system. YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 153 Here you’ll find helpful information and tips aboutthe road and how to drive under different conditions. ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 187 This part tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or engine overheating, etc. ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 223 Here the manual tellsyou how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good. Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 281 This part tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information ........................................................ 303 This part tells you how to contact Buick for assistance andhow to get service publications. It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects”on page 305. Index ................................................................................ 311 Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. 9 How to Use This Manual This safety symbol means “D.on’t,” “Don’tdo this,” or .Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning ,“Don’tlet this happen.” to end’ when theyfirst receive theirnew 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 explain things quickly. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautionsin this book. We use a box with gray background and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt youif you were to ignore the warning. ’ ’ In the gray cautionarea, 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. ‘Ifyou don’t, you or I otherscould be hurt. You w~illalso find a circle witha slash through itin this I book. k Vehicle Damage Warnings In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would Also, in this book you will find these notices: not be covered by your warranty, andit could be costly. But the notice will tell you what todo to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in dif€erent colors or NOTICE: in different words. You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. Theyuse yellow for cautions, blue for notices and the words CAUTION or NOTICE. 11 These symbols Here are some Vehicle Symbols are used on other symbols These are some of the symbolsyou may find on your vehicle. warning and you may see: indicator lights: For example, These symbols These symbols These symbols FUSE -%- these symbols are important have to do with are on some of ENGINE are used on an for you and your lights: your controls: COOLANT TEMP Fe original battery: your passengers -- RADIO "y " whenever your SELECTOR .) vehicle is CAUTION driven: WIPER. BATTERY- POSSIBLE A Q7 CHARGING I-1 INJURY 'SYSTEM RADIO DOOR LOCK VOLUME > UNUICK TURN PROTECT SIGNALS EYES BY SHIELDING FASTEN SEAT RADIATOR CONDITIONINGAIR )#t 4 DEFROSTER COOLANT CAUSTIC WINDSHIELDwa BELTS BATTERY TRUNK ACID COULD RUEASE /y CAUSE HAZARD WINDOW FUEL BURNS POWER WARNING A DEFOGGER WINDOW FLASHER ENGINE OIL e,LIGHTER AVOID PRESSURE n SPARKS OR VENTILATING FLAMES FAN HIGH BEAMOR = =o TEMPOIL & SPARK OR ,\I/, FLAME COULD FOG LAMPS $0 ANTILOCK (@) SPEAKER EXPLODE BRAKE BATTERY b 12 ~ Part 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Here you’ll findinformation about the seats in yourBuick and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should do with safety belts . Part 1 includes: SeatsandSeatControls ............................................................. 14 HeadRestraints ................................................................... 18 Raising and Lowering Wagon Rear Seats ................................................ 18 SafetyBelts ...................................................................... 20 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................................................... 27 Lap-ShoulderBelt ............................................................ 28 Supplemental Restraint System (Air bag) ............................................... 35 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................................................... 41 Children ......................................................................... 46 Smaller Children and Babies .................................................... 47 Child Restraints ............................................ :................. 48 LargerChildren ............................................................... 58 SafetyBeltExtender ................................................................ 61 Replacing Safety Belts Aftera Crash ................................................... 61 Checking Your Restraint System ...................................................... 61 13 Seats and Seat Controls ,Fb+~Thissection tellsyou about