Black plate (8,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
6-8 Lighting
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all
the power that is needed for very
high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY
SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY
VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY.
If one of these messages displays,
it is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑28.
Black plate (11,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-11
To save fuel, run the engine for only
short periods as needed to warm
the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of
the way to save heat. Repeat this
until help arrives but only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the
cold. Moving about to keep warm
also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, now and then when you run
the engine, push the accelerator
pedal slightly so the engine runs
faster than the idle speed. This
keeps the battery charged to restart
the vehicle and to signal for help
with the headlamps. Do this as little
as possible to save fuel.If the Vehicle is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the
traction system off and use the
rocking method.
{WARNING
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and
you or others could be injured.
The vehicle can overheat,
causing an engine compartment
fire or other damage. Spin the
wheels as little as possible and
avoid going above 55 km/h
(35 mph).
For information about using tire
chains on the vehicle, see Tire
Chains on page 10‑76.
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off any traction
system. Shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and a forward
gear, spinning the wheels as little as
possible. To prevent transmission
wear, wait until the wheels stop
spinning before shifting gears.
Release the accelerator pedal
while shifting, and press lightly on
the accelerator pedal when the
transmission is in gear. Slowly
spinning the wheels in the forward
and reverse directions causes a
rocking motion that could free the
vehicle. If that does not get the
vehicle out after a few tries, it might
need to be towed out. If the vehicle
does need to be towed out, see
Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑98.
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-14
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-16
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-22
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-29
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-30
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
High Intensity Discharge(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Turn Signal Lamps . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-44
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-55
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Black plate (32,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-32 Vehicle Care
4. After wiper blade replacement,ensure that cover hook slides
into slot in blade assembly.
5. Snap cover down to secure.
To remove the wiper blade:
1. Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.
A. Wiper Arm
B. Release Lever
C. Blade Assembly 2. Push the release lever (B) to
disengage the hook and push
the wiper arm (A) out of the
blade assembly (C).
3. Push the new blade assembly securely on the wiper arm until
the release lever clicks into
place.
4. Replace wiper cover.
Headlamp Aiming
The headlamp aiming system has
been preset at the factory.
If the vehicle is damaged in an
accident, the aim of the headlamps
can be affected and adjustment
could be necessary.
It is recommended that a dealer
adjust the headlamps. To re-aim
the headlamps yourself, use the
following procedure.
Black plate (33,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-33
The vehicle should be properly
prepared as follows:
.The vehicle should be placed so
the headlamps are 7.6 m (25 ft)
from a light‐colored wall.
.The vehicle must have all four
tires on a level surface which is
level all the way to the wall.
.The vehicle should be placed so
it is perpendicular to the wall.
.The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice, or mud on it.
.The vehicle should be fully
assembled and all other work
stopped while headlamp aiming
is being performed.
.The vehicle should be normally
loaded with a full tank of fuel and
one person or 75 kg (160 lbs)
sitting on the driver seat.
.Tires should be properly inflated.Headlamp aiming is done with the
vehicle's low-beam headlamps.
The high-beam headlamps will be
correctly aimed if the low-beam
headlamps are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim:
1. Open the hood. See
Hood on
page 10‑5 for more information.
Base Vehicle
Up-level Vehicle
2. Locate the aim point at the center inner projector
condensing lens of the low-beam
headlamp, not the outer lens.
3. Measure the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the
low‐beam headlamp. Record
the distance.
Black plate (34,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-34 Vehicle Care
4. At the wall, measure fromthe ground upward (A) to
the recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it. 5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B)
on the wall the width of the
vehicle at the height of the
mark in Step 4.
Notice: Do not cover a headlamp
to improve beam cut-off when
aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up
which may cause damage to the
headlamp.
6. Turn on the low-beam
headlamps and place a piece
of cardboard or equivalent in
front of the headlamp not being
adjusted. This allows only the
beam of light from the headlamp
being adjusted to be seen on the
flat surface.7. Locate the vertical headlampadjusters, which are under the
hood near each headlamp
assembly.
For the vehicle equipped with a
base level lamp (halogen bulb),
there will be one vertical
headlamp adjuster (V1).
Black plate (35,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-35
For the vehicle equipped with an
up-level headlamp (HID), there
will be two vertical headlamp
adjusters (V1 and V2).
Some vehicles have
funnel‐shaped caps on the
adjusters for easier access of
a Number 2 Phillips screwdriver
to turn the adjusters.8. For the base vehicle, turn the
vertical adjuster (V1) until the
headlamp beam is aimed to
the horizontal tape line. Turn it
clockwise or counterclockwise
to raise or lower the angle of
the beam.
For the up-level vehicle, turn the
vertical adjusters (V1 and V2)
simultaneously until the
headlamp beam is aimed to the
horizontal tape line. Turn them
clockwise or counterclockwise
to raise or lower the angle of
the beam.9. Make sure that the light from the
headlamp is positioned at the
bottom edge of the horizontal
tape line. The lamp on the
left (A) shows the correct
headlamp aim. The lamp on
the right (B) shows the incorrect
headlamp aim.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through 9 for the opposite headlamp.
Black plate (36,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
10-36 Vehicle Care
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, seeReplacement Bulbs on
page 10‑45.
For any bulb changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{WARNING
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{WARNING
The low beam high intensity
discharge lighting system
operates at a very high voltage.
If you try to service any of the
system components, you could
be seriously injured. Have your
dealer or a qualified technician
service them.
After an HID headlamp bulb has
been replaced, the beam might be a
slightly different shade than it was
originally. This is normal.
Headlamps
Base Headlamp Assembly
(Front View Passenger Side)
A. Low‐Beam Headlamp/Daytime Running Lamp (DRL)
B. High‐Beam Headlamp
C. Turn Signal Lamp