2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV spare tire

Before You Go Off-Roading There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be sure to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields, if the vehicle has them, are properly
attached. Is there enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully
inated? Are the uid levels up where they should be?
What are the local laws that apply to off-roading
where you will be driving? If you do not know, you
should check with law enforcement people in the area.
Will you be on someone’s private land? If so, be
sure to get the necessary permission.
Loading Your Vehicle for
Off-Road Driving
{ CAUTION: Cargo on the load oor piled higher than
the seatbacks can be thrown forward
during a sudden stop. You or your
passengers could be injured. Keep cargo
below the top of the seatbacks.
CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION: (Continued)
Unsecured cargo on the load oor can be
tossed about when driving over rough
terrain. You or your passengers can be
struck by ying objects. Secure the cargo
properly.
Heavy loads on the roof raise the vehicle’s
center of gravity, making it more likely to
roll over. You can be seriously or fatally
injured if the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy
loads inside the cargo area, not on the
roof. Keep cargo in the cargo area as far
forward and low as possible.
There are some important things to remember about
how to load your vehicle.
The heaviest things should be on the load oor and
forward of the rear axle. Put heavier items as far
forward as you can.
Be sure the load is secured properly, so driving on
the off-road terrain does not toss things around.
You will nd other important information in this manual.
See Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-35 , Luggage
Carrier on page 2-61 , and Tires on page 5-56 .
4-14

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

Headlamp Aiming The vehicle has a visual optical headlamp aiming
system. The aim of the headlamps have been preset at
the factory and should need no further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged in a crash, the aim
of the headlamps may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles ash their high beams at you,
this may mean the vertical aim of your headlamps
needs to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle is taken to your
dealer/retailer for service if the headlamps need
to be adjusted. It is possible however, to re-aim the
headlamps as described. The vehicle should:
Be placed so the headlamps are 25 ft. (7.6 m) from
a light colored wall or other at surface.
Have all four tires on a level surface which is level
all the way to the wall or other at surface.
Be placed so it is perpendicular to the wall or other
at surface.
Not have any snow, ice, or mud on it.
Be fully assembled and all other work stopped while
headlamp aiming is being performed.
Be normally loaded with a full tank of fuel and one
person or 160 lbs (75 kg) sitting on the driver seat.
Have the tires properly inated.
Have the spare tire is in its proper location in the
vehicle.
5-48

Ination - Tire Pressure Tires need the correct amount of air pressure to
operate effectively.
Notice: Do not let anyone tell you that
under-ination or over-ination is all right.
It is not. If your tires do not have enough air
(under-ination), you can get the following:
Too much exing
Too much heat
Tire overloading
Premature or irregular wear
Poor handling
Reduced fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (over-ination),
you can get the following:
Unusual wear
Poor handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards A vehicle specic Tire and Loading Information
label is attached to your vehicle. This label shows
your vehicle’s original equipment tires and the
correct ination pressures for your tires when they
are cold. The recommended cold tire ination
pressure, shown on the label, is the minimum
amount of air pressure needed to support
your vehicle’s maximum load carrying capacity.
For additional information regarding how much
weight your vehicle can carry, and an example of
the Tire and Loading Information label, see
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-35 . How you load
your vehicle affects vehicle handling and ride
comfort. Never load your vehicle with more weight
than it was designed to carry.
When to Check Check your tires once a month or more.
Do not forget to check the pressure of the spare
tire. See Spare Tire on page 5-98 for additional
information.
5-62

Tire Pressure Monitor System The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) uses radio
and sensor technology to check tire pressure levels.
The TPMS sensors monitor the air pressure in your
vehicle’s tires and transmit tire pressure readings to a
receiver located in the vehicle.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be
checked monthly when cold and inated to the ination
pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
on the vehicle placard or tire ination pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire ination
pressure label, you should determine the proper
tire ination pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when one
or more of your tires is signicantly under-inated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale
illuminates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a signicantly under-inated tire
causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-ination also reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s handling
and stopping ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper
tire maintenance, and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-ination
has not reached the level to trigger illumination of
the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When
the system detects a malfunction, the telltale will ash
for approximately one minute and then remain
continuously illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the
malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for
a variety of reasons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle
that prevent the TPMS from functioning properly.
Always check the TPMS malfunction telltale after
replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function properly.
See Tire Pressure Monitor Operation on page 5-65 ,
for additional information.
5-64

Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) and Industry and Science
Canada The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) operates on
a radio frequency and complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) operates
on a radio frequency and complies with RSS-210
of Industry and Science Canada. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Changes or modications to this system by other than
an authorized service facility could void authorization to
use this equipment. Tire Pressure Monitor Operation The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) is designed
to warn the driver when a low tire pressure condition
exists. TPMS sensors are mounted onto each tire
and wheel assembly, excluding the spare tire and wheel
assembly. The TPMS sensors monitor the air pressure
in the vehicle’s tires and transmits the tire pressure
readings to a receiver located in the vehicle.
When a low tire pressure
condition is detected, the
TPMS illuminates the
low tire pressure warning
light located on the
instrument panel cluster.
5-65

TPMS Malfunction Light and Message The TPMS will not function properly if one or more of the
TPMS sensors are missing or inoperable. When the
system detects a malfunction, the low tire warning light
ashes for about one minute and then stays on for
the remainder of the ignition cycle. A DIC warning
message is also displayed. The low tire warning light
and DIC warning message come on at each ignition
cycle until the problem is corrected. Some of the
conditions that can cause the malfunction light and
DIC message to come on are:
One of the road tires has been replaced with the
spare tire. The spare tire does not have a TPMS
sensor. The TPMS malfunction light and DIC
message should go off once you re-install the road
tire containing the TPMS sensor.
The TPMS sensor matching process was started
but not completed or not completed successfully
after rotating the vehicle’s tires. The DIC message
and TPMS malfunction light should go off once
the TPMS sensor matching process is performed
successfully. See “TPMS Sensor Matching Process”
later in this section. One or more TPMS sensors are missing or
damaged. The DIC message and the TPMS
malfunction light should go off when the TPMS
sensors are installed and the sensor matching
process is performed successfully. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
Replacement tires or wheels do not match your
vehicle’s original equipment tires or wheels.
Tires and wheels other than those recommended
for your vehicle could prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. See Buying New Tires on
page 5-72 .
Operating electronic devices or being near facilities
using radio wave frequencies similar to the TPMS
could cause the TPMS sensors to malfunction.
If the TPMS is not functioning it cannot detect or
signal a low tire condition. See your dealer/retailer for
service if the TPMS malfunction light and DIC message
comes on and stays on.
5-67

6. Proceed to the passenger side front tire, and repeat
the procedure in Step 5.
7. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat
the procedure in Step 5.
8. Proceed to the driver side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5. The horn sounds two times to
indicate the sensor identication code has been
matched to the driver side rear tire, and the TPMS
sensor matching process is no longer active.
The TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE message on the
DIC display screen goes off.
9. Turn the ignition switch to LOCK/OFF.
10. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire and Loading
Information label.
11. Put the valve caps back on the valve stems. Tire Inspection and Rotation We recommend that you regularly inspect your
vehicle’s tires, including the spare tire, for signs of
wear or damage. See When It Is Time for New
Tires on page 5-71 for more information.
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles
(8 000 to 13 000 km). See Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4 .
The purpose of a regular tire rotation is to
achieve a uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle.
This will ensure that your vehicle continues to
perform most like it did when the tires were new.
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your
tires as soon as possible and check wheel
alignment. Also check for damaged tires or wheels.
See When It Is Time for New Tires on page 5-71
and Wheel Replacement on page 5-76 .
5-69