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1997 Buick Park Avenue

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1997 Park Avenue.

Transmission Automatic 4-spd

The 1997 Buick Park Avenue is a full-size sedan equipped with a 4.5-quart engine oil capacity using 10W-30 API-grade oil, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission and achieving EPA fuel economy ratings of 17 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined; these specifications positioned it as a traditional American luxury cruiser in its segment. In terms of reliability, this model year recorded 301 owner complaints—making 1997 the peak of complaint volume across the 1994-2005 Park Avenue range, with seat belts emerging as the most frequently cited issue among its three recalls. Notably, complaint volumes dropped substantially over the following years, reaching a low of just 8 complaints by 2005, suggesting that newer iterations addressed many of the early issues that plagued the 1997 model. For researchers, this positions the 1997 Park Avenue as a pivotal year in the model's history—both as the high-water mark for problems and as a baseline for understanding the improvements that followed in subsequent production years.

Model year200520042003200220012000199919981997

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.5 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type10W-30 APIOEM · verified
Lug nut torque100 ft-lbsOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy17/26/20 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 78 · 690 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731175. Note the factory serpentine belt and cabin air filter are now discontinued — plan on a superseded or quality aftermarket equivalent, which the part pages below list where known. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 78 · 690 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeP225-60R16OEM · verified
Wheel / rim6.5-JJ inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12731175
Engine air filter19259030
Fuel filter25166285 alt 25121293
Spark plug12681664
Front wiper blades19120758
Serpentine belt19172682 discontinued · alt 19355278
Thermostat24506986 alt 24502433
Cabin air filter52482839 discontinued

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length206.7 in
Overall width74.8 in
Overall height58.3 in
Wheelbase113.8 in
Curb weight3803 lb
Track (front / rear)62.2 / 62.2 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)62/38

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined17 / 26 / 20 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Passenger volume111 cu ft
Cargo volume19 cu ft
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Park Avenue of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

7.5–7.7 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 7.50 sec — 1997 Ultra Sedan
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
1997Ultra Sedan 3.8L Supercharger V67.50 sec15.70 sec240 hpFWD
1997Ultra Sedan 3.8L Supercharger V67.70 sec15.80 sec240 hpFWD
1992Ultra Supercharged Sedan 3.8L Supercharger V68.40 sec16.40 sec205 hpFWD
1991Ultra Sedan 3.8L V69.00 sec16.90 sec205 hpFWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.5 qt of 10W-30 API engine oil. Torque lug nuts to 100 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Engine Oil10W-30 · API
Engine Oil Capacity4.5 qt

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.2 ft-lbs
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Bolt(s)15 ft-lbs
Oxygen (O2S) Sensor Bolt(s)31 ft-lbs
Knock Sense (KS) Bolt(s)13 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine BoltsLower: 11 ft-lbs; Upper: 7.4 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts22 ft-lbs
Oil Pan to Block Bolts10 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts100 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub107 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-6-5-4-3-2
Ignition Coil Secondary Resistance5,000-8,000 ohms
Spark Plug ManufacturerAC Delco
Spark Plug TypeAC 41-921
Spark Plug Gap0.060 in
Spark Plug Torque11.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Refrigerant Capacity2.00 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Type46
Oil Capacity9.00 oz
Standard BCI Group Number78
Standard BCI Cranking Performance690 cca
Optional BCI Group Number78

Service checks

Pressure Test15; Do not exceed 20 psi.
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188-206 °F
Injector Primary Resistance11.4-12.6 @ 70 degreesF ohms
Engine Compression100

Brakes

Torque Caliper to Bracket137 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle100 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Rotor Max Parallel Variation0.0005 in / 0.001 in
Rotor Runout Limit0.002 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From1.267 in / 0.433 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness To1.267 in / 0.433 in
Rotor Minimum Machining1.224 in / 0.404 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
174 ft. lbs., Step 2: 10574 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111 ft. lbs., step 2: 76111 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages
137 ft. lbs.37 ft. lbs
2120 degrees120 degrees
3turn 30
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages
137 ft. lbs.37 ft. lbs
2120 degrees120 degrees
3turn 30

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 100,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miBrake System (inspect) · Door Hinge (lubricate) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Hood Hinge (lubricate) · Hood Latch (lubricate)
Every 15,000 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 30,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Line (inspect) · Fuel Tank (inspect) · Fuel Tank Filler Cap (inspect) · Supercharger Assembly (inspect fluid condition)
Every 60,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect)
Every 100,000 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 150,000 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 1997 Buick Park Avenue sits at the top of a sharp complaint spike within this generation: its 301 NHTSA complaints more than triple the 59 recorded for 1996 and exceed every other model year in the record, including the 277 logged for 1998. Federal scrutiny rose in lockstep, with 1997 marking the first year to reach four investigations and tying the highest recall count in the early run at three, while its 53 TSBs were roughly double the volume of 1995-1996. The most frequently reported complaint categories were seat belts (52), engine and engine cooling (44), hydraulic service brakes (34), and the electrical system (24), and the year also generated 34 fire-related complaints against only five crash-related complaints; the data does not specify root causes. After the 1997-1998 peak, complaints trended steadily downward while TSB counts climbed dramatically in the 2000s, indicating the bulk of owner-reported problems were concentrated in the middle of this generation. Because 1997 is the clear outlier for complaints and investigations, it is not the strongest choice for a used purchase unless a candidate has documented maintenance addressing the reported systems.

3
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
53
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
4
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
301
Owner complaints
5 involved a crash · 34 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent
’94’95’96’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 301 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Seat Belts52
Engine & Engine Cooling44
Service Brakes, Hydraulic34
Electrical System24
Power Train19
Steering19
Structure14
Fuel System, Gasoline13

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

00V117000Seat Belts:Front:WebbingReported 18/04/2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE FRONT SEAT SHOULDER BELTS THAT MAY TWIST, ALLOWING THE WEBBING TO BECOME JAMMED IN THE RETRACTOR. Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF UPDATED FRONT SHOULDER BELT BEZELS AND WHERE NECESSARY, INSTALL NEW FRONT SEAT SHOULDER BELT OPENING BEZEL KITS.

97V064000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipReported 28/04/1997

THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE OR THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE AND TRACTION CONTROL MODULE CAN CAUSE THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) TO CYCLE DURING A NON-ABS BRAKE APPLICATION. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE OR THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE AND TRACTION CONTROL MODULE.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 53 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIP4723D2020-01-31Electrical SystemThis Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or…
19NA2732019-12-02Electrical SystemThis informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to…
PIC4696E2019-11-22EquipmentThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how…
17NA0732019-09-18EquipmentThis warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action…
PIC4696D2019-09-05EquipmentThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Park Avenue. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 78 batteryVehicles taking 4.5 qtEngine oil filter 12731175Engine air filter 19259030Fuel filter 25166285Spark plug 12681664

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBsOBD-II trouble codesTorque specificationsMaintenance schedulesFluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1997 Park Avenue take?

4.5 qt of 10W-30 API, per the factory manual.

Does the 1997 Park Avenue have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Park Avenue get?

EPA figures are 17 city / 26 highway / 20 combined mpg.