1996 CADILLAC ELDORADO brakes

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
LOCK
ANT‘- (@)
ANTI -
LOCK
With the anti-lock brake system, one of these lights will
come on when you start your engine and may stay on for
several seconds. That’s normal. If
the light stays on, turn the ignition
off. Or, if the light
comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible
and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on
again while you’re driving, your Cadillac needs service.
If the regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you
still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning light is also on, you
don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a problem with
your regular brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light’’
earlier in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when
you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there
is a problem.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine BATTERY NO CHARGE - 07: This message will
appear if the battery is not being charged. Have the
electrical system checked by your Cadillac dealership at
your earliest convenience.
BATTERY VOLTS HIGH - 08: This message shows
that the electrical charging system is overcharging (more
than 16 volts). To avoid being stranded, have the
electrical system checked by your Cadillac dealership.
You can reduce the charging overload by using the
accessories. Turn on the lamps and radio, set the climate
control on AUTO and the fan speed on
HI, and turn the
rear window defogger on. You can monitor battery
voltage on the DIC by pressing the INFORMATION
button. The normal range is 11.5 to 15.5 volts when the
engine
is running.
BATTERY VOLTS LOW - 06: This message will
appear when the electrical system is charging less than
10 volts or if the battery has been drained. If this
message appears immediately after starting,
it is possible
that the generator can still recharge the battery. The
battery should recharge after driving a few miles and the
message should go out. If this message appears while
driving or after starting your vehicle and stays on, have
it checked immediately to determine
the cause of this problem.
To help the generator recharge the battery
quickly you can reduce the load on the electrical system
by turning off the accessories. You can monitor battery
voltage on the DIC by pressing the INFORMATION
button. The normal range is 11.5 to 15.5 volts.
BRAKE VACUUM PROBLEM - 108: The circuit in
the brake booster vacuum has shorted or is loose when
this message appears. Your vehicle may lose power
brakes but you will still have the use of manual brakes.
The power brakes will not be affected if the problem is
caused by a failed sensor. Have your vehicle serviced
immediately at your Cadillac dealership.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL - 82: This means that the life
of the engine oil has expired and it should be changed
within
200 miles. See “Engine Oil” and “Filter
Recommendations’’ in the Maintenance Schedule. After
an oil change, the Oil Life Indicator must be reset. See
“Oil Life Indicator” in the Index on how to reset it.
CHANGE TRANS FLUID - 47: This message will
appear when
it is time to replace the transaxle fluid
(system has determined that the transaxle fluid has
reached
0%). See the Maintenance Schedule booklet for
the proper fluid and change intervals.
2-79
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
aometimes, as when you’re driving on snow
or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
i 4-5

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. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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. 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
reengage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control” in
the Index.)

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.
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. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front
in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem
to be farther away from you
than
it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver
to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
’C
s review wnat arlving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road
to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area
of less danger.
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The
three types of skids correspond to your Cadillac’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering
in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Remember:
Any traction control system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid.
If your traction control system is
off, then an
acceleration skid is also best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a
second skid
if it occurs.