1998 CADILLAC DEVILLE towing

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work
as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:
0 Light Flashing -- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady -- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
0 If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled
as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light
Is On Steady’’ following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do
so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least
10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains
on steady, see “If the Light
Is On Steady’’ following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.
2-74

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.
4-2
4-3
4-6 4-6
4- 10
4- 12
4-13
4- 14
4-15 Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking Steering
Off-Road Recovery
Passing
Loss of Control
Driving at Night 4-
17
4-20
4-2i
4-22
4-23
4-23 4-25
4-29
4-3
1
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
City Driving
Freeway Driving
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Highway Hypnosis Hill and Mountain Roads
Winter Driving
Loading
Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer
4-1

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them
as far forward as you can.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Electronic Level Control
This feature keeps the rear of your vehicle level as the
load changes. It’s automatic
-- you don’t need to
adjust anything.
Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly,
you can lose control when you pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer
is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
You may also damage your vehicle; the resulting
repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Pull a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section. Ask your dealer for advice
and information about towing a- trailer with
your vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, ,important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many
of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers.
So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires
are forced to work harder
against the drag
of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
0
0
0
0
0
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having
to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig
will be legal, not only where you live but
also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control if your trailer will
weigh
2,000 lbs. (900 kg) or less. You should always
use a sway control if your trailer will weigh more
than
2,000 lbs. (900 kg). You can ask a hitch dealer
about sway controls.
Don’t tow
a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier
loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 km/h)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
4-32

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
the weight of the trailer tongue
0 and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg) if
you have a DeVille or a DeVille d’Elegance without the optional trailer towing package. If you have a DeVille
Concours, DeVille or DeVille d’Elegance with the
optional trailer towing package, the maximum trailer
weight should never be more than 3,900 lbs.
( 1 773 kg).
These are total maximum weights including the load.
But even that can be too heavy.
If you tow more than 1000 lbs. (450 kg), use trailer
brakes. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with
the trailer or from the brake manufacturer.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle. The
optional trailer towing package provides the
necessary oil cooler for the DeVille or the DeVille
d’Elegance to tow a trailer heavier than 1,000 lbs.
(450 kg). The DeVille Concours is equipped with this
cooler as standard equipment.
The maximum trailer weight for your vehicle can be
determined from the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight
(GCVW). The GCVW
= curb weight + passenger’s
weight
+ cargo weight + trailer weight. The GCVW
should never weigh more than 8,253 lbs. (3
751 kg)
total loaded vehicle and trailer.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at:
Cadillac Customer Assistance Center
Cadillac Motor Car Division
P.O. Box 436004
Pontiac, MI 48343-6004
In Canada, write to: General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre 1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
4-33

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Trailer 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 harness, 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.
0 YELLOW Left turn and stoplamps.
GREEN: Right turn and stoplamps.
0 BLUE: Auxiliary circuit.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
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.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a tr$ler. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good deal \
longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
4-36

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Backing Up Tbrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
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 arris
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Cadillac 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 NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could
be damaged. Avoid
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.
making very sharp turns while trailering. Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start
When you’re turning with
a trailer, make wider turns down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees
or other objects. they would get hot and no longer work well.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance. 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 transaxle overheating.
4-37

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with-a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong,
your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Apply your regular brakes, but do not shift into
PARK (P).
Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load. Reapply the regular brakes. Then shift into
PARK
(P) firmly and apply your parking brakes.
Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking
on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
Start your engine;
Shift into a gear; and
Be sure the parking brake has released.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have s‘6~1&@kt pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule booklet
for more
on this. Things that are especially important in
trailer operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill), engine oil, drive belt, cooling system and brake
adjustment. 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.
Engine Cooling When Trailer Towing
Your cooling system may temporarily overheat during
severe operating conditions. See “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
4-38