Cadillac V16 VVI, V-16 Operator's Manual

1
j

i

4

CADILLAC

OPERATOR'S

MANUAL

EDITION

NO. 36-91

In or

tiering a duplicate

of

this

Manual,

specify

the

engine

number

of the car.

COPYRIGHT

1935 BY

CADILLAC

MOTOR CAR CO.

Table of

Contents

CHAPTER

1—Cadillac-LaSalle

Service

Authorized Service

Stations—Identification

Card—Care

of the Car-

Preventive

Service—Service Charges—Lubrication Agreement.

CHAPTER

II—Operation

Instruments

and Controls—Locks and Keys—Lighting Controls-

Starting the Engine—Cold Weather Operation

-Carbon

Monoxide.

CHAPTER

III—Lubrication

Lubrication

Schedule—Lubricants—Engine Oil Recommendations-

Engine Lubrication.

CHAPTER

IV—General

Maintenance

Storage

Battery—Cooling

System-

Ami-Freeze—Use of Hydrometer-

Gasoline System—Carburetor

Air

Cleaner—Lamp

Bulbs—Care of Head-

lamps—Headlamp Adjustment—Storing the

Car—Tools—Tires—Chang-

ing Wheels.

CHAPTER

V—Specifications

and

License

Data

CHAPTER

I

CADILLAC-LA

SALLE

SERVICE

Authorized

Service

Stations

S

ERVICE

stations conducted

by

Cadillac

distributors

and

dealers

are

identified

by an

exclusive Authorized

Cadillac-

LaSalle

Service sign. Wherever this sign

is

displayed,

the

owner

will

find

an organization prepared

to

service

Cadillac

and

LaSalle

cars. This

means

proper equipment, factory-trained personnel,

a

stock

of

genuine replacement parts,

and

standardized policies

and methods.

Cadillac-LaSaile

service

is so

organized

that

the

owner

may,

while

using his car for extended travel, secure from

any

Author-

ized

Service Station

the

same

service benefits

to

which

he is

entitled

at

his

local

service station. As an aid

to

touring owners,

Authorized

Service Stations

are

listed under

the

Cadillac-LaSaile

trademark

in

che

classified telephone directories

of

most

of the

larger cities.

«

CADILLAC

|

IDENTIFICATION

CARD

I

Mr.

JOMnh

Biv.»n

115 Third Str««t.

MortonTlll».

M.

Y.

•-.M-,^c^i..,i^fc 5000000

.—

-5«ilil«i

Uamii"

S»l»l_SSBEMffl_

MortonTlU.,

11.

r.

*""•"""-

! M January

1,

1933

~ '

^

cmauc Mom

cw

coMrm. [wmi. Md.

Identification

Card

Every

purchaser

of a new

Cadillac

car is

given creden-

tials

in the

form

of an

Iden-

tification

Card,

to

be used

as

a

means

of

introduction

at

other

Authorized

Service

Sta- v ^

tions. This card

is

mailed

fig-

1- The Identification

Card,

when

_„

... . i v. /~ in

properlv

signed, introduces the owner at

.

to the owner by the

Cad.llac

^/^*^

Cadillac-La

Salle Service

Motor

Car Company as soon

Station,

as delivery

of

the car

is re-

ported

by the

distributor

or

dealer.

It

is

supplied

in a celluloid

case

and

is

intended

to

be carried in a holder on the car,

which

is

located

under

the

cowl

on the

right-hand side

of the

driving

compartment.

[5]

Care of the Car

A

line pieee-of machinery, such as the

Cadillac

V-16,

requires a

eertain amount of care to

assure

smooth running, dependability,

and long

life.

The owner

will

accordingly derive the utmost in

continuous satisfaction and

utility

from the operation of the car

by

following

these

instructions:

1.

Drive

the car at moderate

speeds

for the first 500

miles.

The

important thing in "breaking

in"

a car is not miles per hour

but avoiding

continuous

high speed. Let up on the ac-

celerator frequently for a few seconds when

driving

over

40 miles per hour.

2.

Operate the car in accordance

with

the instructions con-

tained in this manual.

3.

Check the engine oil

level

every 100 to 150 miles and add

oil

as necessary to keep the indicator at

"Full." Oil

con-

sumption at

speeds

above 50 miles per hour may be as much

as ten times the

rate

of consumption at lower

speeds.

4. Check the air

pressure

of the tires at least once a week ;md

keep it up to the recommended pressure— 35 pounds front

and

rear.

