2013 CADILLAC ESCALADE Owners Manual

Black plate (25,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
Vehicle Care 10-25
Infrequent Usage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery to keep the battery from
running down.
Extended Storage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery or use a battery trickle
charger.
All-Wheel Drive
Transfer Case
If the vehicle is equipped with
All-Wheel Drive, be sure to perform
the lubricant checks described in
this section.
When to Check Lubricant
Refer toMaintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3 to determine how often to
check the lubricant.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.A. Drain Plug
B. Fill Plug
If the level is below the bottom of
the fill plug (B) hole, located on the
transfer case, some lubricant will
need to be added. Add enough
lubricant to raise the level to the
bottom of the fill plug (B) hole. Use
care not to overtighten the plug.
What to Use
Refer to Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
Front Axle
When to Check and Change
Lubricant
It is not necessary to regularly
check front axle fluid unless there is
a leak suspected or an unusual
noise is heard. A fluid loss could
indicate a problem. Have it
inspected and repaired.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.

Black plate (26,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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10-26 Vehicle Care
A. Fill Plug
B. Drain Plug
.When the differential is cold, add
enough lubricant to raise the
level from 0 mm (0 in) to 3.2 mm
(1/8 in) below the fill
plug (A) hole.
.When the differential is at
operating temperature (warm),
add enough lubricant to raise the
level to the bottom of the fill
plug (A) hole.What to Use
Refer to
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
It is not necessary to regularly
check rear axle fluid unless there is
a leak suspected or an unusual
noise is heard. A fluid loss could
indicate a problem. Have it
inspected and repaired.
All axle assemblies are filled by
volume of fluid during production.
They are not filled to reach a certain
level. When checking the fluid level
on any axle, variations in the
readings can be caused by factory
fill differences between the minimum
and the maximum fluid volume. Also, if a vehicle has just been
driven before checking the fluid
level, it may appear lower than
normal because fluid has traveled
out along the axle tubes and has
not drained back to the sump area.
Therefore, a reading taken
five minutes after the vehicle has
been driven will appear to have a
lower fluid level than a vehicle that
has been stationary for an hour or
two. Remember that the rear axle
assembly must be supported to get
a true reading.

Black plate (27,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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Vehicle Care 10-27
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.
.For Two-Wheel-Drive vehicles,
the proper level is from 15 mm to
40 mm (0.6 in to 1.6 in) below the
bottom of the filler plug hole,
located on the rear axle. Add
only enough fluid to reach the
proper level.
.For All-Wheel-Drive vehicles, the
proper level is from 1.0 mm to
19.0 mm (0.04 in to 0.75 in)
below the bottom of the filler
plug hole, located on the rear
axle. Add only enough fluid to
reach the proper level.
What to Use
Refer toRecommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑13 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
Starter Switch Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room
around the vehicle. 2. Firmly apply both the parking
brake and the regular brake.
See Parking Brake on
page 9‑35.
Do not use the accelerator
pedal, and be ready to turn off
the engine immediately if it
starts.
3. Try to start the engine in each gear. The vehicle should start
only in P (Park) or N (Neutral).
If the vehicle starts in any other
position, contact your dealer for
service.

Black plate (28,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
9/12
10-28 Vehicle Care
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room
around the vehicle. It should be
parked on a level surface.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake. See Parking Brake on
page 9‑35.
Be ready to apply the regular
brake immediately if the vehicle
begins to move. 3. With the engine off, turn the
ignition on, but do not start the
engine. Without applying the
regular brake, try to move the
shift lever out of P (Park) with
normal effort. If the shift lever
moves out of P (Park), contact
your dealer for service.
Ignition Transmission
Lock Check
While parked, and with the parking
brake set, try to turn the ignition to
LOCK/OFF in each shift lever
position.
.The ignition should turn to
LOCK/OFF only when the shift
lever is in P (Park).
.The ignition key should come
out only in LOCK/OFF.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check
{WARNING
When you are doing this check,
the vehicle could begin to move.
You or others could be injured
and property could be damaged.
Make sure there is room in front
of the vehicle in case it begins to
roll. Be ready to apply the regular
brake at once should the vehicle
begin to move.
Park on a fairly steep hill, with the
vehicle facing downhill. Keeping
your foot on the regular brake, set
the parking brake.
.To check the parking brake's
holding ability: With the engine
running and the transmission in
N (Neutral), slowly remove foot
pressure from the regular brake
pedal. Do this until the vehicle is
held by the parking brake only.

