1997 BUICK Riviera Owners Manual

The 1997 Buick Riviera Owner’s Manual 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-1 7- 1 8-1 9- 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. 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. i

I BUICK GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name RIVERA 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. 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 de ce guide en fraqais chez votre concessionaire ou 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 the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit round trip in July 1904. David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899, and Mar, 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

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. And a Buick was the first car to travel across South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914. 1911 Model 21 Touring Car on Buick's Test Hill 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. 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 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.” 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

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 ca 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

1997 BUICK Riviera Owners Manual

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