5. Add

distilled

water to the

storage

battery every 1000 miles,

and in warm weather every 500 miles, or at least every two

weeks.

6. Have the car lubricated every 1000 miles or approximately
once a month in accordance

with

the lubrication schedule

given

on

page

15-

Preventive

Service

wiui

a minimum of interruption and*S*^^

The first thought, of course, is the proper protection

working

parts

through correct lubrication according to scheduled

The second, of

great

importance, is systematic inspection every

1000 miles, or approximately once a month, so

that

any necessary

adjustments can be made before the need becomes an emergency.

Authorized

Cadillac-LaSalle

Service Stations

will

make such

inspections without charge. Lubrication and any necessary work

will

then be performed at standard prices after the owner has

approved the work and the prices.

8"'en on

pagc i

5

Have

ttic

car

Have,. .:. .,

'•"•"""4

Service

Charges

When

a car is brought to the service station, ic is promptly

inspected by an expert

tester

who

quotes

the owner an exact price,

which

includes material as

well

as labor, for the work he finds
necessary. The owner then authorizes the work at this price and
when

he receives the

bill,

this is the price he pays.

Charges prevailing at Authorized Service Stations are based on

standard schedules furnished by the

Cadillac

Motor

Car Company.

These schedules

call

for methods and tools approved by the

same
engineers who designed and built the car, and for the use of
genuine

Cadillac

parts,

thus

assuring the highest quality of work
at the lowest possible price. Standard price schedules are open
to owners for inspection at any Authorized Service Station.

in

Lubrication

Agreement

"',

The

Cadillac-LaSalle

Lubrication Agreement is made available

\

to

Cadillac

owners by Authorized Service Stations in order to

j provide the most convenient and least expensive way of securing

essential lubrication service. The Agreement provides, for a
period

of either

6,000

or

12,000

miles, either 6 or 12 scheduled

lubrications

at a substantial saving over the total

cost

of the same

operations when

purchased

individually.

The

Lubrication

Agreement is honored by all

Authorized

Cadillac-LaSalle

Service Stations in the United States, regardless

of

where it may have been

purchased.

The touring owner

needs

only

to present his coupon book and the

lubrication

work that

is due

will

be performed without additional charge at any

Authorized

Service Station.

The

surest guarantee of long life and complete

motoring

satisfaction at the

least

possible

expense

is

correct

lubrication and preventive service rendered

every 1,000 miles or once a month by an

Authorized

Cadillac-LaSalle

Service Station.

CHAPTER

II

OPERATION

Instruments and

Controls

O

NE

oi' the first things the

driver

should do is to familiarize

himself

with the instruments and controls. The instrument

panel

illustration (Fig. 2)

will

assist

in this.

Although

the use

of

most of the instruments

will

be entirely

familiar,

the following

suggestions

will

be helpful:

The

Gasoline

Gauge

operates electrically and indicates the

quantity

of fuel only when the ignition is turned on.

The

Oil

Pressure

Gauge

should always show pressure while the

engine is

running,

otherwise the engine should be stopped at

once and the cause investigated.

Fig.

2.

Arrangement

of the instrument panel.

The

Ammeter

should normally show ••charge" as soon as the

car

is

running

twelve or fifteen miles an

hour.

If it fails to

do

so,

or

if it shows a discharge when the engine is not running and no

electrical

equipment is in use, the

cause

should be investigated.

The

Temperature

Indicator

may indicate "hot" under conditions

of

long,

hard

driving,

especially in warm weather, but if it in-

dicates "hot" during short runs and under average conditions, the

cause

should be investigated. A rise in

temperature

for a short

time after the engine is stopped is normal.

The Ride

Control

handle at the left of the steering column
enables the driver to change the shock absorber action. The
"firm"

position (up) is for fast

driving

on rough roads; the "free"

position

(down) for paved

streets

and boulevards.

Driver's

Seat

Adjustment

is provided to permit securing a com­fortable position in relation to the pedals and steering wheel.
The adjustment is made by depressing the control lever at the

side of the

seat

base

and

rolling

the

seat

to the desired location.

The Hand

Brake

Control

is located just beneath the left hand

end of the instrument panel, where it is out of the way, yet easily

accessible. It

operates

the rear brake

shoes

through a special

cable connection.

Locks and

Keys

Two

sets

of two keys each are provided

with

the car. The

hexagonal handled key

operates

the

ignition

switch, the right

front door, and the

spare

wheel locks on all fenderwell equipped

cars. The round handled key

operates

the instrument panel

compartment, and the trunk compartment

lock

on

sedans.