Black plate (29,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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Vehicle Care 10-29
.To check the P (Park)
mechanism's holding ability:
With the engine running, shift to
P (Park). Then release the
parking brake followed by the
regular brake.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.
Wiper Blade Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be
inspected for wear or cracking. See
Maintenance Schedule on
page 11‑3.
Replacement blades come in
different types and are removed in
different ways.
Front Wiper Blade
Replacement
1. Pull the windshield wiper arm connector away from the
windshield.
2. Squeeze the grooved areas oneach side of the blade, and turn
the blade assembly away from
the arm connector.
3. Install the new blade onto thearm connector and make sure
the grooved areas are fully set in
the locked position.
For the proper type and size, see
Maintenance Replacement Parts on
page 11‑15.
Rear Wiper Blade Replacement
1. Lift the wiper blade assembly up and out of the park rest position.
2. Pull the wiper blade assemblyaway from the backglass. The
backglass wiper blade will not
lock in a vertical position, so
care should be used when
pulling it away from the vehicle.
3. Turn the wiper blade assembly, and pull it off of the wiper arm.
Hold the wiper arm in position
and push the blade away from
the wiper arm.

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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10-30 Vehicle Care
4. Replace the wiper blade.
5. Return the wiper blade assemblyto the park rest position.
Glass Replacement
If the windshield or front side glass
must be replaced, see your dealer
to determine the correct
replacement glass.
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp aim has been preset and
should need no further adjustment.
If the vehicle is damaged in a crash,
the headlamp aim may be affected.
If adjustment to the headlamps is
necessary, see your dealer.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, see Replacement Bulbs on
page 10‑32.
For any bulb‐changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{WARNING
The 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.
The vehicle may have HID
headlamps. After an HID headlamp
bulb has been replaced, you may

Black plate (31,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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Vehicle Care 10-31
notice that the beam is a slightly
different shade than it was originally.
This is normal.
LED Lighting
This vehicle has several LED lamps.
For replacement of any LED lighting
assembly, contact your dealer.
Back-Up Lamps
To replace this bulb:
1. Open the liftgate. SeeLiftgate
on page 2‑8 for more
information.
2. Remove the two screws from the taillamp assembly.
3. Pull the taillamp assembly rearward until the inner pins on
the taillamp assembly disengage
from the vehicle.
4. Turn the socket counterclockwise to remove it
from the taillamp assembly.
5. Pull the old bulb straight out from the socket. 6. Press a new bulb into the
socket, insert the socket into the
taillamp assembly and turn the
socket clockwise into the
taillamp assembly.
7. Reinstall the taillamp assembly. When reinstalling, make sure to
line up the pins on the taillamp
assembly with the vehicle. If the
pins do not line up correctly, the
taillamp assembly will not be
able to be installed properly.
If the taillamp, stoplamp, or turn
signal need to be replaced, see your
dealer for service.

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC 2nd Edition - 10/
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10-32 Vehicle Care
License Plate Lamp
1. Remove the two screws holdingeach of the license plate lamps
to the molding that is part of the
liftgate.
2. Twist and pull the license plate lamp assembly forward through
the molding opening. 3. Remove the bulb socket from
the lamp assembly by turning it
counterclockwise.
4. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket and install the new bulb.
5. Reverse Steps 1–3 to reinstall the license plate lamp.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Back-up Lamp 7441
License
Plate Lamp W5W LL
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer.
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed. This
greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect
power devices in the vehicle.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.
If there is a problem on the road and
a fuse needs to be replaced, the
same amperage fuse can be
borrowed. Choose some feature of
the vehicle that is not needed to use
and replace it as soon as possible.