1996 CADILLAC DEVILLE ESP

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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often.
But it can if your
tires haven’t much tread or
if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road.
If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could
be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it
is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your engine’s
air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid
deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
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Turn on your low-beam headlamps -- not just your
parking lamps
-- to help make you more, visible to
others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially carehl when
you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets
or extra clothing, make body
insulators
from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under
your clothing to keep warm.
A CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you.
You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know it
is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
You
can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine nailer Wiring Harness
If your vehicle is equipped with the 3,000-lb.
(1 360 kg) trailer towing package option, you will have
a wiring harness located under the trunk
trim. The
harness is a five wire, with connector.
These trailer wiring harness color codes should be followed when connecting it to your trailer:
WHITE: Direct trailer ground for trailer lamps.
BROWN: Parking lamps.
YELLOW: Left turn and stoplamps.
GREEN: Right turn and stoplamps.
BLUE: Auxiliary circuit.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of expenence.
Before setting out
for the open road, you'll want to get
to know your
rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer.
And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the trailer brake controller
by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load
is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, belt, cooling system and brake adjustment.
Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s
a good idea to review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically
to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain
your tires properly. If air goes
out of
a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if
you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and
what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out
of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and
may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control
.by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop -- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next
part shows how to use your
jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
A CAUTION:
~~
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or.other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
2. Set the parking brake firmly.
3. lhrn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks
at the front and rear of the
tire farthest
away from the one being changed.
That
would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level
if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
At high speed for quite a while.
0 In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is
180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving abut 15 miles (24 km)
when outside temperatures are above 50°F (10°C). If it's
colder
than 50°F (lO"C), you may have to drive longer.
Checking the Fluid Level
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Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the engine
running.
With the parking brake applied, place the shift Lever
in
PARK (P).
With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift lever
in PARK (P).
Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes. Then, without shutting off
the engine, follow these steps:
1. The black transaxle fluid cap is located next to the
radiator hose and below the air cleaner assembly
on
the driver's side of the engine. Remove the air
cleaner assembly
so you can reach the transaxle fluid
cap. The assembly is attached to the vehicle
by two
fasteners. Simply
lift up on the air cleaner assembly
to remove it. Find the transaxle fluid cap and turn
it
counterclockwise to remove. Pull out the dipstick
and wipe
it with a clean rag or paper towel.
then pull it back out again.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the lower
level. The fluid level must be
in the cross-hatched area.
4. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back
in all the way.
5. Replace the air cleaner assembly.
How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transaxle fluid to use. See “Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants”
in the Maintenance Schedule booklet.
If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid
to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on
the dipstick.
1. Pull out the dipstick.
2. Using a long-neck funnel, add enough fluid at the
dipstick hole to bring
it to the proper level. It doesn’t take
much fluid, generally less than a pint (0.5 L).
Don’t oveflll. We
recommend you use only fluid
labeled
DEXRON@-111, because fluid with that label
is made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other
than DEXRON-I11 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 the way.
How to Reset Transaxle Fluid
Change Indicator
Your vehicle is equipped with a transaxle fluid change
indicator.
A CHANGE TRANS FLUID message will
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC) when
the powertrain computer determines that the transaxle
fluid needs to be changed. See your Maintenance Schedule booklet for more information. When this
message appears, change the transaxle fluid and reset
the transaxle fluid life indicator as
follows:
1. Turn the ignition on but do not start the engine.
2. Press and hold the OFF and rear defog buttons on
the climate control at the same time until the
TRANS
FLUID RESET message appears on the DIC.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires of different sizes
may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure
to use the same
size
and type tires on all four wheels.
It’s all right
to drive with your compact spare,
though. It
was developed for use on your vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This applies only to vehicles sold
in the United States.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls
of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary
use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or
to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may
vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria
(TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire
graded
100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
--.
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