2005 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT engine

TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE
If the transmission uid gets hot, this message will
appear on the DIC along with a continuous chime.
Driving with the transmission uid temperature high can
cause damage to the vehicle. Stop the vehicle and
let it idle to allow the transmission to cool. This message
will clear and the chime will stop when the uid
temperature reaches a safe level.
Notice:If you drive your vehicle while the
transmission uid is overheating and the
transmission temperature warning is displayed on
the instrument panel cluster and/or DIC, you
can damage the transmission. This could lead to
costly repairs that would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not drive your vehicle with
overheated transmission uid or while transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
TRANSMISSION HOT
If the transmission uid temperature becomes high,
this message will appear on the DIC display.
When the transmission enters the protection mode,
you may notice a change in the transmission shifting
patterns. When the transmission uid temperature
returns to normal, the display will turn off and the
transmission shifting patterns will return to normal.Notice:If you drive your vehicle while the
transmission uid is overheating and the
transmission temperature warning is displayed on
the instrument panel cluster and/or DIC, you
can damage the transmission. This could lead to
costly repairs that would not be covered by
your warranty. Do not drive your vehicle with
overheated transmission uid or while transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
Towing a trailer
Hot outside air temperatures
Hauling a large or heavy load
Over-loading
Low transmission uid level
High transmission uid level
Restricted air ow to the radiator
A temporary solution to hotter transmission operating
temperatures may be to let the transmission cool down. If
the transmission is operated at higher temperatures on a
frequent basis, seeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for the proper transmission maintenance intervals.
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Audio System(s)
Notice:Before adding any sound equipment to
your vehicle, like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone, or two-way radio, make sure that it can
be added by checking with your dealer. Also,
check federal rules covering mobile radio and
telephone units. If sound equipment can be added,
it is very important to do it properly. Added
sound equipment may interfere with the operation
of your vehicle’s engine, radio, or other systems,
and even damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may
interfere with the operation of sound equipment
that has been added improperly.
Figure out which audio system is in your vehicle, nd
out what your audio system can do, and how to operate
all of its controls.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can be
played even after the ignition is turned off. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-28for more
information.
Setting the Time
Press and hold the HR button until the correct hour
appears on the display. Press and hold the MN button
until the correct minute appears on the display. The time
can be set with the ignition on or off.
To synchronize the time with an FM station broadcasting
Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and
hold the hour and minute buttons at the same time until
RDS TIME appears on the display. To accept this
time, press and hold the hour and minute buttons, at the
same time, for another two seconds. If the time is not
available from the station, NO UPDAT will appear on the
display.
RDS time is broadcast once a minute. After tuning to an
RDS broadcast station, it may take a few minutes for
the time to update.
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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 pace
with 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. 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 3-37.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights
and chime will come on each time the ignition is turned
on until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for
service.
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If the system fails to turn on or activate, the STABILITY
SYS DISABLED or SERVICE STABILITY message
will be displayed. If the vehicle has gone through heavy
acceleration or braking or multiple turns during the
rst two miles of driving after starting your vehicle, the
STABILITY SYS DISABLED message may appear.
If this is the case, your vehicle does not need servicing.
You will need to turn the vehicle off and then restart
it to initialize StabiliTrak
®. If either message appears on
the Driver Information Center (DIC), and your vehicle
hasn’t gone through hard acceleration, braking or
multiple turns in the rst two miles of driving, your
vehicle should be taken in for service.
The STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) only when the system
is both on and activated. It means that an advanced
computer-controlled system has come on to help your
vehicle continue to go in the direction in which you’re
steering. StabiliTrak
®activates when the computer
senses that your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it might
if you hit a patch of ice or other slippery spot on the road.
When the system activates, you may hear a noise or feel
a vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal. When the
STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message is on, you should
continue to steer in the direction you want to go.The system is designed to help you in bad weather or
other difficult driving situations by making the most of
whatever road conditions will permit. For more
information on the stability messages, seeDriver
Information Center (DIC) on page 3-46.
