2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV differential

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ......... .4-2
Defensive Driving .......................................... .4-2
Drunk Driving ................................................ .4-2
Control of a Vehicle ....................................... .4-3
Braking ........................................................ .4-3
Antilock Brake System (ABS) .......................... .4-4
Braking in Emergencies .................................. .4-5
Locking Differential ........................................ .4-5
Road Sensing Suspension .............................. .4-6
StabiliTrak ®
System ....................................... .4-6
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System ........................ .4-8
Steering ....................................................... .4-9
Off-Road Recovery ...................................... .4-11
Passing ...................................................... .4-11
Loss of Control ............................................ .4-11
Off-Road Driving .......................................... .4-12
Driving at Night ........................................... .4-26 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads ................. .4-27
Before Leaving on a Long Trip ...................... .4-28
Highway Hypnosis ....................................... .4-28
Hill and Mountain Roads ............................... .4-29
Winter Driving ............................................. .4-30
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow .................................................. .4-33
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out ................ .4-34
Recovery Hooks .......................................... .4-34
Loading Your Vehicle ................................... .4-35
Towing ......................................................... .4-41
Towing Your Vehicle .................................... .4-41
Recreational Vehicle Towing .......................... .4-42
Autoride ®
.................................................... .4-43
Towing a Trailer .......................................... .4-44
Trailer Recommendations .............................. .4-57Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
ABS can change the brake pressure faster than any
driver could. The computer is programmed to make the
most of available tire and road conditions. This can
help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, the computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change the time you need to
get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you will not have time to apply the brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS. Using ABS Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down rmly and let antilock work for you. You might
feel the brakes vibrate or notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies With ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Locking Differential If your vehicle has this feature, your locking differential
can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice,
sand or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the
time, but when one of the wheels has no traction and
the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
4-5

What to Use Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. See Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 6-13 .
Front Axle When to Check and Change Lubricant It is not necessary to regularly check front axle uid
unless you suspect there is a leak or you hear an
unusual noise. A uid loss could indicate a problem.
Have it inspected and repaired.
How to Check Lubricant To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be
on a level surface. A: Fill Plug
B: Drain Plug
When the differential is cold, add enough lubricant to
raise the level from 0 (0 mm) to 1/8 inch (3.2 mm)
below the ller plug hole.
When the differential is at operating temperature
(warm), add enough lubricant to raise the level to the
bottom of the ller plug hole.
What to Use Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. See Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 6-13 .1500 Series
5-47

Customer Assistance Information (cont.)
Reporting Safety Defects to the
Canadian Government .............................. 7-13
Reporting Safety Defects to the
United States Government ......................... 7-13
Roadside Service .......................................... 7-6
Service Publications Ordering Information ........ 7-14
DDaytime Running Lamps .................................. 3-20
Defensive Driving ............................................. 4-2
Delayed Locking ............................................. 2-11
Differential, Locking ........................................... 4-5
Disc, MP3 ...................................................... 3-90
Doing Your Own Service Work ........................... 5-4
Dome Lamp Override ...................................... 3-22
Dome Lamps ................................................. 3-22
Door
Delayed Locking .......................................... 2-11
Locks ........................................................ 2-10
Power Door Locks ....................................... 2-10
Programmable Automatic Door Locks ............. 2-11
Rear Door Security Locks ............................. 2-11
Driver Information Center (DIC) ......................... 3-48
DIC Operation and Displays .......................... 3-49
DIC Vehicle Customization ............................ 3-61
DIC Warnings and Messages ........................ 3-53 Driving
At Night ..................................................... 4-26
Before a Long Trip ...................................... 4-28
Defensive ..................................................... 4-2
Drunken ....................................................... 4-2
Highway Hypnosis ....................................... 4-28
Hill and Mountain Roads .............................. 4-29
In Rain and on Wet Roads ........................... 4-27
Off-Road .................................................... 4-12
Recovery Hooks .......................................... 4-34
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out ................. 4-34
Winter ........................................................ 4-30
Dual Automatic Climate Control System ............. 3-26
DVD
Rear Seat Entertainment System ................... 3-95
E EDR ............................................................. 7-15
Electrical System
Add-On Equipment ..................................... 5-108
Center Instrument Panel Fuse Block ............. 5-110
Fuses and Circuit Breakers ......................... 5-108
Instrument Panel Fuse Block ....................... 5-109
Power Windows and Other Power Options .... 5-108
Underhood Fuse Block ............................... 5-111
Windshield Wiper Fuses ............................. 5-108
4

