2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV fuel additives

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-2 Driving and Operating Fuel Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Gasoline Specifications
(U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . 9-52
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-52
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-54
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Towing General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69 Driving Information Distracted Driving Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive. .
Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls. .
Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices. .
Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions. .
Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving. .
Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor. .
Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children. .
Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint. .
Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.

Black plate (52,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-52 Driving and Operating
Recommended Fuel 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 the
vehicle's acceleration could be
slightly reduced, and a slight audible
knocking noise, commonly referred
to as spark knock, might be heard.
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 heavy knocking is heard
when using gasoline rated at
91 octane or higher, the engine
needs service. Gasoline Specifications
(U.S. and Canada Only) At a minimum, gasoline should meet
ASTM specification 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 Fuel Additives
on page 9 ‑ 53 for additional
information.
California Fuel
Requirements If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle might fail a smog ‐ check test.
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5 ‑ 16 . If this occurs, return to
your authorized dealer for diagnosis.
If it is determined that the condition
is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries Never use leaded gasoline or any
other fuel not recommended in the
previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use of improper fuel
would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an
auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.

Black plate (53,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
Driving and Operating 9-53
Fuel Additives To provide cleaner air, all gasolines
in the United States are now
required to contain additives that
help prevent engine and fuel system
deposits from forming, allowing the
emission control system to work
properly. In most cases, nothing
should have to be added to the fuel.
However, some gasolines contain
only the minimum amount of
additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
regulations. To help keep fuel
injectors and intake valves clean
and avoid problems due to dirty
injectors or valves, look for gasoline
that is advertised as TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline. Look for the
TOP TIER label on the fuel pump to
ensure gasoline meets enhanced
detergency standards developed by
the auto companies. A list of
marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found at
www.toptiergas.com. For customers who do not use TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline regularly,
one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel
tank at every engine oil change, can
help clean deposits from fuel
injectors and intake valves. GM Fuel
System Treatment PLUS is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Gasolines containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines might be
available in your area. We
recommend that you use these
gasolines, if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
15% ethanol must not be used in
vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels. Notice: This vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.
Some gasolines that are
not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT); ask the attendant
where you buy gasoline whether the
fuel contains MMT. We recommend
against the use of such gasolines.
Fuels containing MMT can reduce
spark plug life and affect emission
control system performance. The
malfunction indicator lamp might
turn on. If this occurs, return to your
dealer for service.

Black plate (54,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
9-54 Driving and Operating
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) Vehicles that have a FlexFuel badge
and a yellow fuel cap can use either
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
For all other vehicles, use only the
unleaded gasoline described under
Recommended Fuel on page 9 ‑ 52 .
We encourage the use of E85 in
vehicles that are designed to use it.
The ethanol in E85 is a “ renewable ”
fuel, meaning it is made from
renewable sources such as corn
and other crops.
Many service stations will not have
an 85% ethanol fuel (E85) pump
available. The U.S. Department of
Energy has an alternative fuels
website (www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/
locator/stations/) that can help you
find E85 fuel. Those stations that do
have E85 should have a label
indicating ethanol content. Do not
use the fuel if the ethanol content is
greater than 85%. At a minimum, E85 should meet
ASTM Specification D 5798 or
CGSB Specification 3.512. Filling
the tank with fuel mixtures that do
not meet ASTM or CGSB
specifications can affect driveability
and could cause the malfunction
indicator lamp to come on. As the
outside temperature approaches
freezing, ethanol fuel distributors
should supply winter grade ethanol,
the same as with unleaded
gasoline.
It is best not to alternate repeatedly
between gasoline and E85. If you
do switch fuels, it is recommended
that you add as much fuel as
possible — do not add less than
11 L (3 gal) when refueling. You
should drive the vehicle immediately
after refueling for at least 11 km
(7 mi) to allow the vehicle to adapt
to the change in ethanol
concentration. E85 has less energy per liter
(gallon) than gasoline, so you will
need to refill the fuel tank more
often when using E85 than when
you are using gasoline. See Filling
the Tank on page 9 ‑ 55 .
Notice: Some additives are not
compatible with E85 fuel and can
harm the vehicle's fuel system.
Do not add anything to E85.
Damage caused by additives
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Notice: This vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd CRC - 11/29/11
INDEX i-5
FFan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-7
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-102
Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-10
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Front Fog Lamp
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Front Seats
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . 3-7 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-52
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-52
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Fuses
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43 G Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Gasoline
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Gauges
Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Global Positioning
System (GPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-96
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7