Cadillac 1931 V-12 User manual

CADILLAC
OPERATOR'S
MANUAL
FILE COPY
DO mr REMOVE
&
^
liMTlONNO.370-1
lit mitring </duplicate »/this Mtinmil, specif} the
above number or the engine number oj the c?r.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER \--Cadillac Service '
Cadillac-LaSalleServiceStations—Servicecard—Servicecontract-
Servicecharges—Repairparts—Theowner'sobligation-Lubrication—
Inspection.
CiiAFrER II—Operation 8 1
Locks—Ignitionswitchlock—Gasolinegauge—Throttlecontrol - '
Carburetorchokecontrol—Sparkcontrol—Starterpedal- Oil pressure
gauge—Ammetei—Clutchpedal—Transmissioncontrol-Coasting
Brakes—Lightingswitch--Danger of runningengine in closedgarage.
CHAPTER 311—Equipment21
Windshield and ventilation-WindshieldcleanerAdjustableseats
Cigarlighters—Tools—TIKES—Inllationpressure-Sparewheelcarrier
—Sparetirecarrier—Use of jack in changingtires—Changingtires -
Tirebalancingmarks.
CHAPTER IV—Lubrication29
Lubricationschedule—LubricationNotice—Lubricationchart- LU-
BRICANTS—Engineoil — Gearlubricant — Chassisgrease—Wheel
bearinggrease—Waterpumpgrease—ENGINELUBRICATION—Oil I
level—Crankcaseventilatingsystemandoilfilter—Replacing engineoil. ,
CHAPTER V—Cold Weather Operation 36S
PREPARING FOR COLDWEATHER—Anti-freezingsolutions j
Capacity ol coolingsystem—Winterlubrication-Storagebattery-
Gasolinesystem—STARTING THE ENGINE—Chokebutton -
Priming the carburetor—Position of throttlehandlever—Positionof
sparkcontrol—Use of starter—Use of acceleratorbeforeengineiswarm.
CHAPTER VI— General Care 43
Storagebattery—Coolingsystem—Gasolinefilter—Temporary brake
adjustment—BODY—Care of finish—Care ofthe top—Cleaning up-
holstery—Doorhardware.
CHAPTER VII—StoringCar 49j
Engine—Storagebattery—Tires—Body and top—Taking caroutof,
storage. [
CHAPTER VIII—Specifications and License Data . . • ^ i
W
CHAPTER lbQm,t-£.
CADILLAC SERVICE
HPHE owner ofa Cadillac carhas purchased not simply a line
1 piece of machinery,ingeniouslydesigned and carefully
built—he has purchased a pleasant and dependablemode of
transportation. The car itself is only one factor in securingthis
transportation—the otherfactor is CadillacService,which is
built upon a standard policy, clearly defined to the car owner and
guaranteeing him efficient service everywhere at standard prices under
factory regulation.
Cadillac-La SalleServiceStations
Cadillac ServiceextendswhereverCadillac and LaSallecars
are sold.Servicestations
conducted by Cadillacdistrib-
utors and dealers are designa-
ted as "AuthorizedCadillac-
La SalleServiceStations" and
are identified bythe exclusive
sign illustrated on thispage.
Wherever thissignisdisplayed,
the ownerwillfind an organ-
ization prepared to service
Cadillac cars.Thismeansprop-
er equipment,factorytrained
personnel, a stock of genuine
replacement parts and stand-
ardized policies and methods.
c-, , k • ,^,„, o ,.
1
rig. 1. AuthorizedCadillac-LaSalle
The car owner'sfirst and
sfrvicc
.statibnsdisplaythissign
at
iiic t,di uwnci » nisi aimthe serviceentrance.
most frequentcontactwith
Cadillac Servicewillnaturally beinthe servicestation ofthe
distributor or dealer who sold himthecarandwho therefore
has the greatestinterest at stake in assuring him satisfaction.
[3]

