
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine CHANGE TRANS FLUID (Northstar Only)
This message will appear when it is time to replace the transaxle fluid.
See your maintenance booklet for the proper fluid and change i\
ntervals.
CHECK BRAKE FLUID
This message is displayed to inform the driver that the brake reservoir
fluid level
is low. Check the brake reservoir level and add as needed.
Have the brake system serviced by
a Cadillac technician as soon as
possible.
If the brake warning light is on, follow the directions in that
section.
CHECK COOLANT LEVEL (Northstar Only)
This message will appear when there is a low level of engine coolant.
Have the cooling system serviced by a Cadillac technician as soon as
possible.
CHECK FUEL GAGE
This message will appear when your fuel supply is less than 4 gallons and
your display is turned
off.
CHECK OIL LEVEL (Northstar Only)
This message will appear when your engine oil is approximately a quart
low. If this message is displayed, check the oil and add as needed.
CHANGE OIL SOON
This message will appear when your engine oil is less than 10 percent or
the mileage since the last oil change is more than 6750 miles.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL
135
This means that the life of your engine oil has expired and it should be
changed immediately. See engine
oil and filter recommendations in the
Maintenance Schedule. After an
oil change, the Oil Life Index must be
reset. See “Oil Life Indicator”
in the index on how to reset it.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Information Center. If this message should appear, have your vehicle
serviced at your Cadillac dealer at your earliest convenience.
Oil Life Indicator
Your Cadillac has a Driver Information Cente.r with an Oil Change
Indicator feature. This tclls you when
you need to change your engine oil.
It’s based upon the engine oil temperatures and your driving patterns.
. ...
I To see the display,
press
the Information
button several times
until “ OTL LIFE
INDEX” appears.
You’ll see how much oil life you have left,
as a percentage. So, if you see
“95 OIL LIFE INDEX,” for example, that means that the way you’re
driving your car,
95% of your current oil life is still left.
The
“OIL LIFE INDEX” may say to change the oil sooner than your
maintenance schedule. This can happen
if driving conditions, such as
short trips
in cold weather, cause shorter oil life. Always keep a written
record
of the mileage and date when you last changed your oil. For more
information on when to change your
oil, see the “Maintenance
Schedule.”
If you see
“CHANGE OIL SOON,” it means that you have less than 10%.
of your oil life left, and you should consider changing your engine oil.
If you see
“CHANGE ENGINE OIL,” it means the oil life is gone and
you should change the oil right away (certainly within
200 more miles
[320 km]).
140

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The system probably will say to change the oil between 3000 miles (5000
km) and 7500 miles (12500
km), but it may even say to change it before
3000 under
very severe conditions. It all depends on your driving
patterns. If it’s been 7500 miles
(12500 km) it will say to change oil.
There are two things the system doesn’t do:
It can’t sense heavy dust in the places whcre you drive. If you drive in
a dusty area, you should change your oil every 3000 miles (5000 krn)
or
3 months (whichever comes first), unless thc display says to change
it even sooner than that.
0 It doesn’t check how much oil you have, so you’ll still have to check
Also, for the system
to work right, it is important that you use SG oil, as
discussed earlier.
for that.
To see
how, see Index under “Engine Oil.”
When You’ve Changed the Oil
When new oil is put in, you‘ll need to reset your system. To do it, display
the
“OIL LIFE INDEX” by pressing the “Information” button. Then
press and hold the “STORE/RECALL? buttons
until the display shows
6‘ 100. 77
Speed Sensitive Suspension
The Speed Sensitive Suspension automatically controls the firmness of
your Cadillads ride. An actuator in each of the four struts will change
ride firmness depending
on vehicle speed and other driving conditions.
As
the vehicle speed increases, the firmness of the suspension changes to
one or three damping modes “Comfort”, for speeds !ess than 40 mph,
“Normal” for speeds between
40 and 60 rnph, and “Firm” for speeds
greater than 60 mph.
The system also stiffens damping during hard
acceleration, braking and cornering ,for increased control,
A computer is used to control and monitor the system. The computer
receives speed, acceleration and determines optimum mode strut valving
(or suspension stiffness) for your current operating conditions. The
computer also receives feedback from the struts to determine proper
system operation.
If the computer receives an incorrect feedback from
the system, an error code will
be set in memory and a message
“SERVICE RIDE CONTROL? will be displayed until the problem is
141

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine RECOMMENDED SAE VISCOSITY GRADE ENGIHE OILS
FOR BEST FUEL Er-m7Y AND COLD STARTING, SELECT THE LOWEST
SAE VISCOSITY GLmwL
wll FOR THE EXPECTED TEMPERATURE RANGE.
vmim
HOT
OF "C
+loo - - +38
+80 - - +27
+60 - - +16
+40 - -+4
+20 - -7
0 3 --la
0
COLD
WEATHER
SAE 5W-30
-- [--I
-I
SAE low-30
PREFERRED
DO NOT USE SAE 1OW-40 GRADE OIL OR ANY OTHER GRADE NOT RECOMMENDED
SAE 1OW-30
As shown in the viscosity chart, SAE low-30 is best for your vehicle.
However, you can use
SAE 5W-30 if it's going to be colder than 60°F
(16"
C) before your next oil change. When it's very cold, below 0°F
(-18OC), you should use SAE 5W-30.
These numbers on an
oil container show its viscosity, or thickness. Do not
use other viscosity oils such as
SAE 1OW-40 or SAE 20W-50.
Energy Conserving I1
272

