engine CADILLAC XLR V 2006 1.G User Guide

Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may be equipped with an engine coolant
heater.
In very cold weather, 0°F (−18°C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You will get easier starting
and better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
At temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of the coolant
heater is not required. Your vehicle may also have
an internal thermostat in the plug end of the cord.
This will prevent operation of the engine coolant heater
when the temperature is at or above 0°F (−18°C) as
noted on the cord.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The electrical cord is located on the driver’s side
of the engine compartment, in front of the engine
coolant surge tank.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will
not reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you do not, it could be
damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you will be parking
your vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice
for that particular area.
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Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P):This position locks your rear wheels. It is
the best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle cannot move easily.
{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even
when you are on fairly level ground, always
set your parking brake and move the shift
lever to PARK (P). SeeShifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-30.
Be sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control system.
2-25

You have to fully apply your regular brakes before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the vehicle is running.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way
into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application.
Then move the shift lever into the gear desired.
SeeShifting Out of Park (P) on page 2-32.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage the transmission.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice, or sand without damaging your transmission,
seeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on page 5-32.
NEUTRAL (N):In this position, your engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart when you are
already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
Use Neutral (N) if the car must be moved with the
engine off for short distances. Please seeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 5-37
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless
your foot is rmly on the brake pedal, your
vehicle could move very rapidly. You could
lose control and hit people or objects. Do not
shift into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
with the engine running at high speed may damage
the transmission. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Be sure the engine is not running
at high speed when shifting your vehicle.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):This position is for
normal driving.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the transmission. If you are stuck, do
not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the
brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
Maximum engine speed is limited to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
2-26

Driver Shift Control (DSC)
The Driver Shift Control (DSC) feature lets you manually
control over the operation of the transmission.
To use this feature,
move the shift lever
from the AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) position
to the left and into the
driver shift control gate.
XLR
The DSC mode is selected by moving the shift lever
into the DSC area, which activates the driver manual
gear selection. To request an upshift in DSC, briey
move the shift lever up toward the plus (+) symbol.
To request a downshift, briey move the shift lever
down toward the minus (−) symbol. A plus (+)
symbol will appear on the shift console above the
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) indicator and
minus symbol will appear below the indicator.The Head-Up Display (HUD) will also display the
change in gear, though the actual upshift or downshift
may be delayed until the engine speed is correct for that
gear. The gear displays on the HUD until the next
time you upshift or downshift. The gear selected and
shown in the HUD is one of a number of gears available.
It does not mean that the vehicle will operate only in
that specic gear. The actual gear that the vehicle shifts
to depends on a combination of the driver-requested
gear range, vehicle speed and throttle position.
XLR-V
The Sport Automatic Mode is selected by moving the
shift lever into the DSC area without shifting towards
the plus (+) or minus (−) symbols. While in the
Sport Automatic Mode, the transmission computer
determines when the vehicle is being driven in a
competitive manner. It will then select and hold the
transmission in lower gears and have more noticeable
upshifts for a sportier vehicle performance until you
use the plus (+) or minus (−) controls, which activates
the driver manual gear selection. A plus (+) symbol
will appear on the shift console above the AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) indicator and minus symbol will
appear below the indicator. The Head-Up Display (HUD)
will also display the change in gear, though the actual
upshift or downshift may be delayed until the engine
speed is correct for that gear.
2-27

The gear displays on the HUD until the next time you
upshift or downshift.
The gear selected and shown in the HUD is one of a
number of gears available. It does not mean that
the vehicle will operate only in that specic gear.
Notice:If you drive your vehicle at high RPMs
without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control
(DSC), you could damage your vehicle. Always
upshift when necessary while using DSC.
If you do not upshift as the engine approaches the
red line on the engine rpm (revolutions per minute) gage,
the engine speed is controlled to limit the engine rpm.
Not all manual downshift requests will be allowed
by the transmission. To prevent excessive engine rpms,
each gear has a maximum vehicle speed associated
with it. Any downshift request above this speed will
not be allowed by the transmission.
If shifting is prevented for any reason, the current
gear will ash multiple times in the DIC, indicating
that the transmission has not shifted gears.
Some automatic downshifts may occur to maintain
minimum engine speed. This only happens if the vehicle
is left in too high of a gear for the vehicle’s speed.For example, if you have been driving in fth gear range
and come to a stop without manually downshifting,
fth gear will continue to display in the HUD. The
transmission will automatically downshift to second gear.
As you begin to drive and accelerate, the transmission
will automatically upshift as quickly as possible to the
selected fth gear.
In higher gears, an automatic downshift will occur if you
press the accelerator pedal to the oor. This feature
provides adequate acceleration capabilities if you forget
to downshift manually.
Automatic upshifts and downshifts will not display in
the HUD.
DSC can be used while using cruise control, but
transmission shifting will be different while the cruise
control is on. This is not a malfunction and is necessary
to allow proper operation of the cruise control.
To return to fully automatic operation, move the shift
lever to the right and back into the AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D).
When accelerating your vehicle from a stop in snowy
and icy conditions, you may want to shift into second
gear. A higher gear allows you to gain more traction on
slippery surfaces.
2-28

Parking Brake
The parking brake pedal
is located to the left of
the regular brake pedal,
near the driver’s door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot and push the parking brake
pedal down with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the parking brake indicator light on
the instrument panel cluster should come on. If it
does not, you need to have your vehicle serviced.When you move out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
and the engine is running, the parking brake should
release. If the parking brake has not been fully released
and you try to drive off with the parking brake on, the
parking brake indicator light will come on and stay on.
If the parking brake does not fully release, you can
manually release the pedal.
{CAUTION:
Always shift to PARK (P) before pulling the
manual release lever. If your hand or arm is in
the way of the pedal you could be hurt. The
pedal springs back quickly. Keep your hand
and arm away when you use the manual
release lever.
Before releasing the manual parking brake, be sure to
put the vehicle in PARK (P) and turn the ignition off.
2-29

Reach under the driver’s side of the instrument panel
and pull down on the manual release lever, which
is located behind the parking brake pedal. Pull down on
the yellow tab. If the parking brake does not release,
you should have your vehicle towed to your dealer
for service.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system parts. Verify that
the parking brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
Shifting Into Park (P)
{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 rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle will
not move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, use the steps that follow.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) by pushing the
lever all the way toward the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition off.
2-30

Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle
with the engine running. Your vehicle could
move suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is rmly set before you leave it. After you
have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold down
the regular brake pedal. See if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK (P) without rst pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever was
not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may nd it difficult to pull
the shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque
lock.” To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver’s seat. To nd out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” listed previously in this section.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out
of PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
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 transmission,
so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
2-31

Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock
control system. You have to fully apply your regular
brake before you can shift from PARK (P) when
the vehicle is running. SeeAutomatic Transmission
Operation on page 2-25.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever — push the shift lever all the way
into PARK (P) and release the shift lever button as you
maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever
button and move the shift lever into the gear you wish.If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still cannot
shift out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Press the ACC button twice to place the ignition
in accessory mode.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the engine and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have your vehicle inspected by your dealer as
soon as possible.
2-32

Engine Exhaust
{CAUTION:
Engine exhaust can kill. It contains the gas
carbon monoxide (CO), which you cannot 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 were not done correctly.
Your vehicle or exhaust system has been
modied 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 xed immediately.
Running the Engine While Parked
It is 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
Engine Exhaust on page 2-34.
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the climate control fan 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.
SeeWinter Driving on page 5-27.
2-34