CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2011 Owners Manual

Black plate (29,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-29What to Use
Refer to Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11 ‑ 7 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
Front Axle When to Check and Change
Lubricant
It is not necessary to regularly
check front axle fluid unless there
is a leak suspected or an unusual
noise is heard. A fluid loss could
indicate a problem. Have it
inspected and repaired. How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface.
A. Fill Plug
B. Drain Plug .
When the differential is cold, add
enough lubricant to raise the
level from 0 mm (0 in) to 3.2 mm
(1/8 in) below the fill plug hole. .
When the differential is at
operating temperature (warm),
add enough lubricant to raise
the level to the bottom of the fill
plug hole.
What to Use
Refer to Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11 ‑ 7 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
Rear Axle When to Check Lubricant It is not necessary to regularly
check rear axle fluid unless there
is a leak suspected or an unusual
noise is heard. A fluid loss could
indicate a problem. Have it
inspected and repaired.

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
10-30 Vehicle Care All axle assemblies are filled by
volume of fluid during production.
They are not filled to reach a certain
level. When checking the fluid
level on any axle, variations in the
readings can be caused by factory
fill differences between the minimum
and the maximum fluid volume.
Also, if a vehicle has just been
driven before checking the fluid
level, it may appear lower than
normal because fluid has traveled
out along the axle tubes and has
not drained back to the sump
area. Therefore, a reading taken
five minutes after the vehicle has
been driven will appear to have a
lower fluid level than a vehicle that
has been stationary for an hour or
two. Remember that the rear axle
assembly must be supported to get
a true reading. How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the
vehicle should be on a level
surface. .
For Two-Wheel-Drive vehicles,
the proper level is from 15 mm
to 40 mm (0.6 in to 1.6 in) below
the bottom of the filler plug hole,
located on the rear axle. Add
only enough fluid to reach the
proper level. .
For All-Wheel-Drive vehicles, the
proper level is from 1.0 mm to
19.0 mm (0.04 in to 0.75 in)
below the bottom of the filler
plug hole, located on the rear
axle. Add only enough fluid to
reach the proper level.
What to Use Refer to Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11 ‑ 7 to
determine what kind of lubricant
to use.
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.

Black plate (31,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-312. Firmly apply both the parking
brake and the regular brake.
See Parking Brake on
page 9 ‑ 46 .
Do not use the accelerator
pedal, and be ready to turn off
the engine immediately if it
starts.
3. 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. Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check
{ WARNINGWhen 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 on
page 9 ‑ 46 .
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). .
The ignition key should come
out only in LOCK/OFF.
Contact your dealer if service is
required.

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
10-32 Vehicle Care
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check
{ WARNINGWhen 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 Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11 ‑ 2 .
Replacement blades come in
different types and are removed in
different ways.
Front Wiper Blade
Replacement 1. Pull the windshield wiper arm
connector away from the
windshield.
2. Squeeze the grooved areas on
each side of the blade, and turn
the blade assembly away from
the arm connector.

Black plate (33,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-33
3. Install the new blade onto the
arm connector and make sure
the grooved areas are fully set in
the locked position.
For the proper type and size, see
Maintenance Replacement Parts on
page 11 ‑ 9 . Rear Wiper Blade Replacement 1. Lift the wiper blade assembly up
and out of the park rest position.
2. Pull the wiper blade assembly
away from the backglass. The
backglass wiper blade will not
lock in a vertical position, so
care should be used when
pulling it away from the vehicle.
3. Turn the wiper blade assembly,
and pull it off of the wiper arm.
Hold the wiper arm in position
and push the blade away from
the wiper arm. 4. Replace the wiper blade.
5. Return the wiper blade assembly
to the park rest position.
Glass Replacement If the windshield or front side
glass must be replaced, see your
dealer to determine the correct
replacement glass.

Black plate (34,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
10-34 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Aiming The vehicle has a visual optical
headlamp aiming system. The aim
of the headlamps have been preset
at the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the aim of the headlamps
may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles flash their high
beams at you, this may mean the
vertical aim of the headlamps needs
to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle
is taken to your dealer for service if
the headlamps need to be adjusted.
It is possible however, to re-aim the
headlamps as described. The vehicle should: .
Be placed so the headlamps are
7.6 m (25 ft.) from a light colored
wall or other flat surface. .
Have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the way
to the wall or other flat surface. .
Be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall or other flat surface. .
Not have any snow, ice, or mud
on it. .
Be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp
aiming is being performed. .
Be normally loaded with a full
tank of fuel and one person or
75 kg (160 lbs) sitting on the
driver seat. .
Have the tires properly inflated. .
Have the spare tire is in its
proper 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.
2. Locate the center of the
projector lens of the low ‐ beam
headlamp.

Black plate (35,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-353. Record the distance from the
ground to the center of the
projector lens of the low ‐ beam
headlamp.
4. At a wall, measure from the
ground upward (A) to the
recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it.
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B)
on the wall the width of the
vehicle at the height of the mark
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
adjusted. This allows only the
beam of light from the headlamp
being adjusted to be seen on the
flat surface.
7. Locate the vertical headlamp
aiming screws, which are under
the hood near each headlamp
assembly. 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.
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 (36,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
10-36 Vehicle Care
Bulb Replacement For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, see Replacement Bulbs on
page 10 ‑ 38 .
For any bulb ‐ changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{ WARNINGThe 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. The vehicle may have HID
headlamps. After an HID headlamp
bulb has been replaced, you may
notice that the beam is a slightly
different shade than it was originally.
This is normal.
LED Lighting The vehicle may have LED
headlamps. For replacement of the
LED lighting assembly contact your
dealer. Back-Up Lamps To replace this bulb:
1. Open the liftgate. See Liftgate
(Manual) on page 2 ‑ 9 or Liftgate
(Power) on page 2 ‑ 10 for more
information.

Black plate (37,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-37
2. Remove the two screws from the
taillamp assembly.
3. Pull the taillamp assembly
rearward until the inner pins on
the taillamp assembly disengage
from the vehicle.
4. Press the release tab, if the bulb
socket has one, and turn the
socket counterclockwise to
remove it from the taillamp
assembly. 5. Pull the old bulb straight out
from the socket.
6. Press a new bulb into the
socket, insert the socket into
the taillamp assembly and turn
the socket clockwise into the
taillamp assembly until it clicks.
7. Reinstall the taillamp assembly.
When reinstalling, make sure to
line up the pins on the taillamp
assembly with the vehicle. If the
pins do not line up correctly, the
taillamp assembly will not be
able to be installed properly.
If the taillamp, stoplamp, or turn
signal need to be replaced, see your
dealer for service. License Plate Lamp
1. Remove the two screws holding
each of the license plate lamps
to the molding that is part of the
liftgate.
2. Twist and pull the license plate
lamp assembly forward through
the molding opening.

Black plate (38,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
10-38 Vehicle Care 3. Remove the bulb socket from
the lamp assembly by turning it
counterclockwise.
4. Pull the bulb straight out of the
socket and install the new bulb.
5. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 to
reinstall the license plate lamp.
Replacement Bulbs Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Back-up Lamp 7441
License
Plate Lamp 168LL
(W5WLL)
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer. Electrical System Electrical System
Overload The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed.
This greatly reduces the chance of
circuit overload and fire caused by
electrical problems. Fuses and circuit breakers protect
the following in the vehicle: .
Headlamp Wiring .
Windshield Wiper Motor .
Power Windows and Other
Power Accessories
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.
If there is a problem on the road
and a fuse needs to be replaced,
the same amperage fuse can be
borrowed. Choose some feature of
the vehicle that is not needed to use
and replace it as soon as possible.