2001 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

2-28
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. This section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
Shifting Into PARK (P)
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle won't move,
even when you're on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow. If you're pulling a trailer,
see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.

2-29 Console Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:

Push the lever all the way toward the front of
your vehicle.

With your right foot still holding the brake pedal
down, set the parking brake.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
CAUTION:
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.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
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).

2-30 Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called ªtorque lock.º 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 ªShifting Into PARK (P)º 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 transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition is in RUN. See ªAutomatic Transaxleº in
the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), try applying
pressure to the brakes and push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application.
Then move the shift lever into the gear you want. If you
ever hold the brake pedal down but still can't shift out of
PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition key to OFF. Open and close the
driver's door to turn off the Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) feature.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Take your vehicle to an authorized service center as
soon as you can.

2-31
Parking Over Things That Burn
CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don't park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
Engine Exhaust
CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can't see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:

Your exhaust system sounds strange
or different.

Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.

Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.

Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.

Repairs weren't done correctly.

Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modified improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:

Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any CO; and

Have your vehicle fixed immediately.

2-32
Running Your Engine While
You're Parked
It's better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
ªEngine Exhaust.º
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard.
See ªBlizzardº in the Index.
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you've left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake after
you move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won't
move. See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you're pulling a
trailer, also see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
Horn
The horn can be sounded by pressing on the center of
the steering wheel pad.

2-33
Tilt Wheel
Tilt steering allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. Raising the steering wheel to the
highest level gives your legs more room when you enter
and exit the vehicle.
Hold the steering wheel and pull the lever located on the
outboard side of the steering column toward you to tilt
the wheel. Adjust the steering wheel to a comfortable
position and then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of your steering column
includes your:

Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator

Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer

Flash
-to-Pass

Windshield Wipers

Windshield Washer

Cruise Control

2-34 Turn and Lane Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. The lever returns automatically when the turn
is complete.
An arrow located 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's released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will sound
and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
TURN SIGNAL ON (after driving about 1 mile
(1.6 km/h)) to remind you to turn it off.Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out signal 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.
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
This light located on the
instrument panel panel will
be on when the high beam
headlamps are in use.
Pull the turn signal lever all the way toward you and
then release it to change the headlamps from low beam
to high or from high beam to low.

2-35 Flash-To-Pass
This lets you use the high-beam headlamps to signal the
driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do:

If the headlamps are either off or in the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high
-beam
headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as long as
you hold the lever there. Release the lever to turn
them off.

If the headlamps are on low beam, they will shift to
high beam and stay there. Pull the lever toward you
to return to low beam.

If the headlamps are on high beam, they will switch
to low beam. To return to high beam, pull the lever
toward you.
Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Turn the band on the turn signal lever to
control the wipers.
MIST: Turn the band toward you and then release it for
a single wiping cycle. For more cycles, hold the band on
MIST longer.
LO or HI: Turn the band away from you to either LO
(low speed) or to HI (high speed), depending on the
wiper speed you want.
DELAY: You can set the wiper speed for a long or short
delay between wipes with this setting. Turn the band to
the DELAY position. The closer you turn it to LO, the
shorter the delay.