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Oils with these words on the container will help you save fuel.
This doughnut-shaped logo (symbol) is used on most oil containers
to
help you select the correct oil.
You should look for this on the oil container, and use only those oils that
display the logo.
GM Goodwrench@ oil (in Canada, GM Engine Oil) meets all the
requirements for your vehicle.
Engine Oil Additives: Don’t add anything to your oil. Your Cadillac
dealer is ready to advise
if you think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil: Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil
life index (EOLI) feature as part
of the Driver Information Center
display (DIC). Oil change intervals are determined by the EOLI and will
usually fall at, or between, the
two recommended alternative intervals of
3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) and 7,500 miles (12,500 kilometers), but
could be shorter than
3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) under some very
severe driving conditions shown in Schedule I. The system will also
indicate the need for an oil change if
7,500 miles (12,500 kilometers) or
one year has passed.
Engine
oil life remaining is displayed through engine data as the ‘OIL
LIFE INDEX’ and as a ‘CHANGE ENGINE OIC message. The
‘OIL
LIFE INDEX’ display includes a number between 0 and 100. This is the
percentage
of oil life REMAINING based on driving conditions and
mileage driven since the last time of the oil life indicator was reset. When
the remaining oil life is less than
lo%, a ‘CHANGE OIL SOON’ message
will appear. This is a reminder to schedule an engine oil change. When
the oil life index reaches
0, the ‘CHANGE ENGINE OIC message will
appear. This indicates that no oil life remains and the oil should be
changed
as soon as possible, but certainly within the next 200 miles (320
km).
The EOLI will not detect excessively dusty conditions or engine
malfunctions which may effect the
oil. If you drive in dusty areas, change
the engine oil after every
3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) or 3 months
(whichever comes first), unless instructed to do
so sooner by the DIC.
xu -
On Northstar 4.6 Liter engine equipped vehicles a ‘CHECK OIL LEVEE
message will appear whenever the oil level’s approximately one quart low.
273

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How To Reset the Oil Life Indicator: After the oil has been changed,
display the
‘OIL LIFE INDEX’ message by pressing the
‘INFORMATION’ button. Then press and hold
the ‘STORE/RECALL:
button until the display shows
‘100’. This will reset the oil life index. The
message will remain OFF until the next oil change is needed. The
percentage
of oil life remaining may be check at any item by pressing the
INFORMATION button several times until the
‘OIL LIFE INDEX’
message appears.
Engine Block Heater: An engine block heater can be
a big help if you
have to park outside in very cold weather, 0 F (-18 C) or colder. If your
vehicle has this option, see “Engine Block Heater”
in the Index.
What
to Do with Used Oil:
1 A CAUTION:
Used engine oil contains things that have caused skin cancer in
laboratory animals. Don’t let used
oil stay on your skin for very - ‘J;
long. Clean your skin and nails with soap and water, or a good -
hand cleaner. Wash or properly throw away clothing or rags
$1
containing used engine oil. I. , e.- - .: - e 4
Used oil can be a real threat to the environment. If you change your own
oil, be sure to drain all free-flowing
oil from the filter before disposal.
Don’t ever dispose
of oil by pouring it on the ground, into sewers, or into
streams or bodies of water. Instead, recycle
it by taking it to a place that
collects used
oil. If you have a problem properly disposing of your used
oil,
ask your dealer, a service station or a local recycling center for help.
274

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Operating the engine with the air cleaner off can cause you or
others to be burned. The air cleaner not only cleans the air,
it
stops flame if the engine backfires. If it isn’t there, and the
engine backfires,
you could be burned. Don’t drive with it off,
and be carefbl working on the engine with the air cleaner off.
NOTICE:
__ the air cleaner is off, a backfire can cause a damaging engine
fire. And, dirt can easily get into your engine, which will damage
LC. Always have the air cleaner in place when you’re driving.
.., *:: ,:.. . *->.-* . . ~ .. - , . - - . -.. >..s.=-7.s..: ‘<.> - .. . -.<. ~ . ~~ . .. . .. . .... . -~- - - - .-.. -.-.ii-.. . ..~.. __. .= . . -- ~ ..
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE FLUID
When to Check and Change:
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid level is when the
engine oil is changed. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine
when to change your fluid. See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the
Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can
be a little difficult, you may choose to have
this done at a Cadillac dealership Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions here, or you
could get a false reading on the dipstick.
276

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine made especially for your automatic transaxle. Damage caused by fluid
other than DEXRON@-IIE is not covered by your
new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as described under “How to
Check.”
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the dipstick back in all
How To Reset Transaxle Fluid Change Indicator: (4.6 Liter Northstar)
Your vehicle is equipped with
a transaxle fluid change indicator. A
“CHANGE
TRANS FLUID’’ message will display on the Information
Center when the power train computer determines that the transaxle
fluid needs to be changed or at each 100,000 miles (160,000
km) interval,
whichever occurs first. When this message appears, change the transaxle
fluid and reset
the transaxle fluid life indicator as follows:
the
way.
0 Turn the key “ON” with the engine stopped.
Press and hold the “OFF” and “REAR DEFOG” buttons on the
climate control simultaneously until the
“TRANS FLUID RESET”
message appears
in the Information Center (between 5 and 20
seconds).
ENGINE COOLANT
The following explains your cooling system and how to add coolant when
it
is low. If you have a problem with engine overheating, see “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
The proper coolant for your Cadillac will:
Give freezing protection down to -34” F (-37” C) .
0 Give boiling protection up to 262OF (128O C) .
0 Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights work as they should.
What to Use:
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably distilled) and one-half
antifreeze that meets “GM Specification 1825-M,” which won’t damage
aluminum parts. You can also use a recycled coolant conforming to
GM
280