To

prevent unauthorized persons from securing keys, the key

numbers do not

appear

either on the keys or the face of the

locks,

but on small metal

tabs

fastened in the keys. As soon as the keys

are received, a record should be made of the number so

that,

in
the event both keys are lost, a duplicate key may be easily ob­tained from a

Cadillac

distributor or dealer. The tab should then

be knocked out and destroyed.

DO]

All

doors can be locked from the inside by pushing up the small

lock

button. These

buttons

snap

to the unlocked position when
the doors are being closed, unless the door handle is held all che
way

down while the door is being closed. When doors are locked

from

the outside by closing the door in this fashion, be careful

not to

lock

the keys inside the car. The right front door can be

locked

or unlocked from the outside

with

the hexagonal handled

keys.

Lighting

Controls

The

Cadillac

headlamps provide

three

driving

beams: a low

beam for

city

driving

or

driving

on lighted highways, a high

beam for country

driving,

and a beam for country passing

that
deflects the light largely to the right and out of the eyes of
approaching drivers.

The

beams

are controlled by two switches, a lever at the

steer-

ing

wheel hub and a foot switch at the left of the clutch pedal.

The lever positions are, in order-, "parking," "off,"

"city,"

"country,"

with

the "off" position vertical. When the lever is

in

the "country" position, the

driving

or passing beam can be
selected by pressing the foot switch. The lighting beam in use
at any time shows up in illuminated

letters

in the headlamp

indicator

on the instrument panel.

The switch for the instrument panel lights is located at the

top center of the panel. The

driving

compartment can be further

illuminated

by the map lamp,

which

is switched on by

pulling

it

straight out. It may be turned in its socket to throw light in

any direction desired.

Starting

the

Engine

The choke control on the

Cadillac

V-16 is of the semi-automatic

type.

With

the control button in the released position, the
correct mixture is supplied for warming up the engine or for
starting a warm engine, but the control button must be used when

starting a

cold

engine. The button should be pulled out as far as

necessary to provide the proper mixture while cranking the

engine, but as soon as the

engine

starts, the button should be

pushed all the way in.

To

start the engine, first make sure that the transmission is in

neutral

and the hand throttle is in the fully closed position.

Then

switch on the ignition,

pull

out the choke button

(unless

the

engine

is warm from previous running), and press the starter

button on the instrument panel. As soon as the

engine

starts,

release

the starter button and push the choke button all the way

in.

If

the

engine

does

not start after 15 or 25

seconds

of

cranking,

release

the starter button and look for the cause.

Check

the

contents

of the gasoline tank.

Make

sure the choke is set correctly.

Try

to start the

engine

with the accelerator pedal held down
to open the throttles fully, meanwhile setting the choke control
in

the

oft"

position.

This

will correct any

tendencies

to a flooded

or

over-rich

condition.

Do

not run down the battery by too much use of the starting

motor when the

engine

does

not start readily.

First

find

the
cause; otherwise the battery may be run down sufficiently to
make starting impossible.

In

cold weather it is especially important to

disengage

the

clutch

while cranking the

engine

in order to get a quicker start

and

to relieve the battery of the

strain

of

turning

the transmission

gears.

Cold

Weather

Operation

Satisfactory operation of the

car

at temperatures below freezing
depends upon having the car prepared for cold weather and in
giving

it the special

attentions

required under such conditions.

These

items

include:

[1¾

Adequate servicing of the cooling

system

for cold weather,

including

use of an approved anti-freeze, as described on

page

21.
Use of winter grade

engine

oil and winter grade lubricants

for

transmission and differential, as explained on

page

16.

Cleaning

and adjustment of the gasoline

system

and car-

buretor.

Special

attention to the

needs

of rhe

storage

battery and

electrical system, including a check-up of the ignition system.

Use of the correct cold weather starting procedure with
emphasis on depressing the clutch pedal while cranking the
engine, and upon the

necessity

for greater use of the choke

control.

Carbon

Monoxide

Always

open the doors of the garage before starting the car.

Carbon

monoxide, a deadly poison gas, is present in the

exhaust

of

all internal combustion

engines

and, for

safety,

this gas must

be allowed to

escape

outside the garage. Under normal starting

and

warming up of the

engine

in a two car garage, enough gas

will

accumulate in three or four minutes to overcome any oc-

cupants. When the choke is used

excessively,

such as for cold

weather starting, the accumulation is more

rapid.

Carbon

monoxide is colorless,

tasteless,

and almost odorless.

It

gives

no warning.

Open

the garage doors before starting the engine.