CADILLAC CTS 2012 2.G Owners Manual

Black plate (29,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-29
Battery
The battery is in the trunk, behind
the trim panel, on the passenger
side of the vehicle. Refer to the
replacement number shown on the
original battery label when a new
battery is needed.
{WARNING
Battery posts, terminals, and
related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling.After a power loss, such as
disconnecting the battery or
removing the maxi fuses in the
power distribution fuse block, the
following steps must be performed
to calibrate the electronic throttle
control. If this is not done, the
engine will not run properly.
1. Turn the ignition on but do not
start the engine.
2. Leave the ignition on for at least three minutes so that the
electronic throttle control will
cycle and re-learn its home
position.
3. Turn the ignition off.
4. Start and run the engine for at least 30 seconds.
Vehicle Storage
{WARNING
Batteries have acid that can burn
you and gas that can explode.
You can be badly hurt if you are
not careful. See Jump Starting on
page 10‑104 for tips on working
around a battery without
getting hurt.
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.

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-30 Vehicle Care
All-Wheel Drive
If your vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel-drive, this is an additional
system that needs lubrication.
Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
It is not necessary to regularly
check the transfer case fluid unless
you suspect there is a leak or you
hear an unusual noise. A fluid loss
could indicate a problem. Have it
inspected and repaired.How to Check Lubricant
A. Drain Plug
B. Fill Plug
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.
If the level is below the bottom of
the filler plug hole, located on the
transfer case, you'll need to add
some lubricant. Add enough
lubricant to raise the level to the
bottom of the filler plug hole. Use
care not to overtighten the plug.What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule
to determine what kind of lubricant
to use. See
Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11‑13.
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 (Manual) on
page 9‑34 orParking Brake
(Electric) on page 9‑35.

Black plate (31,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-31
Do not use the accelerator
pedal, and be ready to turn off
the engine immediately if it
starts.
3. For automatic transmission vehicles, 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.
For manual transmission
vehicles, put the shift lever in
Neutral, push the clutch pedal
down halfway, and try to start
the engine. The vehicle should
start only when the clutch pedal
is pushed down all the way to
the floor. If the vehicle starts
when the clutch pedal is not
pushed all the way down,
contact your dealer for service.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 (Manual) on
page 9‑34 orParking Brake
(Electric) 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).
.With the key access ignition
system, the ignition key should
come out only in LOCK/OFF.
See
Ignition Positions (Key
Access) on page 9‑16 orIgnition
Positions (Keyless Access) on
page 9‑18.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-32 Vehicle Care
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.
.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.
It is a good idea to clean or replace
the wiper blade assembly on a
regular basis or when worn. For
proper windshield wiper blade
length and type, see Maintenance
Replacement Parts on page 11‑15.
To replace the wiper blade
assembly:
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with the engine off.
2. Turn on the windshield wipers and turn them off again when
the wipers are in the out-wipe
position. The driver side blade
will be straight up and down on
the windshield.
3. Pull the windshield wiper assembly away from the
windshield.

Black plate (33,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-33
4. Lift up the wiper bladeassembly cap.
5. Pull the wiper blade assembly down far enough to release it
from the J-hooked end of the
wiper arm. Slide the assembly
away from the arm.
Allowing the wiper blade arm to
touch the windshield when no
wiper blade is installed could
damage the windshield. Any
damage that occurs would not
be covered by your warranty. Do
not allow the wiper blade arm to
touch the windshield. 6. Replace the blade with a
new one.
7. Reinstall the wiper bladeassembly by sliding it over
the wiper arm to engage the
J-hooked end. Pull up on the
assembly to lock it into place.
8. Repeat the steps for the other wiper.
Rear Wiper Blade Replacement
(Wagon)
The rear wiper blade and wiper arm
have a cover for protection. The
cover must be removed before the
wiper blade can be replaced.
To remove the cover:
1. Slide a plastic tool under thecover and push upward to
unsnap.
2. Slide the cover toward the wiper blade tip to unhook it from the
blade assembly.
3. Remove the cover.

