CADILLAC CATERA 1998 1.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer for
all your service needs. You’ll get genuine GM parts and
GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these
marks:
Genuine
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, yW11
want to use the proper Cadillac Service Manual. It tells you much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can.
To order the proper service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting to
do your own service work, see “Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle” in the Index.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and
the date of any service work you
perform. See “Maintenance Record” in the Maintenance
Schedule booklet.
6-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You can be injured and your vehicle could be damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. “English” and “metric”
fasteners can be easily confused. If you use
the wrong fasteners, parts can later break
or fall
off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equip] !nt to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow around
it. This may cause wind noise
and affect windshield washer performance. Check with
your dealer before adding equipment to the outside of
your vehicle.
Fuel
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 9 1 octane or
higher for best performance. You may use middle grade
or regular unleaded gasolines, but your vehicle may not
accelerate as well.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use shoula meet
specifications ASTM
D4814 in the United States and
CGSB 35M93 in Canada. Improved gasoline
specifications have been developed by the American
Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) for
better vehicle performance and engine protection.
Gasolines meeting the AAMA specification could
provide improved driveability and emission control
system protection compared to other gasolines.
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least
91 (at
least
89 for middle grade and 87 for regular). If the octane
is less than
87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when
you drive. If it’s bad enough, it can damage
your engine.
If you’re using
fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you hear heavy knocking, your engine needs
service. But don’t worry if you hear a little pinging
noise when you’re accelerating or driving up a hill.
That’s normal, and you don’t have to buy a higher
octane fuel to get rid of pinging. It’s the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
6-3

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications.
If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle may fail a smog-check test.
If this occurs, return
to your authorized Catera dealer for diagnosis to
determine the cause of failure.
In the event it is
determined that the cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs may not be covered by your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT);
ask your service station operator whether or not his fuel
contains MMT. General Motors does not recommend the
use of such gasolines. If fuels containing MMT are used,
spark plug life may be reduced and your emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel
may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized
Catera dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have to add
anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines if they comply with the specifications described earlier.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Don’t use it. It can corrode
metal parts in your fuel system and also damage
plastic and rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t be covered under your warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard to
find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly repairs
caused by use of improper fuel wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
To check on fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you’ll
be driving.
You can also write
us at the following address for
advice. Just tell us where you’re going and give your
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
Filling Your Tank
A
Gasoline vapor is highly flammable. It burns
violently, and that can cause very bad injuries.
Don’t smoke if you’re near gasoline or refueling
your vehicle. Keep sparks, flames and smoking
materials away from gasoline.
6-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The cap is behind a hinged door on the passenger's side
of your vehicle.
To use this feature,
your vehicle must be in
PARK
(P). Press the
FUEL DOOR unlock
button located on the instrument panel center
console to unlock and open
the fuel door.
You can
also press the fuel button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter to access the fuel cap.
A
Your vehicle may or may not have a tethered fuel cap.
Hang the fuel cap inside the fuel door
as shown by
the arrow.
To remove the cap, turn
it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise). The cap has a spring in it; if you let
go of the cap too soon, it will spring back to the right.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you get gasoline on yourself and then
something ignites
it, you could be badly burned.
Gasoline can spray out on you
if you open the
fuel filler cap too quickly. This spray can happen
if your tank is nearly full, and is more likely in
hot weather. Open the fuel filler cap slowly and
wait for any “hiss” noise to stop. Then unscrew
the cap all the way.
Be careful not to spill gasoline. Clean gasoline from
painted surfaces as soon as possible. See “Cleaning the
Outside of Your Vehicle” in the Index. When
YOU put
the cap back on, turn it to the right
(clockwise) until you hear a clicking sound. Make sure
YOU fully install the cap. The diagnostic system can
determine
if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly
installed. This would allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
NOTICE:
If you need a new cap, be sure to get the right
type. Your dealer can get one for you.
If you get
the wrong type,
it may not fit properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light
and your fuel tank and emissions system may be
damaged. See “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” in
the Index.
6-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fillinn 3 Portable Fuel Container
Checking Things Under the Hood
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the gasoline vapor. You can
be badly burned and your vehicle damaged if this
occurs.
To help avoid injury to you and others:
0 Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
0 Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
inside of the fill opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the filling is complete.
0 Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
0 Don’t smoke while pumping gasoline. An
electric fan under the hood can
start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
.
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start
a fire. These include liquids like gasoline,
oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and
other fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others
could be burned. Be careful not
to drop or spill
things that will burn onto
a hot engine.
6-8

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Hood Release
I
Pull the lever inside the
vehicle to open the hood. It
is located on the lower left
side of the instrument panel.
Then
go to the front of the vehicle and find the
secondary hood release which is located above the front
grille.
Lift up on the release lever as you raise the hood.
6-9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When you open the hood, you’ll see:
A. Coolant Fill Location
B. Air Cleaner
C. Passenger’s Compartment
Air Filter D. Engine Oil Fill Location
E. Engine Oil Dipstick Location
E Windshield Washer Fluid
G. Brake Master Cylinder
H. Power Steering Fluid
I. Battery
Before closing the hood, be sure all filler caps are on properly. Then pull the
hood down and close it firmly.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Oil
If the low oil level light on
the instrument panel comes
on, it means you need to
check your engine oil level
right away. For more information, see “Low Oil
Level Light”
in the Index.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
It’s a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must
be
warm and the vehicle must be on level ground. The engine
oil dipstick is
located behind the radiator
hose on the driver’s side
of
the engine. The yellow
looped handle helps to
identify it.
Turn off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don’t, the oil dipstick
might not show the actual level.