CADILLAC ELDORADO 2001 10.G Owners Manual

2-30 Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called ªtorque lock.º To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver's
seat. To find out how, see ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in
the Index.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition is in RUN. See ªAutomatic Transaxleº in
the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), try applying
pressure to the brakes and push the shift lever all the
way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application.
Then move the shift lever into the gear you want. If you
ever hold the brake pedal down but still can't shift out of
PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition key to OFF. Open and close the
driver's door to turn off the Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) feature.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Take your vehicle to an authorized service center as
soon as you can.

2-31
Parking Over Things That Burn
CAUTION:
Things that can burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under your vehicle and ignite. Don't park
over papers, leaves, dry grass or other things that
can burn.
Engine Exhaust
CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you can't see or
smell. It can cause unconsciousness and death.
You might have exhaust coming in if:

Your exhaust system sounds strange
or different.

Your vehicle gets rusty underneath.

Your vehicle was damaged in a collision.

Your vehicle was damaged when driving over
high points on the road or over road debris.

Repairs weren't done correctly.

Your vehicle or exhaust system had been
modified improperly.
If you ever suspect exhaust is coming into
your vehicle:

Drive it only with all the windows down to
blow out any CO; and

Have your vehicle fixed immediately.

2-32
Running Your Engine While
You're Parked
It's better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
ªEngine Exhaust.º
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the fan switch is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard.
See ªBlizzardº in the Index.
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you've left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake after
you move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won't
move. See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you're pulling a
trailer, also see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
Horn
The horn can be sounded by pressing on the center of
the steering wheel pad.

2-33
Tilt Wheel
Tilt steering allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. Raising the steering wheel to the
highest level gives your legs more room when you enter
and exit the vehicle.
Hold the steering wheel and pull the lever located on the
outboard side of the steering column toward you to tilt
the wheel. Adjust the steering wheel to a comfortable
position and then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of your steering column
includes your:

Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator

Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer

Flash
-to-Pass

Windshield Wipers

Windshield Washer

Cruise Control

2-34 Turn and Lane Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. The lever returns automatically when the turn
is complete.
An arrow located on the
instrument panel cluster will
flash in the direction of the
turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete. The lever returns when it's released.
If the turn signal is left on, a warning chime will sound
and the Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
TURN SIGNAL ON (after driving about 1 mile
(1.6 km/h)) to remind you to turn it off.Arrows that flash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned
-out signal bulb.
Other drivers won't see the turn signal.
Replace burned
-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. Check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs if the
arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
This light located on the
instrument panel panel will
be on when the high beam
headlamps are in use.
Pull the turn signal lever all the way toward you and
then release it to change the headlamps from low beam
to high or from high beam to low.

2-35 Flash-To-Pass
This lets you use the high-beam headlamps to signal the
driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do:

If the headlamps are either off or in the Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode, the high
-beam
headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as long as
you hold the lever there. Release the lever to turn
them off.

If the headlamps are on low beam, they will shift to
high beam and stay there. Pull the lever toward you
to return to low beam.

If the headlamps are on high beam, they will switch
to low beam. To return to high beam, pull the lever
toward you.
Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Turn the band on the turn signal lever to
control the wipers.
MIST: Turn the band toward you and then release it for
a single wiping cycle. For more cycles, hold the band on
MIST longer.
LO or HI: Turn the band away from you to either LO
(low speed) or to HI (high speed), depending on the
wiper speed you want.
DELAY: You can set the wiper speed for a long or short
delay between wipes with this setting. Turn the band to
the DELAY position. The closer you turn it to LO, the
shorter the delay.

2-36
OFF: Turn the band to OFF to turn off the wipers.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If the blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Rainsense
II Wipers (ETC Only)
The moisture sensor is mounted on the interior side of
the windshield behind the rearview mirror and is used to
automatically operate the wipers by monitoring the
amount of moisture build
-up on the windshield.Wipes occur as needed to clear the windshield
depending on driving conditions and the sensitivity
setting. In light rain or snow, fewer wipes will occur. In
heavy rain or snow, wipes will occur more frequently.
The Rainsense wipers operate in a delay mode as well as
a continuous low or high speed depending as needed.
If the system is left on for long periods of time,
occasional wipes may occur without any moisture on
the windshield. This is normal and indicates that the
Rainsense system is activated.
The Rainsense system can be activated by turning the
wiper stalk to one of the five sensitivity levels within the
AUTO DELAY area. The AUTO DELAY position closest
to OFF is the lowest sensitivity setting, level one. This
allows more rain or snow to collect on the windshield
between wipes. Turning the stalk away from you to the
higher levels of other AUTO DELAY settings increases
the sensitivity of the system and frequency of wipes. The
highest sensitivity setting, level five is closest to LO. A
single wipe will occur each time you turn the wiper stalk
to a higher sensitivity level to indicate that the sensitivity
level has been increased. An initial wipe occurs when you
turn the ignition on as a reminder that Rainsense is active.
The windshield wipers also remain in a ªhigh parkº
position (when the wipers are stopped on the windshield
and are not in the normal park position), even when the
ignition is turned off.

2-37
NOTICE:
The wipers must be turned off when going
through a car wash to avoid damage.
The MIST and ªwashº cycles operate as normal and are
not affected by the Rainsense function. The Rainsense
system can be overridden at any time by manually
turning the wiper stalk to LO or HI speed.
NOTICE:
Do not place stickers or other items on the
exterior glass surface directly in front of the
moisture sensor. Doing this could cause the
moisture sensor to malfunction.
Windshield Washer
CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking
your vision.
At the top of the turn signal/multifunction lever there is
a paddle with the word PUSH on it. To spray washer
fluid on the windshield, press and release this paddle.
The wipers will clear the windshield and either stop or
return to your preset speed. For more washer cycles,
press and hold the paddle.
LOW WASHER FLUID will be displayed on the Driver
Information Center (DIC) when the washer fluid reaches
a low level.

2-38 Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below
25 mph (40 km/h).
Cruise control shuts off when you apply your brakes.
CAUTION:

Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can't drive safely at a steady speed. So,
don't use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.

Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don't
use cruise control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. See ªTraction
Control Systemº in the Index. When road conditions
allow you to safely use it again, you may turn the cruise
control back on.

2-39
Setting Cruise Control
CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Accelerate to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET CRUISE button at the end of the lever
and release it. The CRUISE ENGAGED message
will display on the Driver Information Center (DIC).
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.Resuming a Set Speed
Setting the cruise control at a desired speed and then
applying the brake will end the cruise function.
Once you're going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch from ON to R/A
(Resume/Accelerate) for about half a second to reset.
This returns you to your desired preset speed. The
Driver Information Center (DIC) will display the
CRUISE ENGAGED message again.
If you hold the switch at R/A longer than half a second,
the vehicle will accelerate until you release the switch or
apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster, don't
hold the switch at R/A.