1997 CADILLAC CATERA engine overheat

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The 1997 Cadillac Catera Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains \
the air bag system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Catera.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adiust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate \
your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the Roaa
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road\
and how to drive under different conditions.
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Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Catera running properly and looking good.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Cadillac for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 7- 12.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
/ CA-‘TIC’J:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind
of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If
you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your Catera dealer in the area where you’ll be parking
your vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for
that particular area.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DRIVE (D): Use this for normal driving. If you need
more power for passing, and you’re:
Going less than 35 mph (55 kmh), push the
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
The transmission will shift down to the next gear.
THIRD (3): Driving in THIRD (3) is not used for
normal driving.
It offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D).
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
accelerator all the
way down.
Here
are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of DRIVE (D):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): Driving in SECOND (2) gives you more
power. Use
it on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would
also want to use the brakes
off and on.
FIRST (1): This gives you even more power (but lower
fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can use it on
very steep hills, or
in deep snow or mud. If the shift
lever is put
in FIRST (l), the transmission won’t shift
into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If the rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to drive.
This might happen
if you were stuck in very deep
sand or mud or you were up against a solid
object. You could damage the transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there
with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use the brakes to hold your vehicle
in position on a hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake If you start to drive away with the parking brake set, the
BRAKE warning light stays on. See "Brake System
Warning Light" in the Index for more information.
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down
with your foot and pull the parking brake lever up until
you
can press the end release button. Hold the release
button in as
you move the brake lever all the way down.
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0
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause the
rear brakes to overheat. You may have to replace
them and you could also damage other parts
of
your vehicle.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your foot and pull
up on the parking brake
lever.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will come on. If you
are towing a trailer and
are parking on a hill, see
"Towing a Trailer" in the Index. This section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine
running unless you have to.
L
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight
of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK
(P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK
(P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and the
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into PARK
(P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK
(P) without first pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The cigarette lighter is located next to the ashtray. Press
it all the way in and release. It will
pop back by itself
when it’s ready to light. You also have a lighter on the
back
of the center console near the rear seat air outlet.
Sun Visors
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
NOTICE:
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating.
If you do, it won’t be able to
back away from the heating element when it’s ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
Turn the sunshade down and lift the cover to see the
mirror. Lighting is automatic.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
This light tells you that the
engine has overheated. You
should stop the
car and turn
the engine
off as soon as
possible.
A warning chime
should also sound if
this
light comes on.
As a check, the light should come on for a few seconds
when you
start the engine. In the section “Problems on
the Road,” this manual explains what to do. See “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
C &
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into
the red area, the engine
is
too hot!
This reading means the same thing as the warning
light
-- the engine coolant has overheated. You should
stop the car and turn the engine off as soon as possible.
The section “Problems on the Road” in this manual
explains what to do. See “Engine Overheating” in
the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer
to come in contact with the
vehicle.
Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
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When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal.
Do this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
lbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Catera dealer. The green arrows
on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will
also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer,
the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally
to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
down a long
or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) or less to reduce the
possibility of engine and transmission overheating.
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