2004 CADILLAC XLR warning

If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant message,
can indicate a serious problem. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-57.
If you get an engine overheat warning with no low
coolant message, 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. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in NEUTRAL (N)
while stopped. If it is safe to do so, pull off the road,
shift to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and let the
engine idle.2. Set the temperature control to the highest heat
setting and open the windows, as necessary.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning does not come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there is still no sign of steam, idle the engine for three
minutes while you are parked. If you still have the
warning,
turn off the engine and get everyone out of the
vehicleuntil 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.
5-25

{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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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 would not 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
ž
coolant.
Notice:In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
{CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
5-29

Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make
a high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed. The sound
may come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle
is moving (except when you are pushing on the
brake pedal ®rmly).
{CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
soon your brakes will not work well. That
could lead to an accident. When you hear the
brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
Notice:Continuing to drive with worn-out brake
pads could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are ®rst applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
As you make brake stops, your disc brakes
automatically adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex. Its many
parts have to be of top quality and work well together if
the vehicle is to have really good braking. Your
vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality GM
brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system Ð for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you need new ones put in Ð be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts. If you do
not, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example, if someone puts in brake linings that are wrong
for your vehicle, the balance between your front and
rear brakes can change Ð for the worse. The braking
performance you have come to expect can change
in many other ways if someone puts in the wrong
replacement brake parts.
5-37

Battery
Your new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelcožbattery. When it is time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number shown on the
original battery's label. We recommend an ACDelco
ž
battery.
For battery replacement, see your dealer or the service
manual. To purchase a service manual, see
Service
and Owner PublicationsinService Publications Ordering
Information on page 7-11.
Warning:Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after
handling.
Vehicle Storage
If you are not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, remove the black, negative (-) cable from the
battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
are not careful. See
Jump Starting on
page 5-39
for tips on working around a
battery without getting hurt.
You must close all doors and the trunk before
reconnecting the battery. After reconnecting the battery,
you must press the unlock button on the key FOB.
Failure to follow this procedure may result in a sounding
alarm. Pressing unlock on the key FOB would stop
the sounding alarm.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see
Theft-Deterrent
Feature on page 3-71.
5-38

When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can't tell if your tires are properly in¯ated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly in¯ated even when they're underin¯ated. Check
tire in¯ation pressure when the tire is cold. Cold
means your vehicle has been sitting for at least three
hours or driven no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem. Press
the tire gage ®rmly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire in¯ation pressure matches
the recommended pressure on the Tire and Loading
Information label, no further adjustment is necessary.
If the in¯ation pressure is low, add air until you reach the
recommended amount.
If you over®ll the tire, release air by pushing on the
metal stem in the center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM)
Your vehicle has a Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) that
sends tire pressure information to the Driver Information
Center (DIC). Using the DIC control buttons, the
driver is able to check tire pressure levels in all four
road tires. See
Tire Pressure Monitor System on
page 5-58andDIC Controls and Displays on page 3-55for additional information.
Tire Pressure Monitor System
The Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) System on your
vehicle, uses radio and sensor technology to check tire
pressure levels. Sensors, mounted on each tire and
wheel assembly transmit tire pressure readings to
a receiver located in the vehicle. The TPM sensors
transmit tire pressure readings once every 60 seconds
while the vehicle is being driven and once every
60 minutes when the vehicle is stationary for more than
15 minutes. Using the Driver Information Center
(DIC), tire pressure levels can be viewed by the driver.
The TPM system also uses the DIC to warn the
driver when air pressure, in one or more tires, falls
below 25 psi (172 kPa) or is above 38 psi (262 kPa).
For additional information and details about the
DIC operation and displays see
DIC Controls and
Displays on page 3-55andDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-57.
5-58

A low tire warning light also appears on the instrument
panel cluster when a low tire condition exists. The
DIC message, CHECK TIRE PRESSURE and the low
tire pressure warning light will be shown each time
the engine is started and stay on until the low tire
condition is corrected.
When the tire pressure
monitoring system warning
light is lit, one or more
of your tires is signi®cantly
under-in¯ated.
You should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and in¯ate them to the proper pressure as
indicated on the vehicle's tire information placard.
Driving on a signi®cantly under-in¯ated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-in¯ation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread
life, and may affect the vehicle's handling and stopping
ability. Each tire, including the spare, should be
checked monthly when cold and set to the
recommended in¯ation pressure as speci®ed in the
vehicle placard and owner's manual.The Tire and Loading Information Label (tire information
placard) is either on the rear edge of the driver's door
or the driver's door jamb near the latch. This label shows
the size of your vehicle's original tires and the correct
in¯ation pressure for your vehicle's tires when they
are cold. See
In¯ation - Tire Pressure on page 5-57.
Your vehicle's TPM system can alert you about a low or
high tire pressure condition but it does not replace
normal tire maintenance. See
Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 5-60
Each TPM sensor has a unique identi®cation code that
is matched to one of the four tire positions on your
vehicle. The tire and wheel assembly positions are, left
front (LF); right front (RF); right rear (RR) and left
rear (LR). Any time you rotate your vehicle's tires or
replace one or more TPM sensors, the identi®cation
codes will need to be matched to the new tire and wheel
position. The TPM matching process is performed in
a speci®c sequence and time limit. A special tool is also
required. See your dealer for service.
The SVC TIRE MONITOR message is displayed when
the TPM system is malfunctioning. For example,
one or more TPM sensors may be inoperable or
missing. See your dealer for service.
5-59

Buying New Tires
To ®nd out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire and Loading Information label. For information
about this label and where to ®nd it, see
Loading
Your Vehicle on page 4-32.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Speci®cation (TPC Spec)
number on each tire's sidewall. When you get new tires,
GM recommends that you get tires with that same
TPC Spec number. That way your vehicle will continue
to have tires that are designed to give proper
endurance, handling, speed rating, load range, traction,
ride, tire pressure monitoring system performance
and other things during normal service on your vehicle.
If your tires have an all-season tread design, the
TPC number will be followed by an ªMSº (for mud
and snow).
Whenever you replace your tires with those not having
a TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same
size, load range, speed rating and construction
type (bias, bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
If you replace your vehicle's tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, the tire pressure monitoring
system may give an inaccurate low-pressure warning.
Non-TPC Spec tires may give a low-pressure warning
that is higher or lower than the proper warning level you
would get with TPC Spec numbered tires.
{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim ¯anges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
5-63

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a speci®ed government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1.5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart signi®cantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction ± AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on speci®ed government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
5-64