1996 CADILLAC DEVILLE engine

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in
one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What if there’s
an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system
can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking -- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher
than if the person had not been drinking.
I
I a CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount
of alcohol.
You can have a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with
a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in
a cab; or if
you’re with
a group, designate a driver who will
not drink.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds
or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement
or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
md road can provide. That means you can lose control
your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake
life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If
you do, the
pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder
to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
ANTI -
LOCK
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System
Warning Light” in
the Index.
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Here's how anti-lock works. Let's say the road is wet.
You're driving safely. Suddenly
an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here's what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about
to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels. The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than any driver could. The computer is programmed to
make the
most of available tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot
up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close
to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room
up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work
for you. You may hear the
anti-lock
pump or motor operate, and feel the brake
pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
Traction Control System
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only if it senses that one
or both of the front wheels are spinning
or beginning to
lose traction. When this happens, the system works
the
front brakes and reduces engine power to limit wheel
spin.
The
TRACTION ACTIVE message will display on the
Driver Information Center when the traction control system is limiting wheel spin.
See “Driver Information
Center Messages”
in the Index. You may feel or hear
the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle
is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you
to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the Index.)
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TRACTION
CONTROL
This warning light will
come on to let you know
if
there’s a problem with your
traction control system. See
“Traction Control System
Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning
light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
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The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you
start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially
in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on.
But you can turn the
traction control system off
if you ever need to.
(You should turn the system
off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking
Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
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To turn the system off, press
the
TRAC OFF button
located inside of the glove
box.
The TRACTION OFF message will display on the
Driver Information Center. If the system
is limiting
wheel spin when you press the button, the TRACTION
OFF message will display -- but the system won’t turn
off right away. It will wait until there’s no longer a
current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can
turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The TRACTION
READY message
should display briefly
on the Driver Information Center.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
With anti-lock, you can steer
and brake at the same
time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or
the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
MAGNASTEER TM (Concours Only)
Your vehicle may be equipped with GM MAGNASTEER,
a system that continuously adjusts the effort you feel when
steering at
all vehicle speeds. It provides ease when
parking yet a fm, solid feel at highway speeds.
Speed Sensitive Steering (SSS)
(DeVille Only)
This system varies the amount of steering effort
proportionate to your vehicle speed. Steering is easier at
a lower speed for maneuvering and parking ease. As
your vehicle speed increases, the steering effort also
increases.
At highway speeds, the amount of steering
effort is increased
to provide manual-like steering for
maximum control and stability.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of us is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle
to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
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The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition
of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked and your speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate.
Both control systems -- steering
and acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires
meet the road. Unless your traction control system is on, adding the sudden acceleration can demand too much
of
those places. You can lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to
go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do
it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain
a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped
in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right
in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s\

the time for evasive action
-- steering around the
problem.
Your Cadillac can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies’’ earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can
from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right depending on the space available.
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