JJump Starting ................................................. 5-40
KKeyless Entry System ....................................... 2-4
Keys ............................................................... 2-3
LLabeling, Tire Sidewall ..................................... 5-57
Lamps
Dome ........................................................ 3-22
Dome Lamp Override ................................... 3-22
Reading ..................................................... 3-22
Lap Belt ........................................................ 1-48
Lap-Shoulder Belt ........................................... 1-42
LATCH System
Child Restraints ........................................... 1-61
License Plate Lamps ....................................... 5-53
Liftgate, Power ............................................... 2-14
Liftgate/Liftglass .............................................. 2-13
Liftglass/Liftgate .............................................. 2-13
Light
Airbag Readiness ........................................ 3-36
Antilock Brake System Warning ..................... 3-41
Brake System Warning ................................. 3-40
Charging System ......................................... 3-39 Light (cont.)
Cruise Control ............................................. 3-47
Fog Lamp .................................................. 3-46
Highbeam On ............................................. 3-47
Lights On Reminder ..................................... 3-47
Malfunction Indicator .................................... 3-43
Oil Pressure ............................................... 3-46
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator .................. 3-37
Safety Belt Reminders .................................. 3-35
Security ..................................................... 3-46
StabiliTrak ®
Indicator .................................... 3-41
Tire Pressure .............................................. 3-42
Tow/Haul Mode ........................................... 3-47
Lighting
Entry ......................................................... 3-22
Exit ........................................................... 3-22
Lights
Exterior Lamps ............................................ 3-16
High/Low Beam Changer ................................ 3-9
On Reminder .............................................. 3-19
Loading Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-35
Locking Differential ........................................... 4-5
Lockout Protection .......................................... 2-12
Locks
Delayed Locking .......................................... 2-11
Door .......................................................... 2-10
Lockout Protection ....................................... 2-12
Power Door ................................................ 2-10
Programmable Automatic Door Locks ............. 2-11
Rear Door Security Locks ............................. 2-11
7

Tires (cont.)
Inspection and Rotation ................................ 5-69
Installing the Spare Tire ................................ 5-85
Pressure Monitor Operation ........................... 5-65
Pressure Monitor System .............................. 5-64
Removing the Flat Tire ................................. 5-85
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ............... 5-80
Secondary Latch System .............................. 5-90
Spare Tire .................................................. 5-98
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools ............ 5-94
Tire Sidewall Labeling .................................. 5-57
Tire Terminology and Denitions .................... 5-59
Uniform Tire Quality Grading ......................... 5-74
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance ................. 5-75
Wheel Replacement ..................................... 5-76
When It Is Time for New Tires ...................... 5-71
Tow/Haul Mode ............................................... 2-34
Tow/Haul Mode Light ....................................... 3-47
Towing
Recreational Vehicle ..................................... 4-42
Towing a Trailer .......................................... 4-44
Your Vehicle ............................................... 4-41 Traction
Locking Differential ........................................ 4-5
Road Sensing Suspension .............................. 4-6
StabiliTrak ®
System ....................................... 4-6
Trailer
Recommendations ....................................... 4-57
Transmission
Fluid, Automatic ........................................... 5-20
Transmission Operation, Automatic .................... 2-30
Trip Odometer ................................................ 3-35
Turn and Lane-Change Signals .......................... 3-8
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever ........................... 3-7
U Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) ............... 2-48
Uniform Tire Quality Grading ............................ 5-74
Universal Home Remote System ....................... 2-53
Operation ................................................... 2-54
Using this Manual ............................................... iii
13