Black plate (50,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passenger
compartment air filter. There are two types of filters
available. There is a standard dust filter that traps small
particles including pollen. There is, also, a dust/odor
filter available that traps dust and pollen and uses a
charcoal element to help reduce many offensive odors
from entering your vehicle. The filter will need to be
changed periodically. For information on when to
change the passenger compartment air filter, see
Scheduled Maintenance on page 7‑3.
Notice:Driving without a passenger compartment
air filter in place can cause water and small
particles, like paper and leaves, to be pulled into
your climate control system which may cause
damage to it. Make sure you always replace the old
filter with a new one.
The access panel for the passenger compartment air
filter is located under the hood near the windshield,
on the passenger side of the vehicle. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on page 6‑13for more
information on location. See Doing Your Own Service
Work
on page 6‑5for information on doing your own
service work.
To access the passenger compartment air filter:
1. Pull back the rubber hood seal from the edge of the leaf screen vent cover.
2. Remove the three fasteners that hold the filter cover in place and slide the cover off.
3. To access the filter, remove the water deflector by lifting the outboard edge of the deflector to release
the retention tab.
4-50
Black plate (51,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
4. Lift the inboard edge of the deflector to release theretention tab.
5. Lift and slide the water deflector toward the inboard side and remove it.
6. The top edge of the filter should be visible. Reachin and lift the filter out , pulling upward and toward
the front of the vehicle.
7. Insert the new air filter by sliding it back into place. Make sure the arrow on the filter is pointing toward
the passenger compartment.
Reverse steps 1 through 3 to reinstall the water
deflector, filter cover and the hood seal.
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to the
warning lights and gauges could prevent injury.
Warning lights come on when there might be or there is
a problem with one of the vehicle's functions. Some
warning lights come on briefly when the engine is
started to indicate they are working.
Gauges can indicate when there might be or there
is a problem with one of the vehicle's functions. Often
gauges and warning lights work together to indicate a
problem with the vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
while driving, or when one of the gauges shows there
could be a problem, check the section that explains
what to do. Follow this manual's advice. Waiting to do
repairs can be costly and even dangerous.
4-51
Black plate (82,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
HOOD AJAR
This symbol appears
with this message.
This message displays when the hood is not closed
completely. Make sure that the hood is closed
completely. See Hood Release on page 6‑12.
ICE POSSIBLE
This message displays when the outside temperature is
cold enough to create icy road conditions. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
KEY FOB BATTERY LOW
This message displays when the battery in the keyless
access transmitter is low. Replace the battery in the
transmitter. See“Battery Replacement” underKeyless
Access System Operation on page 3‑5.
LANE DEPARTURE SYSTEM
UNAVAILABLE
If your vehicle has the Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
system, this message may display if the LDW system
does not activate due to a temporary condition. See the
Index in the Navigation manual for more information.
LEFT REAR DOOR AJAR
This symbol appears
with this message.
This message displays when the driver side rear door is
not closed completely. Make sure that the door is closed
completely.
4-82
Black plate (1,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30 Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . 6-47
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-48
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .6-49
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-58
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-60
6-1
Black plate (12,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Checking Things Under
the Hood
{WARNING:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing, and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like fuel, oil,
coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and other
fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others could
be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill things
that will burn onto a hot engine.
Hood Release
To open the hood:
1. Pull the hood releaselever with this symbol
on it. It is located
inside the vehicle on
the lower left side of
the instrument panel.
6-12
Black plate (13,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
2. Then go to the front of the vehicle and find thesecondary hood release lever. The lever is located
under the front edge of the grille near the center.
Push the release lever up and raise the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the filler caps are
on properly. Then pull the hood down and close it firmly.
Engine Compartment Overview
Your vehicle may be equipped with front compartment
underhood sight shields, which surround the vehicle's
engine cover. These sight shields will need to be
removed in order to access some of the underhood
components in your vehicle.
To remove the sight shields, turn the fasteners on each
shield to the left until they pop out. Then remove the
fasteners and lift the shields up and away from the
tower to tower brace.
6-13
Black plate (10,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
UsageFluid/Lubricant
Rear AxleSAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle Lubricant
(GM Part No. U.S. 89021677, in
Canada 89021678).
Front Axle
(All-Wheel
Drive) SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle Lubricant
(GM Part No. U.S. 89021677, in
Canada 89021678).
Transfer Case (All-Wheel Drive) Manual Transmission Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 88861800, in
Canada 88861801).
Hood Latch Assembly,
Secondary
Latch, Pivots,
Spring
Anchor, and
Release Pawl Lubriplate Lubricant Aerosol
(GM Part No. U.S. 12346293, in
Canada 992723) or lubricant meeting
requirements of NLGI #2, Category
LB or GC-LB.
Usage
Fluid/Lubricant
Hood and Door
Hinges Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube
(GM Part No. U.S. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Weatherstrip Conditioning Weatherstrip Lubricant
(GM Part No. U.S. 3634770,
in Canada 10953518) or
Dielectric Silicone Grease
(GM Part No. U.S. 12345579, in
Canada 992887).
7-10
Black plate (7,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4, 2-5
HeaterEngine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
High-Speed Operation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-60
Highbeam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Hood Checking Things Under . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-38
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-58
Instrument Panel
Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Instrument Panel Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52
Integrated Trailer Brake Control System (ITBC) . . . . 5-31
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-2
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
K
Keyless Access System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Keyless Access System, Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-5
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Lamps Back-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-62
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Twilight Sentinel
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34
Lane Departure Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Lane Departure Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-60
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
LATCH System for Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27 Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-54
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-59
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-58
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-57
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67
i - 7