1998 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer the
least traction
of all. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing
(32°F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
Whatever the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
Keep your traction control system
on. It improves your
ability to accelerate when driving
on a slippery road.
Even though your vehicle has a traction control system,
you’ll want to slow down and adjust your driving
to the
road conditions. See “Traction Control System” in
the Index. Your
anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make
a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti-lock
braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement.
See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the
sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are
on it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If You're Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle unless you
know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here are some
things to do
to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
0 Turn on your hazard flashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you've been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
I -.- I
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I A CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see
it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear
away snow from
around the base
of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe.
And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just a
little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind.
This will help
keep
CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine. make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less
fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for
a while.
Then, shut
the engine off and close the window almost
all the way
to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this
only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little
as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long
as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and
do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Loading Your Vehicle
[@ OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAP, WT.
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
KG LBS. FRT. CTR. RR. TOTAL
MAX. LOADING
& GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX COLD TIRE
TIRE
SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSL’KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1!28KPa
SEE OWNER‘S MANUAL FOR ADDITlONAL
\INFORMATION
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found
on the driver’s door tells you the proper size,
speed rating and recommended inflation pressures for
the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you important
information about
the number of people that can be in
your vehicle and the total weight that
you can carry.
This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight and
includes the weight
of all occupants, cargo and all
options not installed in the factory.
MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GVWR
GAWR FRT GAWR RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE US. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY,
BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
The other label is the Certification label. found on the
rear edge
of the drives’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity
of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes
the weight
of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed
the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
for either the front or
rear axle.
If you do have a heavy load, you should spread it out.
Don’t carry more than
176 lbs. (80 kg) in your trunk.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine b
b !
f-
r
i
r
f
~ ~~
A CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the life of
your v,ehicle.
I NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that
fail because of overloading.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages, or anything else
-- they will go as fast
as the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly,
or if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
A CAUTION:
~~
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in
a crash.
0 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.
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.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing a Trailer
A CAUTION:
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.
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:
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. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
4-32

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 kmj your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
0 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.
0 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/hj) to
save wear on
your vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have
to do with weight:
0 the weight of the trailer,
0 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 an Eldorado or
3,760 lbs. (1 709 kg) if you
have an Eldorado ETC. 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 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 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 7,900 lbs. (3 591 kg) total
loaded vehicle and trailer.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
LlH 8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight
to measure because it affects the total gross
weight
of your vehicle. The Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW) includes
the curb weight of the vehicle, any
cargo you may carry in it. and the people who will be
riding in the vehicle. And if
you tow a trailer, you must
add the tongue load to the
GVW because your vehicle
will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading Your
Vehicle” in the Index for more information about
your
vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
A B
If you’re using a weiiht-carrying hitch, the trailer
tongue
(A) should weigh 10 percent of the total loaded
trailer weight
(B). If you have a weight-distributing
hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should weigh 12 percent
of
the total loaded trailer weight (B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately,
to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t,
you may be able to get them right
simply
by moving some items around in the trailer.
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