StabiliTrak
®and part of
the traction control system
can be turned off or
back on by pressing the
StabiliTrak
®button located
on the instrument panel.
When the system is turned off, the traction off light will
illuminate, and the STABILITY SYS DISABLED
message will appear on the DIC to warn the driver that
both the stability system and part of the traction
control system are disabled. Your vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when StabiliTrak
®is off, but
will not be able to use the engine speed management
system. See “Traction Control Operation” next for
more information.
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When the StabiliTrak®system has been turned off
you may still hear system noises as a result of
the brake-traction control coming on.
To limit wheel spin and realize the full benets of the
stability enhancement system, you should normally
leave StabiliTrak
®on, but it may be necessary to turn
the system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud,
ice or snow, and you want to “rock” your vehicle
to attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions
where high wheel spin is required. SeeIf You Are Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-42.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the StabiliTrak®
system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle, and it will activate
and display the TRACTION ACTIVE message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) if it senses that any of
the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction
while driving. If you turn off StabiliTrak
®, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will work.
The engine speed management will be disabled.In this state, engine power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This
can cause the brake-traction control to activate
constantly. For more information on the traction active
message, seeDriver Information Center (DIC) on
page 3-46.
Notice:If the traction off light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not
allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin excessively.
If you do, you may be causing damage to the
transfer case. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty.
If the brake traction-control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high-speed
braking, brake traction-control will be disabled and the
TRACTION SYS LIMITED message will be displayed.
In the limited mode, the traction control system will only
use engine traction-control and is limited in its ability
to provide optimal performance since the system will not
utilize brake traction-control to control slip on the
drive wheels. The system will return to normal operation
after the brakes have cooled. This can take up to
two minutes or longer depending on brake usage.
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Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the traction off, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITY
message are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed.
The traction control system may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this happens you may
notice a reduction in acceleration, or may hear a noise
or vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will
appear on the Driver Information Center and the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-10.
StabiliTrak
®may also turn off automatically if it
determines that a problem exists with the system.
If the problem does not clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, you should see your dealer for service.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer
but it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject
to the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn the front wheels. If there is no traction, inertia will
keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If you
have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you will
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle
at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you
are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
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Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid only
the acceleration skid. If your traction control system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled
by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety,
you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle Off Paved Roads
Many of the same design features that help
make your vehicle responsive on paved roads during
poor weather conditions — features like all-wheel
drive — help make it much better suited for off-road use
than a conventional passenger car. Its higher ground
clearance also helps your vehicle step over some
off-road obstacles. But your vehicle does not have
features like special underbody shielding and a transfer
case low gear range, things that are usually thought
necessary for extended or severe off-road service.
This guide is for operating your vehicle off paved roads.
Also, seeBraking on page 4-5.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some denite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you have left the great North
American road system behind. Traffic lanes are not
marked. Curves are not banked. There are no
road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or
downhill. In short, you have gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that is why
it is very important that you read this guide. You will nd
many driving tips and suggestions. These will help make
your off-road driving safer and more enjoyable.
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Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However, it also raises environmental
concerns. We recognize these concerns and urge every
off-roader to follow these basic rules for protecting
the environment:
Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving; obey all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage
the environment — shrubs, owers, trees,
grasses — or disturb wildlife (this includes
wheel-spinning, breaking down trees or
unnecessary driving through streams or over
soft ground).
Always carry a litter bag — make sure all refuse
is removed from any campsite before leaving.
Take extreme care with open res (where
permitted), camp stoves and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch re from
the heat of the vehicle’s exhaust system.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going
to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to get bad surprises.
Get accurate maps of trails and terrain. Try to learn of
any blocked or closed roads.
It is also a good idea to travel with at least one other
vehicle. If something happens to one of them, the other
can help quickly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It is a good idea to practice in an area that is safe
and close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require some new and different
driving skills. Here is what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your
eyes, for example, need to constantly sweep the terrain
for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen
for unusual tire or engine sounds. With your arms,
hands, feet and body, you’ll need to respond to
vibrations and vehicle bounce.
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