Black plate (34,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-34 Vehicle Care
4. After wiper blade replacement,ensure that the cover hook
slides into the slot in the blade
assembly.
5. Snap the cover down to secure.
To remove the wiper blade:
1. Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.
A. Wiper Arm
B. Release Lever
C. Blade Assembly 2. Push the release lever (B) to
disengage the hook and push
the wiper arm (A) out of the
blade assembly (C).
3. Push the new blade assembly securely on the wiper arm until
the release lever clicks into
place.
4. Replace the wiper cover.
Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical
headlamp aiming system. The aim
has been preset at the factory and
should need no further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the headlamp aim may
be affected and adjustment may be
necessary.
If oncoming vehicles flash their high
beams at you, this may also mean
the vertical aim needs to be
adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle
is taken to your dealer for service if
the headlamps need to be re-aimed.
It is possible, however, to re-aim the
headlamps as described.

Black plate (35,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-35
The vehicle should:
.Be placed so the headlamps
are 7.6 m (25 ft) from a light
colored wall.
.Have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the
way to the wall.
.Be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall.
.Not have any snow, ice, or mud
on it.
.Be fully assembled and have all
other work stopped while
headlamp aiming is being
performed.
.Be loaded with a full tank of fuel
and one person or 75 kg
(160 lbs) sitting on the
driver seat.
.Have all tires properly inflated.
.Have the spare tire (if equipped)
in its original location in the
vehicle.Headlamp aiming is done with the
vehicle's low-beam headlamps. The
high-beam headlamps will be
correctly aimed if the low-beam
headlamps are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim:
1. Open the hood. See
Hood on
page 10‑5 for more information.
Halogen Headlamps
High Intensity Discharge
Headlamps
2. Locate the aim dot on the lens of the low‐beam headlamp.
3. Record the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the
low‐beam headlamp.

Black plate (36,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-36 Vehicle Care
4. At a wall, measure from theground upward (A) to the
recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it.
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B) the width of the vehicle at the
wall where it was marked in
Step 4.
Notice: Do not cover a headlamp
to improve beam cut-off when
aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up
which may cause damage to the
headlamp.
6. Turn on the low-beam
headlamps and place a piece of
cardboard or equivalent in front
of the headlamp not being aimed. This should allow only
the beam of light from the
headlamp being aimed to be
seen on the flat surface.
Driver Side Shown
7. Locate the vertical headlamp aiming screws, which are under
the hood near each headlamp
assembly. They are covered by
rubber caps.
The adjustment screw can be
turned with a 6 mm hex driver.
8. Turn the vertical aiming screw until the headlamp beam is
aimed to the horizontal tape line. Turn it clockwise or
counterclockwise to raise or
lower the angle of the beam.
The top edge of the cut-off
should be positioned at the
bottom edge of the horizontal
tape line.9. Make sure that the light from the
headlamp is positioned at the
bottom edge of the horizontal
tape line. The lamp on the
left (A) shows the correct
headlamp aim. The lamp on the
right (B) shows the incorrect
headlamp aim.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through 9 for the opposite headlamp.

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-37
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, seeReplacement Bulbs on
page 10‑39.
For any bulb‐changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{WARNING
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{WARNING
The low beam 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.
After an HID headlamp bulb has
been replaced, the beam might be a
slightly different shade than it was
originally. This is normal.
Fog Lamps
To replace a front fog lamp bulb:
1. Pull out the push-pins located on the underside of the protection
shield to remove the shield.
2. Reach up behind the front bumper area from under the
vehicle to access the lamp
housing.
3. Remove the electrical connector from the bulb by lifting the two
plastic clips.
4. Remove the bulb socket from the lamp housing by turning the
bulb socket one-quarter turn
counterclockwise.

Black plate (38,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012
10-38 Vehicle Care
5. Pull the old bulb from the lamphousing keeping the bulb
straight as you pull it out.
6. Install a new bulb.
7. Reinstall the electrical connector by pushing in the two plastic
clips.
8. Push the bulb socket into the lamp housing and turn the
socket one‐quarter turn
clockwise.License Plate Lamp
(Coupe and Sedan)
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Push the tab to remove the
license plate lamp.
2. Turn the license plate lamp assembly down to remove it.
3. Turn the socket counterclockwise and remove it.
4. Pull the bulb straight out to remove it.
5. Push the new bulb straight into the socket.
6. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 to reinstall the license plate lamp
assembly.
License Plate Lamp
(Wagon)
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the liftgate. See Liftgate
on page 2‑20 for more
information.
Passenger Side Shown, Driver
Side Similar
2. Push the left end of the lamp assembly toward the right.
3. Turn the lamp assembly down to remove it from the liftgate.