2000 CADILLAC CATERA instrument panel

2-24
Upshifting and downshifting of the transmission is
automatically modified to prevent undesired shifting
when your vehicle is towing a trailer or when you
are driving in hilly or mountainous terrain. This is
also normal.
Sport Mode Button
For a firmer shift and
increased performance,
you may choose the sport
mode. This button lets
you change from a normal
driving mode to a sport
driving mode. It is located
on the shift lever handle.
Press the ªSº button once to select the sport feature.
Press it again to return to the normal driving mode.When you start the engine, your vehicle will be in
normal mode. For general driving conditions, use the
normal mode. It will remain in normal unless you select
the sport feature.
This light on the instrument
panel cluster will come
on when the sport mode
is selected.
If this light begins flashing while you are driving, there
may be a fault in the automatic transmission. Have your
vehicle serviced.

2-35
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
Turn and Lane Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the turn signal/multifunction
lever all the way up or down. The lever returns
automatically when the turn is complete.
This arrow on the
instrument panel cluster
will flash in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it is released.
Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out front
signal bulb. (This does not occur with a burned
-out
rear bulb). Other drivers won't see the turn signal.
Replace burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs
if the arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.

2-36 Headlamp High/Low Beam
With the Twilight Sentinel
on or with the lamp control
dial turned to the headlamp position, push the turn
signal lever on the driver's side of the steering wheel
away from you to turn on the high
-beam headlamps.
This light on the
instrument panel cluster
will be on, indicating
high
-beam usage.
Pull the lever back to the original position to return
to low
-beam headlamps. For more information,
see ªHeadlampsº in the Index.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature uses the high-beam headlamps to signal the
driver in front of you that you want to pass. This feature
will work with either the headlamps on or off.
To use, pull the turn signal lever toward you and release.
Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Move the lever on the passenger's side of the
steering wheel up and down to control the wipers.
MIST: Tap the lever up and then release it for a single
wipe cycle. For more cycles, pull and hold the lever.
= (HIGH): Move the lever all the way up for a fast
wiper speed.
- (LOW): The third position up controls the low
wiper speed.
-- (DELAY): This position is for a controlled delay
setting. Turn the control dial on the lever to increase or
decrease the delay between wipe cycles.
o (OFF): This position turns off the wipers.

2-37
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If the blades do
become damaged, replace them with new blades.
See ªWindshield Wiper Blade Replacementº in
the Index.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
Pull and hold the
washer lever to wash
the windshield. Release
the lever when you have
enough fluid. The wipers
will clear the windshield
and either stop or return
to your preset speed.
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
This light on the instrument
panel cluster will be
displayed when the washer
fluid reaches a low level.
See ªLow Washer Fluid Warning Lightº in the Index for
more information.

2-41
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to end cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal.

Press the OFF button at the end of the cruise lever.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when you
turn off the cruise control or the ignition.Exterior Lamps
These controls on the left side of the instrument panel
operate the following lamp systems:
Lamp control dial (operates all lamps except the
Twilight Sentinel, fog lamps and brightness control).
Pull this dial toward you to turn on the interior lamps
and push the dial back in to turn the lamps off.
Parking lamps, front and rear sidemarker
lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps, ashtray lamps,
backlighting to the radio controls and instrument
panel lights.

2-42
Headlamps.
Fog lamps.
Twilight Sentinel.
Turns the Twilight Sentinel system off.
Instrument panel brightness control.
Turn the lamp control dial clockwise (to the first
position) to turn on the parking lamps, front and rear
sidemarker lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps, ashtray
lamps, instrument panel lights and backlighting to the
center console controls. Turn the lamp control dial all
the way clockwise (to the second position) to turn on
the low
-beam headlamps.
Turn the lamp control dial counterclockwise to turn
the lamps off.
Headlamps
Turn the lamp control dial all the way to the right to turn
on the low
-beam headlamps.
To turn on the high
-beam headlamps, the low-beam
headlamps must already be on. Push the turn signal lever on
the left side of the steering wheel away from you to engage
the high
-beam headlamps. Pull the lever toward you to
return to the low
-beam headlamps. For more information,
see ªHeadlamp High/Low Beamº in the Index.
Turn the lamp control dial all the way to the left to turn
the headlamps off.
Please note that if the headlamps are activated while
driving and then you turn your vehicle's ignition off
while the lamp dial is still turned on, the headlamps will
turn off. If, however, you open the driver's door while
the lamp dial is still turned on, a warning chime will
sound reminding you to turn the lamp control dial to
OFF. This will stop the warning chime from sounding.
(If you want the headlamps to remain on, you must
manually turn the lamp control dial off and then back
on to the headlamp position. The headlamps will stay
on until manually turned off again.)

2-43
Your vehicle may be equipped with High Intensity
Discharge (HID) headlamps. Your headlamps come on at
a lower intensity and gradually increase to full brightness.
Wiper
-Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the low
-beam headlamps,
parking lamps, sidemarker lamps and taillamps after
the windshield wipers have been in use for about
20 seconds.
The wiper
-activated headlamps light the way in poor
weather and also make your vehicle more visible to
other drivers. If the wipers are on and the ignition switch
is turned off, the headlamps will immediately turn off.
The headlamps will also deactivate if the windshield
wipers have been turned off for about 20 seconds.
Perimeter Lighting
This feature turns on the low-beam headlamps,
parking lamps, sidemarker lamps and taillamps for
about 20 seconds after the unlock button on the
remote keyless entry transmitter is pressed. Perimeter
lighting immediately ends when your vehicle's ignition
is turned to ON or START.
Lamps On Reminder
You will hear a warning chime if you open the door
while leaving the lamps on, if the manual headlamp
control is activated. An exception to this is when
you're using the Twilight Sentinel

.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make the high
-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness when:

your vehicle's ignition is in ON or START,

the low
-beam headlamps are off (the manual lamp
switch is in the off or park lamp position) and

your vehicle's transmission is shifted out of
PARK (P).
When DRL are on, only the high
-beam headlamps
(at reduced brightness) will be on. No other exterior
lamps such as the parking lamps, taillamps, etc. will be
on when the DRL are being used. The instrument panel
won't be lit up either.

2-44
When the Twilight Sentinel
is on and it's dark enough
outside, the high
-beam headlamps (at reduced intensity)
will change to low
-beam headlamps. When it's bright
enough outside, the regular lamps will go off, and the
high
-beam headlamps change to the reduced brightness
of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the headlamps off, turn off the
Twilight Sentinel switch and shift the transmission into
PARK (P). Placing your vehicle in PARK (P) disables
the DRL. The DRL will stay off until you shift out of
PARK (P).
If you're not in PARK (P)
and the Twilight Sentinel
system is turned off (and it's
dark enough outside), the
DRL will remain active and
this light on the instrument
panel cluster will appear.This is a reminder that headlamps are required.
The following conditions will override the DRL:

your vehicle's transmission is shifted back into
PARK (P) with the ignition in ON or START,

the low
-beam headlamps are turned on
(using the manual lamp control dial),

the wiper
-activated headlamps are in use
(DRL will come back on 20 seconds after
wipers have turned off),

using the flash
-to-pass feature and

turning on the Twilight Sentinel.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.