1998 CADILLAC CATERA service

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 8. Now connect the
negative
(-) cable to
the good battery’s
negative
(-) terminal. Don’t let the other end
of the negative (-) cable touch
anything until the next step. The other end
of the
negative (-) cable doesn ’t go to the dead battery. It goes
to a heavy unpainted metal
part on the engine of the
vehicle with the dead battery.
9. Attach the cable at least 18 inches (45 cm) away
from the dead battery, but not near engine
parts
that move.
A good spot to attach
the negative
(-) cable
is on the bracket
between the air cleaner and the engine block.
10. Now start the vehicle with the good battery and run
the engine for a while.
11. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
If it won’t start after a few tries,
it probably
needs service.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 12. Remove the cables in reverse order to prevent
electrical shorting. Take care that they don’t touch
each other or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part (Vehicle with
Dead Battery)
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a dealer or a professional towing service
tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Service” in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed
or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting or special tires and wheels, these
instructions may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains towing instructions and
illustrations. The operator may want to see them.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key
turned to
OFF. The steering wheel should be clamped in
a straight-ahead position, with a clamping device
designed for towing service. Do not use the vehicle’s
steering column lock for this. The transmission should
be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the parking brake released,
Don’t have your vehicle towed on the drive wheels.
Front Towing
I
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling type or wheel-lift
equipment or fascidfog lamp damage may occur.
Use car-carrier equipment only. Additional
ramping may be required for car-carrier
equipment. Use safety chains and wheel straps.
Do not attach winch cables, T-hooks or J-hooks
to suspension components when using car-carrier
equipment. Always use R-hooks inserted into the
R-hook slots.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam, try this for a minute or
so:
1. Turn off your air conditioner.
2. Dial temperature control to the highest heat setting
3. If you’re in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
and open the windows, as necessary.
otherwise, shift
to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3).
If you no longer have the overheat warning,
you can drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about
10 minutes. If the warning doesn’t come back
on,
you can drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there’s still no sign of steam, you can idle the engine
for two or three minutes while you’re parked, to see
if
the warning stops. But then, if you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicle until it cools down.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
Cooling System
When you decide it’s safe to lift the hood, here’s what
you’ll see:
A. Coolant Surge Tank with Pressure Cap
B. Electric Engine Cooling Fans

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine An electric engine cooling fan under the hood can
start up even when the engine is not running and
can injure you. Keep hands, clothing and tools
away from any underhood electric fan.
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don’t
do anything else until it cools down.
I
The coolant level should be at or slightly above the
KALTKOLD line (seam). If
it isn’t, you may have a leak in the radiator hoses,
heater
hoses, radiator, water pump or somewhere else in
the cooling system.
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don’t touch them.
If you
do, you can be burned.
Don’t run the engine if there is a leak.
If you run
the engine,
it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
I NOTICE: I
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn’t covered by your warranty.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine cooling
fans are running. If the
engine
is overheating, both fans should be running. If
they aren’t, your vehicle needs service.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Here you will find information about the care of your vehicle. This section begins with service and fuel information,
and then it shows how to check important fluid and lubricant levels. There
is also technical infomation about your
vehicle, and a part devoted to its appearance care.
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6-5
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6-15
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6-29
6-30 Service
Fuel
Fuels in Foreign Countries
Filling Your Tank
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
Checking Things Under the Hood
Engine Oil
Air Cleaner
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear Axle
Engine Coolant
Surge Tank Pressure Cap
Power Steering Fluid
Windshield Washer Fluid
Brakes
Battery
Bulb Replacement 6-36
6-37
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6-54 6-55
6-63
6-63
6-63
6-64 Wiper
Blade Replacement
Tires
Appearance Care
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
Care of Safety Belts
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
Cleaning Aluminum
or Chrome Wheels
(If Equipped)
Underbody Maintenance
Appearance Care Materials Chart
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Service Parts Identification Label
Electrical System
Replacement Bulbs
Capacities and Specifications
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer for
all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM parts and
GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these
marks:
Genuine
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, yW11
want to use the proper Cadillac Service Manual. It tells you much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and
the date of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Maintenance
Schedule booklet.
6-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You can be injured and your vehicle could be damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall
off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equip] !nt to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around
it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your dealer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 9 1 octane or
higher for best performance. You may use middle grade
or regular unleaded gasolines, but your vehicle may not
accelerate as well.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use shoula meet
specifications ASTM
D4814 in the United States and
CGSB 35M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting the AAMA specification could
provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least
91 (at
least
89 for middle grade and 87 for regular). If the octane
is less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
If you’re using
fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you hear heavy knocking, your engine needs
service. But don’t worry if you hear a little pinging
noise when you’re accelerating or driving up a hill.
That’s normal, and you don’t have to buy a higher
octane fuel to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
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