2004 CADILLAC SEVILLE warning light

Brake System Warning and Parking
Brake Indicator Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part is not working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it does
not come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a
problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake does not fully
release. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-29.
3-43

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) will
come on when your engine
is started and may stay
on for several seconds.
That is normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you are driving, stop as soon
as possible and turn the ignition off. Then start
the engine again to reset the system. If the light still
stays on, or comes on again while you are driving, your
vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light is not on, you still have brakes, but you do
not have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you do not have anti-lock brakes
and there is a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning and Parking Brake Indicator
Light on page 3-43.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON. If
the light does not come on then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
This warning light should come on briefly when the
engine is started.
If the warning light does not come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem. If
it stays on, or comes on when you are driving, there may
be a problem with your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly.
The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
•If there is a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come on.
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3-44

•If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
This light tells you that
your engine has
overheated. As a check,
the light should come
on for a few seconds when
you start your engine.
If this light comes on and stays on, you should stop your
vehicle and turn the engine off as soon as possible. A
warning chime should also sound if this light comes on.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-26.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the shaded area, the engine
is too hot.
That reading means the same thing as the warning
light – the engine coolant has overheated. SeeEngine
Overheating on page 5-26.
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3-45

CHANGE ENGINE OIL – 82:This means that the life
of the engine oil has expired and it should be changed
within 200 miles. After an oil change, the Oil Life
Indicator must be reset. SeeOil Life Indicator on
page 3-74. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-13.
CHANGE TRANS FLUID – 47:This message will
appear when it is time to change the transaxle fluid. See
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for the proper
fluid and change intervals.
CHECK BRAKE FLUID – 37:This message will
display if the ignition is in ON to inform the driver that
the brake fluid level is low. Have the brake system
serviced by a technician as soon as possible. SeeBrake
System Warning and Parking Brake Indicator Light on
page 3-43.
CHECK COOLANT LEVEL – 2:This message will
appear when there is a low level of engine coolant. Have
the cooling system serviced by a technician as soon
as possible. SeeEngine Coolant on page 5-23.
CHECK FUEL GAGE – 50:This message will appear
when the fuel supply is less than 5 gallons (18.9 L)
and the display is turned off. A single chime will also
sound when this message is displayed.CHECK GAS CAP – 61:This message will appear if
the gas cap has not been fully tightened. You should
recheck your gas cap to ensure that it is on properly.
CHECK OIL LEVEL – 36:For correct operation of the
low oil sensing system, your vehicle should be on a
level surface. A false CHECK OIL LEVEL message may
appear if the vehicle is parked on a grade. The oil
level sensing system does not check for actual oil level
if the engine has been off for a short period of time,
and the oil level is never checked while the engine is
running. If the CHECK OIL LEVEL message appears,
and your vehicle has been parked on level ground
with the engine off for at least 30 minutes, the oil level
should be checked by observing the oil dipstick. Prior to
checking the oil level, be sure the engine has been
off for a few minutes and your vehicle is on a level
surface. Then check the dipstick and add oil if
necessary. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-13.
3-56

DRIVE NO. X (1 OR 2):This message will be displayed
with the key in ON and while entering FEATURE
PROGRAMMING, but only if the vehicle is equipped
with memory seats. The message will show which driver
is activating the personalization feature. It will only
stay on for five seconds. This message can be
customized for you by your dealer.
ENGINE COOLANT HOT, IDLE ENGINE – 44:This
message will appear when the engine coolant
temperature is over 262°F (128°C). Stop and allow your
vehicle to idle in PARK (P) until it cools down and the
message is removed. Do not increase engine speed
above a normal idle. If it does not cool down, turn off the
engine and have it serviced before driving it again.
Severe engine damage can result from an overheated
engine. SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-26.
ENGINE HOT–AC OFF – 16:This message displays
when the engine coolant becomes hotter than the normal
operating temperature. To avoid added strain on a hot
engine, the air conditioning compressor is automatically
turned off. When the coolant temperature returns to
normal, the A/C operation will automatically resume. You
can continue to drive your vehicle. If this message
continues to appear, have the system repaired as soon
as possible to avoid compressor damage.ENGINE OVERHEATED, STOP ENGINE – 42:This
message will appear when the engine has overheated.
Stop and turn the engine off immediately to avoid
severe engine damage. SeeEngine Overheating on
page 5-26. A multiple chime will also sound when this
message is displayed.
ENGINE POWER REDUCED – 41:This message
informs you that the vehicle is reducing engine power
because the transaxle is being placed in gear under
conditions that may cause damage to the vehicle’s
engine, transaxle or ability to accelerate.
FUEL LEVEL LOW – 11:This message serves as a
warning that the fuel level in the tank is critically
low. Stop for fuel soon. A single chime will sound when
this message is displayed.
HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED – 23:If it is dark enough
outside and the headlamps and Twilight Sentinel
®
controls are off, this message will display on the DIC.
This message informs the driver that turning on the
exterior lamps is recommended even though the DRL
are still illuminated. It has become dark enough outside
to require the headlamps and/or other exterior lamps.
This message will also appear if the optional
Rainsense™ wiping feature is on and the Twilight
Sentinel
®is off.
3-58

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that is
only an average. It might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age,
physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight
all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But
even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph
(100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of
distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space
between your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pacewith the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
on. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light on
page 3-44.
4-6

This warning light will come on to let you know if there
is a problem with your traction control system.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) Warning Light on
page 3-44. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system off if you ever need to. You
should turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is
required. See “Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out”
underIf You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-28.To turn the system off,
press the TRAC ON/OFF
button located on the
center console.
The TRACTION OFF message will display on the Driver
Information Center. If the system is limiting wheel
spin when you press the button, the TRACTION OFF
message will display – but the system will not turn
off right away. It will wait until there is no longer
a current need to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The TRACTION READY message
should display briefly on the Driver Information Center. United States
Canada
4-9

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reflections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you can not avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
flowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
•Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
•Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-61.
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