1996 CADILLAC ELDORADO brake

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine napkin before inserting the key back into the ignition.
Have your vehicle serviced if the message still appears.
SERVICE A/C SYSTEM A/C COMPRESSOR
OFF
- 14: This message appears when the electronic
sensors that control the A/C and heating systems are
no longer working. Have the climate control system
serviced if you notice a drop
in heating and
A/C efficiency.
SERVICE AIR BAG - 83: There is a problem with the
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (air bag) system when
this message appears. Let only a qualified technician
work on your vehicle. See your Cadillac dealership for
service at once.
SERVICE BRAKE FLUID SWITCH - 37: A high
level of brake fluid causes this message to display if the
ignition
is in the RUN position. Have the brake system
serviced by
a Cadillac technician as soon as possible. If
the brake warning light is on, refer to the directions
listed in that part.
SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM - 102: This
message will display when a problem with the charging
system has been detected. Have your vehicle serviced at
your Cadillac dealership,
SERVICE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - 106: This
message
will display if an electrical problem has
occurred within the PCM. Have your vehicle service
by your Cadillac dealership.
SERVICE EMISSIONS SYSTEM - 104: A problem in
the emissions system has occurred when this message
appears. Have your Cadillac dealership service your vehicle.
SERVICE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM - 103:
problem within the engine cooling system has been
detected when this message displays. See your Cadi
dealership for service.
SERVICE FUEL SYSTEM - 101: The PCM has
A
llac
detected a problem within the fuel system when this
message appears. See your Cadillac dealership
for service.
SERVICE IDLE CONTROL SYSTEM - 107: A
problem with the idle control has occurred when this
message displays. Bring your vehicle to your Cadillac
dealership for service.
SERVICE IGNITION SYSTEM - 105: This message
displays when a failure
in the ignition system has
been detected. Have your vehicle serviced by your Cadillac dealership.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different
kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve
also included many other useful tips on driving.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Cadillac: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers
are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they
are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you
is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
4-1

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.
4-7

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 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 Stewing
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 * (ETC 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 firm, solid feel at highway speeds.
Speed Sensitive Steering (SSS)
(Eldorado 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 l‘ront 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.
4-10

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.