2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV maintenance

Driving in Water
{ CAUTION: Driving through rushing water can be
dangerous. Deep water can sweep your
vehicle downstream and you and your
passengers could drown. If it is only shallow
water, it can still wash away the ground from
under your tires, and you could lose traction
and roll the vehicle over. Do not drive through
rushing water.
Heavy rain can mean ash ooding, and ood waters
demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before you drive through
it. If it is deep enough to cover the wheel hubs, axles,
or exhaust pipe, do not try it — you probably will not get
through. Also, water that deep can damage the axle
and other vehicle parts. If the water is not too deep, drive slowly through it. At
faster speeds, water splashes on the ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if
you get the tailpipe under water. And, as long as
the tailpipe is under water, you will never be able to
start the engine. When you go through water, remember
that when the brakes get wet, it may take you longer
to stop.
See Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads on page 4-27
for more information on driving through water.
After Off-Road Driving Remove any brush or debris that has collected on
the underbody, chassis, or under the hood. These
accumulations can be a re hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings
cleaned and checked. These substances can cause
glazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,
steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust
system for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and
cooling system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due to
off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule
for additional information.
4-25

Parking on Hills
{ CAUTION: You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and shift into PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes. 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 overll),
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.
4-55

Tire Pressure Monitor Operation .................... .5-65
Tire Inspection and Rotation .......................... .5-69
When It Is Time for New Tires ...................... .5-71
Buying New Tires ........................................ .5-72
Different Size Tires and Wheels ..................... .5-73
Uniform Tire Quality Grading ......................... .5-74
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance ................. .5-75
Wheel Replacement ..................................... .5-76
Tire Chains ................................................. .5-77
If a Tire Goes Flat ....................................... .5-78
Changing a Flat Tire .................................... .5-79
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ............... .5-80
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire ............................................... .5-85
Secondary Latch System .............................. .5-90
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools ........... .5-94
Spare Tire .................................................. .5-98
Appearance Care ........................................... .5-98
Interior Cleaning .......................................... .5-98
Fabric/Carpet ............................................. .5-100
Leather ..................................................... .5-100
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other Plastic
Surfaces ................................................ .5-101
Wood Panels ............................................. .5-101
Speaker Covers ......................................... .5-101
Care of Safety Belts ................................... .5-101 Weatherstrips ............................................ .5-101
Washing Your Vehicle ................................. .5-102
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses ................... .5-102
Finish Care ............................................... .5-102
Windshield, Backglass, and Wiper Blades ...... .5-103
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels
and Trim ............................................... .5-104
Tires ........................................................ .5-105
Sheet Metal Damage .................................. .5-105
Finish Damage .......................................... .5-105
Underbody
Maintenance .............................. .5-105
Chemical Paint Spotting .............................. .5-105
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials ............... .5-106
Vehicle Identication .................................... .5-107
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN) ............... .5-107
Service Parts Identication Label .................. .5-107
Electrical System ......................................... .5-108
Add-On Electrical Equipment ........................ .5-108
Windshield Wiper Fuses .............................. .5-108
Power Windows and Other Power Options ..... .5-108
Fuses and Circuit Breakers ......................... .5-108
Instrument Panel Fuse Block ....................... .5-109
Center Instrument Panel Fuse Block ............. .5-110
Underhood Fuse Block ............................... .5-111
Capacities and Specications ....................... .5-115Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

California Perchlorate Materials
Requirements Certain types of automotive applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners, and lithium batteries
contained in remote keyless entry transmitters, may
contain perchlorate materials. Special handling may be
necessary. For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Doing Your Own Service Work
{ CAUTION: You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts,
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts, and
other fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt. If you want to do some of your own service work, you
should use the proper service manual. It tells you much
more about how to service your vehicle than this
manual can. To order the proper service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-14 .
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-90 .
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See Maintenance Record on page 6-17 .
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airow around it. This can cause wind
noise and can affect fuel economy and windshield
washer performance. Check with your dealer/retailer
before adding equipment to the outside of your vehicle.
5-4

