2001 CADILLAC SEVILLE trailer

4-39 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 someone 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 system. If you're trailering, it's a good idea
to review this information 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 ªEngine Overheatingº
in the Index.

5-9
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your vehicle towed. See ªRoadside
Assistanceº and ªRecreational Vehicle Towingº in
the Index.
Engine Overheating
You will find an ENGINE COOLANT HOT, IDLE
ENGINE message or an ENGINE OVERHEATED,
STOP ENGINE message on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). There is also an engine temperature
warning light and/or gage on the instrument panel.
See ªEngine Coolant Temperature Warning Lightº
or ªEngine Coolant Temperature Gageº in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should an overheated engine condition exist and the
message ENGINE OVERHEATED, STOP ENGINE is
displayed, an overheat protection mode which alternates
firing groups of cylinders helps prevent engine damage.
In this mode, you will notice a loss in power and engine
performance. This operating mode allows your vehicle
to be driven to a safe place in an emergency; you may
drive up to 50 miles (80 km). Towing a trailer in the
overheat protection mode should be avoided.
NOTICE:
After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant loss, change the oil and reset
the oil life indicator. See ªEngine Oilº in the Index.

5-11
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:

Climb a long hill on a hot day.

Stop after high
-speed driving.

Idle for long periods in traffic.

Tow a trailer.If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. Dial temperature control to the highest heat setting
and open the windows, as necessary.
2. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
)
or DRIVE (D).
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, idle the engine for
three minutes while you're parked. If you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº listed previously in
this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

6-3
CAUTION:
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. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment 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 regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher. However, for best performance and for trailer
towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium
unleaded gasoline.
It is recommended that the gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and endorsed by
the Canadian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association
for better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting the AAMA specification could
provide improved driveability and emission control
system performance compared to other gasolines.
In Canada, look for the
ªAuto Makers' Choiceº
label on the fuel pump.
Canada Only

6-20
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:

In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90F (32C) or higher.

In hilly or mountainous terrain.

When doing frequent trailer towing.

Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter do not require change
until the message CHANGE TRANS FLUID appears
on the Driver Information Center.
See ªScheduled Maintenance Servicesº in the
Maintenance Schedule booklet.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult,
you may choose to have this done at the dealership
service department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the
instructions here, or you could get a false reading
on the dipstick.
NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transaxle. Too much can mean that some of the
fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts
or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be sure
to get an accurate reading if you check your
transaxle fluid.

6-21
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the transaxle
fluid level if you have been driving:

When outside temperatures are above 90F (32C).

At high speed for quite a while.

In heavy traffic
-- especially in hot weather.

While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180F to 200F
(82C to 93C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50F
(10C). If it's colder than 50F (10C), you may
have to drive longer.Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:

Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the
engine running.

With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
in PARK (P).

With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).

Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.