2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT service

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That's normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it
®xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you're driving,
your vehicle needs service. You will also hear a
chime sound when the light is on steady. If the regular
brake system warning light isn't on, you still have
brakes, but you don't have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system warning light is also on you don't
have anti-lock brakes and there's a problem with
your regular brakes. In addition to both lights, you will
also hear a chime sound on the ®rst occurrence of
a problem and each time the vehicle is shut off and then
restarted. See
Brake System Warning Light on
page 3-38.
Traction Off Light
If you have the
Stabilitrakžsystem,
this light should come on
brie¯y when you turn
the ignition to RUN.
If the light doesn't come on then, the system may
require service; have it ®xed so it will be there to
warn you if the system is turned off.
For more information on the traction off light,
see
StabilitrakžSystem on page 4-10.
3-39

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics-
Second Generation) and is intended to assure that
emissions are at acceptable levels for the life of
the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner environment.
The Check Engine light comes on to indicate that
there is a problem and service is required. Malfunctions
often will be indicated by the system before any
problem is apparent. This may prevent more serious
damage to your vehicle. This system is also designed to
assist your service technician in correctly diagnosing
any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that
may not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Modi®cations made to the engine,
transmission, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires
with other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modi®cations to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you
it is working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running. If the light doesn't come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
·Light FlashingÐ A mis®re condition has been
detected. A mis®re increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be
required.
·Light On SteadyÐ An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
3-42

If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
·Reducing vehicle speed.
·Avoiding hard accelerations.
·Avoiding steep uphill grades.
·If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops ¯ashing and remains on steady,
see ªIf the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to ¯ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle.Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the
Light Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still ¯ashing,
follow the previous steps, and see your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully
install the cap. See
Filling Your Tank on page 5-7.The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-4. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, mis®ring, hesitation
on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration.
(These conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and
cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to ®x
any mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
3-43

A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused
by a dangerously low oil level or some other problem
causing low oil pressure. Check your oil as soon
as possible. See
DIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-58.
{CAUTION:
Don't keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catches ®re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Damage to your engine from neglected
oil problems can be costly and is not covered
by your warranty.
Cruise Control Light
The cruise light comes on
whenever you set your
cruise control. See
Cruise
ControlunderTurn Signal/
Multifunction Lever on
page 3-7
.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light is displayed
when the tow/haul mode
has been activated.
For more information, see ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-52.
3-45

Driver Information Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located on the instrument panel
cluster above the steering wheel. The DIC can display
information such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features. Vehicles without the DIC
buttons will not have all the features as the regular DIC.
See
Speedometer and Odometer on page 3-33for
information on features for vehicles without a full DIC.
A (Trip Information):This button will display the
odometer, personal trip odometer, business trip
odometer, hourmeter, annual log and the timer.
B (Fuel Information):This button will display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant fuel
economy and engine oil life.C (Personalization):This button will change personal
options available on your vehicle.
D (Select):This button resets certain functions and
turns off or acknowledges messages on the DIC.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a short
delay the DIC will display the current driver (1 or 2)
and the information that was last displayed before the
engine was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing any of the four buttons will
acknowledge (clear) most current warnings or service
messages. Some warnings that cannot be
acknowledged (cleared) are: ENGINE OVERHEATED,
OIL PRESSURE LOW, REDUCED ENGINE POWER,
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE, STABILITY SYS ACTIVE,
TRACTION SYS LIMITED and TRACTION ACTIVE.
These warnings must be dealt with immediately
and therefore cannot be cleared until the problem has
been corrected.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the four buttons on the DIC. These buttons are
trip information, fuel information, personalization and
select. The button functions are detailed in the following.
3-47

CHANGE ENGINE OIL
This message is displayed when the engine oil needs to
be changed. SeeGM Oil Life Systempreviously in
this section for information on how to reset the message.
This message will clear itself after 10 seconds until
the next igntion cycle.
OIL LIFE RESET
This message will appear on the display for about
10 seconds after resetting the change engine oil
message.
OIL PRESSURE LOW
If low oil pressure levels occur, this message will be
displayed on the DIC and a chime will sound. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible and do not operate
it until the cause of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
CHECK OIL LEVEL
If the oil level in the vehicle is low, this message will
appear on the DIC. Check the oil level and correct it as
necessary. You may need to let the vehicle cool or
warm up and cycle the ignition to be sure this message
will clear. Once the problem is corrected, pressing
the select button will clear this message from the DIC
display. This message will clear itself after 10 seconds
until the next igntion cycle.
LOW COOLANT LEVEL
If the engine coolant level is low, this message will
appear on the DIC. Adding coolant will clear the
message. This message will clear itself after 10 seconds
until the next igntion cycle.
ENGINE COOLANT HOT
If the cooling system temperature gets hot, this message
will appear in the DIC. Stop the vehicle and let the
engine idle in PARK (P) to allow the coolant to reach a
safe temperature. This message will clear when the
coolant temperature drops to a safe operating
temperature. Pressing the select button will clear it
from the DIC display.
3-59

ENGINE OVERHEATED
If the engine cooling system reaches unsafe
temperatures for operation, this message will appear in
the DIC and you will hear a chime. Stop and turn off
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so to avoid severe
damage. This message will clear when the engine
has cooled to a safe operating temperature.
REDUCED ENGINE POWER
This message is displayed and a chime will sound
when the cooling system temperature gets too hot
and the engine further enters the engine coolant
protection mode.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-27for further
information.
BATTERY NOT CHARGING
If the battery is not charging during operation, this
message will appear on the DIC. Driving with this
problem could drain your battery. Have the electrical
system checked as soon as possible. Pressing the
select button will clear it from the DIC display.
SERVICE AIR BAG
If there is a problem with the air bag system, this
message will be displayed on the DIC. Have a quali®ed
technician inspect the system for problems. Pressing
the select button will clear it from the DIC display.
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
If a problem occurs with the brake system, this message
will appear on the DIC. If this message appears, stop
as soon as possible and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message on the DIC display.
If the message is still displayed, or appears again when
you begin driving, the brake system needs service.
Pressing the select button will clear it from the
DIC display.
SERVICE 4WD
If a problem occurs with the all±wheel drive system,
this message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the four wheel
drive system needs service. Pressing the select button
will clear it from the DIC display.
3-60

SERVICE RIDE CONTROL
If a problem occurs with the suspension system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message on the DIC display.
If the message is still displayed, or appears again
when you begin driving, the suspension system needs
service. Pressing the select button will clear it from
the DIC display.
TURN SIGNAL ON
If a turn signal is left on for 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km), this
message will appear on the display and you will hear a
chime. Move the turn signal/multifunction lever to the
off position. Pressing the select button will clear it from
the DIC display.
FUEL LEVEL LOW
If the fuel level is low, this message will appear on the
DIC and you will hear a chime. Refuel as soon as
possible. Pressing the select button will acknowledge
this message immediately and clear it from the DIC
display. It will also clear itself after 10 seconds until the
next ignition cycle. The low fuel light near the fuel
gage will still remain on in either case.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle's fuel cap is not tightened properly this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. See
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-42. Reinstall the fuel cap, making sure
to fully install the cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on
page 5-7. The diagnostic system can determine if the
fuel cap has been left off or improperly installed. A loose
or missing fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into
the atmosphere. A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed should turn the light and message off.
CHECK WASHER FLUID
If the washer ¯uid level is low, this message will appear
on the DIC. Adding washer ¯uid will clear the message.
Pressing the select button will clear it from the DIC
display. This message will clear itself after 10 seconds
until the next igntion cycle.
3-61