Fuel Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle. To help keep the
engine clean and maintain optimum vehicle
performance, we recommend the use of gasoline
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.
Gasoline Octane Use premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane
rating of 91 or higher. You can also use regular
unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher, but
your vehicle’s acceleration could be slightly reduced,
and you might notice a slight audible knocking
noise, commonly referred to as spark knock. If the
octane is less than 87, you might notice a heavy
knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs, use a
gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. Otherwise, you could damage the engine.
If you are using gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher
and you hear heavy knocking, the engine needs service. Gasoline Specications At a minimum, gasoline should meet ASTM
specication D 4814 in the United States or
CAN/CGSB-3.5 or 3.511 in Canada. Some gasolines
contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).
We recommend against the use of gasolines
containing MMT. See Additives on page 5-6 for
additional information.
California Fuel If your vehicle is certied to meet California Emissions
Standards, it is designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specications. See the underhood
emission control label. If this fuel is not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specications, but emission control system
performance might be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and your vehicle might fail
a smog-check test. See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on page 3-43 . If this occurs, return to your authorized
dealer/retailer for diagnosis. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
might not be covered by your warranty.
5-5

Always reset the engine oil life to 100% after every oil
change. It will not reset itself. To reset the Engine
Oil Life System:
1. Display the OIL LIFE REMAINING on the DIC.
2. Press and hold the SET/RESET button on the DIC
for more than ve seconds. The oil life will change
to 100%.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON message comes
back on when you start your vehicle, the Engine Oil
Life System has not reset. Repeat the procedure.
What to Do with Used Oil Used engine oil contains certain elements that can be
unhealthy for your skin and could even cause cancer.
Do not let used oil stay on your skin for very long. Clean
your skin and nails with soap and water, or a good
hand cleaner. Wash or properly dispose of clothing or
rags containing used engine oil. See the manufacturer’s
warnings about the use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the environment. If you
change your own oil, be sure to drain all the oil from the
lter before disposal. Never dispose of oil by putting it
in the trash, pouring it on the ground, into sewers, or into
streams or bodies of water. Instead, recycle it by
taking it to a place that collects used oil. If you have a
problem properly disposing of used oil, ask your
dealer/retailer, a service station, or a local recycling
center for help. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter See Engine Compartment
Overview on page 5-12 for
the location of the engine
air cleaner/lter and
the air lter restriction
indicator, if the vehicle
has one.
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter If your vehicle has an air lter restriction indicator, it lets
you know when the engine air cleaner/lter needs to
be replaced. On vehicles with a restriction indicator,
you should inspect the air lter restriction indicator
at every oil change and replace the engine air
cleaner/lter when the indicator tells you to.
On vehicles without an air lter restriction indicator,
inspect the air cleaner/lter at the Maintenance II
intervals and replace it at the rst oil change after
each 50,000 mile (80 000 km) interval. See Scheduled
Maintenance on page 6-4 for more information.
If you are driving in dusty/dirty conditions, inspect the
lter at each engine oil change.
5-17

Automatic Transmission Fluid When to Check and Change Automatic
Transmission Fluid It is usually not necessary to check the transmission
uid level. The only reason for uid loss is a
transmission leak or overheating the transmission. If you
suspect a small leak, then use the following checking
procedures to check the uid level. However, if there
is a large leak, then it may be necessary to have
the vehicle towed to a dealer/retailer service department
and have it repaired before driving the vehicle further.
Notice: Use of the incorrect automatic transmission
uid may damage your vehicle, and the damages
may not be covered by your warranty. Always
use the automatic transmission uid listed in
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-13 .
Change the uid and lter at the intervals listed in
the Maintenance Schedule. See Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4 . Be sure to use the transmission uid
listed in Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on
page 6-13 . How to Check Automatic
Transmission Fluid Notice: Too much or too little uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the uid could come out and fall on hot engine
parts or exhaust system parts, starting a re.
Too little uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission uid.
Before checking the uid level, prepare your vehicle
as follows:
1. Start the engine and park your vehicle on a level
surface. Keep the engine running.
2. Apply the parking brake and place the shift lever
in PARK (P).
3. With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, move the
shift lever back to PARK (P).
5-20

Engine Coolant The cooling system in your vehicle is lled with
DEX-COOL ®
engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for ve years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs rst, if you add only
DEX-COOL ®
extended 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 5-26 .
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL ®
coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to − 34°F ( − 37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265°F (129°C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature.
Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice: Using coolant other than DEX-COOL ®
may
cause premature engine, heater core, or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at the rst maintenance
service after each 30,000 miles (50 000 km) or
24 months, whichever occurs rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL ®
(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle. What to Use Use a mixture of one-half clean, drinkable water and
one-half DEX-COOL ®
coolant which will not damage
aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture, you do
not 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 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 ®
coolant.
Notice: If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be covered by your
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core, and
other parts.
5-24