maintenance CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT 2003 2.G User Guide

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
·start your engine,
·shift into a gear, and
·release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you're
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission ¯uid (don't over®ll),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system and
brake system. Each of these is covered in this manual,
and the Index will help you ®nd them quickly. If you're
trailering, it's a good idea to review these sections
before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
4-60

Tires..............................................................5-66
In¯ation Ð Tire Pressure...............................5-67
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-68
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-69
Buying New Tires.........................................5-70
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-71
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-72
Wheel Replacement......................................5-73
Tire Chains..................................................5-74
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-75
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-76
Spare Tire...................................................5-92
Appearance Care............................................5-93
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-93
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-95
Weatherstrips...............................................5-95
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-96Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-98
Finish Damage.............................................5-98
Underbody Maintenance................................5-98
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-98
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-99
Vehicle Identi®cation.....................................5-100
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN)................5-100
Service Parts Identi®cation Label...................5-100
Electrical System..........................................5-101
Add-On Electrical Equipment.........................5-101
Windshield Wiper Fuses...............................5-101
Power Windows and Other Power Options......5-101
Fuses and Circuit Breakers..........................5-101
Capacities and Speci®cations........................5-110
Capacities and Speci®cations........................5-110
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts.........5-111
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

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:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you'll
want to use the proper 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
Publications Ordering Information on page 7-10.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-64.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Part E: Maintenance Record on page 6-19.
{CAUTION:
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
5-3

CAUTION: (Continued)
·
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle
can affect the air¯ow 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 of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
91 or higher for best performance. You may also use
middle grade or regular unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher, but your vehicle's acceleration may
be slightly reduced. If the octane is less than 87, you
may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this
occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher
as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damage
your engine.
5-4

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice:Too much or too little ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission ¯uid level if you have been driving:
·When outside temperatures are above 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic ± especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the ¯uid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180ÉF to 200ÉF
(82ÉC to 93ÉC).
5-21

1. Flip the handle up and then pull out the dipstick
and wipe it with a clean rag or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the lower
level. The ¯uid level must be in the COLD area,
below the cross-hatched area, for a cold check or
in the HOT area or cross-hatched area for a
hot check. Be sure to keep the dipstick pointed
down to get an accurate reading.
4. If the ¯uid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then ¯ip the handle
down to lock the dipstick in place.How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission ¯uid to use. SeePart D:
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-17.
Add ¯uid only after checking the transmission ¯uid while
it is hot. (A cold check is used only as a reference.)
If the ¯uid level is low, add only enough of the proper
¯uid to bring the level up to the HOT area for a hot
check. It doesn't take much ¯uid, generally less than
one pint (0.5 L).
Don't over®ll.
Notice:
We recommend you use only ¯uid labeled
DEXRONž-III, because ¯uid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by ¯uid other than DEXRON
ž-III is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
·After adding ¯uid, recheck the ¯uid level as
described under
How to Check.
·When the correct ¯uid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then ¯ip the handle
down to lock the dipstick in place.
5-23

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is ®lled with DOT-3
brake ¯uid. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake ¯uid level in
the reservoir might go down. The ®rst is that the
brake ¯uid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the ¯uid level goes back up. The other reason is
that ¯uid is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system ®xed, since a leak
means that sooner or later your brakes won't work well,
or won't work at all.
So, it isn't a good idea to ªtop offº your brake ¯uid.
Adding brake ¯uid won't correct a leak. If you add ¯uid
when your linings are worn, then you'll have too
much ¯uid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake ¯uid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake ¯uid, it can spill on
the engine. The ¯uid will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
¯uid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system. See ªChecking Brake Fluidº
in this section.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to check your brake ¯uid. See
Part C: Periodic
MaintenanceInspections on page 6-15.
5-39

Battery
Your new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelcožbattery. When it's time for a new battery,
get one that has the replacement number shown on the
original battery's label. We recommend an ACDelco
ž
battery. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for battery location.
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.
Vehicle Storage
If you're not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, remove the black, negative (-) cable from
the battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
aren't careful. See ªJump Startingº next for
tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see
Theft-Deterrent
Feature on page 3-98.
To reprogram your sunroof (if equipped), see
Sunroof
on page 2-71.
5-43

All-Wheel Drive
Lubricant checks in this section also apply to these
vehicles. However, there are two additional systems that
need lubrication.
Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. SeePart C: Periodic
MaintenanceInspections on page 6-15.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.
If the level is below the bottom of the ®ller plug hole,
you'll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the ®ller 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. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-17. (A) Filler Plug (B) Drain Plug
5-50

Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. SeePart A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services on page 6-4.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.The proper level is from 5/8 inch to 1 5/8 inch
(15 mm to 40 mm) below the bottom of the ®ller plug
hole. Add only enough ¯uid to reach the proper level.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-17.
5-51