tow CADILLAC DEVILLE 2000 8.G User Guide

2-27
Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. 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 key is in ON. If you
cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift
lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into PARK (P) as
you maintain brake application. Then move the shift
lever into the gear you wish. See ªShifting Out of
PARK (P)º in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
has stopped.
Also use this gear to rock your vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice or sand without damaging your
transaxle. See ªStuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snowº in
the Index for additional information.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, the engine doesn't
connect with the wheels. To restart when you're
already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
CAUTION:
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is ªracingº (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don't shift out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.

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NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the engine
racing isn't covered by your warranty.
DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you're:

Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push the
accelerator pedal about halfway down.

Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
The transaxle will shift down to the next gear and
have more power.
NOTICE:
If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly, or
if it doesn't seem to shift gears as you accelerate,
something may be wrong with a transaxle system
sensor. If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged. So if this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than 35 mph (55 km/h) and DRIVE (D) for
higher speeds.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D).
Here are examples for using THIRD (3) instead of
DRIVE (D).

When driving on hilly, winding roads.

When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.

When going down a steep hill.

2-31
Reach under the driver's side of the instrument panel
and pull on the manual release lever, which is located
above the parking brake pedal. If the parking brake does
not release, you should either drive to the nearest service
station or have your vehicle towed.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. This section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving. For
more information, see ªBrake Indicator Lightº in
the Index.

2-32
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 firmly 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 won't move, even when
you're on fairly level ground, use the steps that
follow. If you're pulling a trailer, see ªTowing a
Trailerº in the Index.
Steering Column Shift Lever (If Equipped)
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:

Pull the lever toward you.

2-34
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 firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don't leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you've moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn't fully locked into PARK (P).
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).

2-38
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.
Windows
Power Windows
The power window controls are located on the armrest
near each window. Press the up or down arrows on the
controls to raise or lower windows.
The second rearward position on the window control
operates the express
-down window feature.

2-40
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
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 on the instrument
panel 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 a mile) 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
Push forward for high beam to change the headlamps
from low beam to high. Pull the lever back and then
release it to change from high beam to low.
This light located on the
instrument panel will be on,
indicating high
-beam usage.
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 and hold the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do:

If the headlamps are either off or in the 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 highbeam, they will switch
to low beam. To return to high beam, push the lever
away from you.

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Windshield Wipers
WIPER: Turn the band on the turn signal lever to
control the wipers.
MIST: Turn the band toward you toªmistº 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
one of the DELAY positions. The closer you move it to
LO, the shorter the delay.
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.

2-54
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper towel or similar
material dampened with glass cleaner. Do not spray
glass cleaner directly on the mirror as that may cause the
liquid cleaner to enter the mirror housing.
Cleaning Photocells
Use a cotton swab and glass cleaner to clean the
photocells when necessary.
Mirror Operation
The right side of the button, located at the bottom of the
mirror, turns the electrochromic mirror on and off. To
turn on the automatic dimming feature, press MIRROR.
To turn off automatic dimming, press MIRROR again.
The green indicator light will be illuminated when this
feature is active.Time Delay
The automatic mirror has a time delay feature which
prevents unnecessary changing from night back to the
day position. This delay prevents rapid changing of the
mirror as you drive under lights and through traffic.
Compass Operation
Press COMPASS once to turn the compass on or off.
When the ignition and the compass feature are on, the
compass will show two character boxes for
approximately two seconds. After two seconds, the
mirror will display the compass heading.
Compass Calibration
If after two seconds the display does not show a
compass heading (ªNº for North, for example), there
may be a strong magnetic field with the compass. Such
interference may be caused by a magnetic antenna
mount, magnetic note pad holder or a similar magnetic
item. If the letter ªCº should ever appear in the compass
window, the mirror needs calibration.
The mirror can be calibrated in one of two ways:

Drive the vehicle in circles at 5 mph (8 km/h) or less
until the display reads a direction, or

Drive the vehicle on your everyday routine.

2-60
Sun Visors
Swing down the primary visor to block out glare. It can
also be detached from the center mount and moved to
the side while the auxiliary sunshade remains to block
the glare from the front. The visors also have
side
-to-side slide capability.
The driver's sunshade is also equipped with a
storage flap.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror
Pull the sunshade down and lift the cover. Move the
slide switch up or down to brighten or dim the lamp.
Lighted Rear Vanity Mirror (If Equipped)
Pull the vanity cover down to see the mirror. Move the
slide switch up or down to brighten or dim the lamp.
Coat Hooks
Your vehicle is equipped with flip-out coat hooks. They
are located above the rear doors, behind the rear assist
handles. Return to the stowed position when not in use.
Rear Power Sunshade (If Equipped)
The rear power sunshade helps to reduce the amount of
heat and light entering the rear window.
The rear power sunshade is located in the rear shelf. To
raise the power sunshade, press and release the REAR
SHADE switch located on the front overhead console.
To close the power sunshade, press and release the
REAR SHADE switch again. The rear power sunshade
switch only works when the ignition is on or when the
Retained Accessory Power is active. See ªRetained
Accessory Powerº in the Index.
Also, never store objects on the rear shelf because they
may get caught in the sunshade or be tossed about in
your vehicle.
Manual Rear Side Door Sunshade
(If Equipped)
To use the manual rear side door sunshades, lower the
side windows and hook the top edge of the retractable
sunshades over the edge of the windows and raise the
windows. To remove the shades, lower the windows and
the hooks will disengage automatically.