2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT cooling

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
·release the parking brake.
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 for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission ¯uid (don't over®ll),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system and
brake system. Each of these is covered in this manual,
and the Index will help you ®nd them quickly. 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.
4-60

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-10
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-21
Engine Coolant.............................................5-24
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-27
Engine Overheating.......................................5-27
Cooling System............................................5-30
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-36Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-37
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-38
Brakes........................................................5-39
Battery........................................................5-43
Jump Starting...............................................5-44
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-50
Rear Axle.......................................................5-51
Front Axle......................................................5-52
Headlamp Aiming...........................................5-53
Headlamp Horizontal Aiming...........................5-54
Headlamp Vertical Aiming..............................5-55
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-57
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting............5-57
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-57
Headlamps..................................................5-58
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Daytime Running Lamps.............................5-62
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-63
Taillamps.....................................................5-63
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-64
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-65
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

A. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 5-19.
B. Coolant Surge Tank. See
Cooling System on
page 5-30andCoolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap
on page 5-27.
C. Air Filter Restriction Indicator (If Equipped).
See
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-19.
D. Engine Oil Fill. See
Engine Oil on page 5-14.
E. Engine Oil Dipstick. See
Engine Oil on page 5-14.
F. Automatic Transmission Dipstick. See
Automatic
Transmission Fluid on page 5-21.
G. Fan. See
Cooling System on page 5-30andEngine
Fan Noise on page 5-36.H. Remote Negative (-) Terminal (GND). See
Jump
Starting on page 5-44.
I. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. See
Jump Starting on
page 5-44.
J. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir (Out of View).
See
Power Steering Fluid on page 5-37.
K. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See
Brakes on page 5-39.
L. Underhood Fuse Block. See ªUnderhood Fuse Blockº
under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-101.
M. Battery. See
Battery on page 5-43.
N. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
Windshield
Washer Fluid on page 5-38.
5-13

Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is ®lled with
DEX-COOLžengine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs ®rst, if you add
only DEX-COOL
žextended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see
Engine Overheating on
page 5-27.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
žcoolant will:
·Give freezing protection down to-34ÉF (-37ÉC).
·Give boiling protection up to 265ÉF (129ÉC).
·Protect against rust and corrosion.
·Help keep the proper engine temperature.
·Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice:When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only DEX-COOLž(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOLžis added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant will require change sooner -- at 30,000 miles
(50,000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst.
Damage caused by the use of coolant other than
DEX-COOL
žis not covered by your new
vehicle warranty.
5-24

What to Use
Use a mixture of one-halfclean, drinkable waterand
one-half DEX-COOLžcoolant which won't damage
aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture,
you don't need to add anything else.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid such as alcohol, can boil before the
proper coolant mixture will. Your vehicle's
coolant warning system is set for the proper
coolant mixture. With plain water or the wrong
mixture, your engine could get too hot but you
wouldn't get the overheat warning. Your engine
could catch ®re and you or others could be
burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and DEX-COOL
žcoolant.
Notice:If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost wouldn't be covered by your
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
Notice:If you use the proper coolant, you don't
have to add extra inhibitors or additives which claim
to improve the system. These can be harmful.
5-25

Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Coolant Surge Tank
B. Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap
C. Engine FanIf the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down. The vehicle
should be parked on a level surface.
The coolant level should
be at or above the FULL
COLD mark. If it isn't,
you may have a leak at the
pressure cap or in the
radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water
pump or somewhere else
in the cooling system.
5-30

{CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them.
If you do, you can be burned.
Don't run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine, it could lose all coolant.
That could cause an engine ®re, and you could
be burned. Get any leak ®xed before you drive
the vehicle.
If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
The engine cooling fan speed should increase when idle
speed is doubled by pushing the accelerator pedal
down. If it doesn't, your vehicle needs service. Turn off
the engine.
Notice:Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
See ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Modeº in the Index for information on driving to a
safe place in an emergency.
Notice:When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only DEX-COOLž(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOLžis added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant will require change sooner Ð at 30,000 miles
(50 000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst.
Damage caused by the use of coolant other
than DEX-COOL
žis not covered by your new
vehicle warranty.
5-31

How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven't found a problem yet, check to see if coolant
is visible in the surge tank. If coolant is visible but the
coolant level isn't at or above the FULL COLD mark,
add a 50/50 mixture of
clean, drinkable waterand
DEX-COOLžcoolant at the coolant surge tank, but be
sure the cooling system, including the coolant surge tank
pressure cap, is cool before you do it. See
Engine
Coolant on page 5-24for more information.
If no coolant is visible in the surge tank, add coolant as
follows:
{CAUTION:
Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn you badly.
They are under pressure, and if you turn the
radiator pressure cap Ð even a little Ð they
can come out at high speed. Never turn the
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
cap when the cooling system, including the
radiator pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the
cooling system and radiator pressure cap to
cool if you ever have to turn the pressure cap.
5-32