2012 CADILLAC ESCALADE transmission fluid

Black plate (12,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
10-12 Vehicle Care
6. Using the TRANS TEMPreading, determine and
perform the appropriate check
procedure. If the TRANS TEMP
reading is not within the required
temperature ranges, allow the
vehicle to cool, or operate the
vehicle until the appropriate
transmission fluid temperature is
reached.
Cold Check Procedure
Use this procedure only as a
reference to determine if the
transmission has enough fluid to be
operated safely until a hot check
procedure can be made. The hot
check procedure is the most
accurate method to check the
fluid level. Perform the hot check
procedure at the first opportunity.
Use this cold check procedure
to check fluid level when the
transmission temperature is
between 27°C and 32°C
(80°F and 90°F).
1. Locate the transmission dipstick at the rear of the
engine compartment, on the
passenger side of the vehicle.
See Engine Compartment
Overview on page 10‑6 for more
information.
2. Flip the handle up and then pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
a clean rag or paper towel.
3. Install the dipstick by pushing it back in all the way, wait
three seconds, and then pull it
back out again.
4. Check both sides of the dipstick and read the lower level. Repeat
the check procedure to verify the
reading.5. If the fluid level is below theCOLD check band, add only
enough fluid as necessary to
bring the level into the COLD
band. It does not take much
fluid, generally less than 0.5 L
(1 pint). Do not overfill.
6. Perform a hot check at the first opportunity after the
transmission reaches a normal
operating temperature between
71°C to 93°C (160°F to 200°F).
7. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way,
then flip the handle down to lock
the dipstick in place.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-13
Hot Check Procedure
Use this procedure to check the
transmission fluid level when the
transmission fluid temperature
is between 71°C and 93°C
(160°F and 200°F).
The hot check is the most accurate
method to check the fluid level. The
hot check should be performed at
the first opportunity in order to verify
the cold check. The fluid level rises
as fluid temperature increases,
so it is important to ensure the
transmission temperature is within
range.
1. Locate the transmissiondipstick at the rear of the engine
compartment, on the passenger
side of the vehicle. See
Engine Compartment
Overview on page 10‑6 for more
information.
2. Flip the handle up and then pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
a clean rag or paper towel.
3. Install the dipstick by pushing it back in all the way, wait
three seconds, and then pull it
back out again.
4. Check both sides of the dipstick and read the lower level. Repeat
the check procedure to verify the
reading.5. Safe operating level is within theHOT cross hatch band on the
dipstick. If the fluid level is not
within the HOT band, and the
transmission temperature is
between 71°C and 93°C (160°F and 200°F), add or drain
fluid as necessary to bring the
level into the HOT band. If the
fluid level is low, add only
enough fluid to bring the level
into the HOT band. It does not
take much fluid, generally less
than 0.5 L (1 pint). Do not
overfill.
6. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way, then
flip the handle down to lock the
dipstick in place.
Consistency of Readings
Always check the fluid level at
least twice using the procedures
described. Consistency (repeatable
readings) is important to maintaining
proper fluid level. If fluid is added,
it may take 15 minutes or longer
to obtain an accurate reading
because of residual fluid
draining down the dipstick tube.

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Service and Maintenance 11-5
.Visually inspect windshield
wiper blades for wear, cracking,
or contamination. SeeExterior
Care on page 10‑96. Replace
worn or damaged wiper blades.
See Wiper Blade Replacement
on page 10‑31.
.Check tire inflation pressures.
See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑52.
.Inspect tire wear. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑58.
.Visually check for fluid leaks.
.Inspect engine air cleaner filter.
See Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑14.
.Inspect brake system.
.Visually inspect steering,
suspension, and chassis
components for damaged, loose,
or missing parts or signs of
wear. See Exterior Care on
page 10‑96.
.Check restraint system
components. See Safety System
Check on page 3‑26.
.Visually inspect fuel system for
damage or leaks.
.Visually inspect exhaust system
and nearby heat shields for
loose or damaged parts.
.Lubricate body components. See
Exterior Care on page 10‑96.
.Check starter switch. See Starter
Switch Check on page 10‑30.
.Check automatic transmission
shift lock control function. See
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function Check on
page 10‑30.
.Check ignition transmission lock.
See Ignition Transmission Lock
Check on page 10‑30.
.Check parking brake and
automatic transmission park
mechanism. See Park Brake and
P (Park) Mechanism Check on
page 10‑31.
.Check accelerator pedal for
damage, high effort, or binding.
Replace if needed.
.Visually inspect gas strut for
signs of wear, cracks, or other
damage. Check the hold open
ability of the strut. See your
dealer if service is required.
.Check tire sealant expiration
date, if equipped. See Tire
Sealant and Compressor Kit on
page 10‑67.
.Inspect sunroof track and seal,
if equipped. See Sunroof on
page 2‑22.
.Check hybrid low pressure
coolant level, if equipped.

Black plate (13,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
Service and Maintenance 11-13
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part number, or specification can be obtained from your dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil Use only engine oil licensed to the dexos1 specfication, or equivalent, of
the proper SAE viscosity grade. ACDelco dexos1 Synthetic Blend is
recommended. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑7.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑16.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. 12377967, in
Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid (GM Part No. 89021184, in Canada 89021186).
Automatic Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Key Lock Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Chassis Lubrication Chassis Lubricant (GM Part No. 12377985, in Canada 88901242) or
lubricant meeting requirements of NLGI #2, Category LB or GC-LB.
Front and Rear Axle SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle Lubricant (GM Part No. 89021677, in
Canada 89021678).

Black plate (14,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
11-14 Service and Maintenance
UsageFluid/Lubricant
Transfer Case DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Hood Hinges Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Body Door Hinge Pins, Tailgate
Hinge and Linkage, and Fuel Door
Hinge Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Outer Tailgate Handle Pivot Points Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
Weatherstrip Conditioning Weatherstrip Lubricant (GM Part No. 3634770, in Canada 10953518) or
Dielectric Silicone Grease (GM Part No. 12345579, in Canada 992887).
Weatherstrip Squeaks Synthetic Grease with Teflon, Superlube (GM Part No. 12371287, in
Canada 10953437).

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
12-2 Technical Data
Vehicle Data
Capacities and Specifications
The following approximate capacities are given in metric and English conversions. SeeRecommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13 for more information.
Application Capacities
Metric English
Air Conditioning Refrigerant For the air conditioning system refrigerant charge
amount, see the refrigerant label located under the hood. See your dealer for more information.
Cooling System 16.7 L 17.6 qt
Engine Oil with Filter 5.7 L† 6.0 qt†
Fuel Tank Regular 98.4 L 26.0 gal
Extended 119.2 L 31.5 gal
Transmission Fluid (Pan Removal and Replacement) 5.7 L 6.0 qt
Transfer Case Fluid 1.4 L 1.5 qt
Wheel Nut Torque 190 Y140 lb ft
All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this
manual. Recheck fluid after filling.
†Oil filter should be changed at every oil change.

Black plate (1,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-27
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-14
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-29
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-14
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 9-34, 10-27
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Antenna Rear Side Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-36
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Audio Players CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-3
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-29 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28

Black plate (2,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-31
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-100
Brake Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-18
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-37
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9, 2-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-30
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-58, 3-61, 3-62
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6