CADILLACSERVICECARD
Th4*i.te«.r<lfythat
Mr.JosephBrow
Nevertheless, he may feelperfectlyfree to use hiscarfor ex-
tendedtravelwithoutdeprivinghimself of the servicebenefits
towhich heis entitled at his localservicestation. He willfind
otherAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleServiceStationsable and
willing to render the sameservice.
ServiceCard
As a means of introduction at otherAuthorizedCadillac-
LaSalleServiceStations,everypurchaser ofa Cadillac car is
givencredentials in the form ofa ServiceCard.Thiscard is
mailed to him bythe Cadillacfactoryimmediatelyafter the
delivery ofthecaris reported bythe distributor or dealer. Itis
supplied ina celluloidcase, and is intended to be carried ina
holder onthecar.
Uponpresentation of this
ServiceCard toanyAu-
thorizedCadillac - La Salle
ServiceStation, thecar
owner is entitled to uni-
formstandardservice in
accordancewith the Cad-
illacOwnerServicePolicy.
ThisPolicy is explained
indetail ina certificate
issued to eachowner and
mailed tohim with his
ServiceCard.Briefly, it
entitles the owner to:
1. All adjustments,free ofall charges,that may be required
within 90 daysafter the originaldeliverydate (as shown on
thecard),provided the mileage of thecar does not exceed3000
and the adjustments arenot madenecessary by accident,abuse
orneglect.Thisincludeseverythingexceptlubrication,washing
andstoring.
2. Fieereplacement of any partwhich has proved tothe
CadillacMotor Car Company'ssatisfaction tobe defective in
[41
ta*fc Mwy id Cadillac «ar, EntlMNo.__300jQQQ ...
i~_.CedlUaarLA_SaHe.Sales Co-*
..Mortonville, N. Y.
sfe»i,Altl«1.XQfSQ _ andiaaniiikdtarantna
iff*OMPT7TmCli:Nf
and
COURTfOUS«r.i«(tornANV
JVAOTHORUEDCAOtLLACSeUVKtSTATIOft.VnMpr.i~.i-
9TPtte>aftfctacardha••••»•milledtoracainrank*it.ward-
«1aixa-Ilkth* I*TH» "IitwStandardCadillacSw.i» FBIM* aa
*' ' - 1 antha fcack «(thUcard.
CADILLACMOTORCARCOMPANY,Onraii.Mid..
ML
Fig. 2. TlicServiceCard,whenproperly
signed,identifies a Cadillacowner at any
authorizedCadillac-LaSalleservicestation.
material or workmanshipwithin one yearafter the delivery
date, provided the mileage of thecar does not exceed12,000 and
that the replacement wasnot madenecessary by accident,abuse
orneglect.Thisincludesmaterial and labor.
TheServiceCard is not transferable, andthe no-chargeservice
setforthabove is effectiveonlywhile thecar isin the hands of
itsoriginalowner.
StandardServiceContract
Owners may be assured of continuoussatisfactoryoperation
andmaintenance of theircars at a predetermined,economicalcost
bypurchasing a StandardServiceContract. Two contracts are
availablecoveringcompletelubrication and all adjustments and
repairsmadenecessary by normalwear. The firstContractcovers
thefirst 12 months or 12,000miles andthe secondcovers the
second 12 months or second12,000miles.
TheStandardServiceContract is based on Cadillac'sprinciple
ofpreventiveservice and insures the owner the greatestamount
ofsatisfactionwith rhe fewestpossibleinterruptions.This is
accomplished by completelubrication on schedule and regular
inspection to anticipate the need of adjustment and repair,
eliminating the necessity of servicebetweeninspections.
TheContract is recognized byall authorizedCadillac-LaSalle
servicestations inthe UnitedStates and Canadaregardless of
where the Contract was purchased. The owner is thusassured of
allContractservice duehim withoutadditionalchargewherever
he may travel, the same asif the work was performed bythe
ServiceStationfromwhich the Contract was purchased.
TheseContracts are available atall Cadillacsalesrooms and
authorizedservicestations.Owners are urged to purchase
StandardServiceContracts at the time of delivery of thenewcar.
ServiceCharges
Serviceworkotherthanthatdescribedabove is performed by
AuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleServiceStations on a flat-ratebasis.
When a car enters the servicestation, it is promptlyinspected by
atester, who thenquotes the owner an exactprice forthe work
hefinds necessary. The ownerauthorizes the work at this
price, and when he receives his bill,this isthe price he pays.
[5]

ChargesprevailingatAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleService
,.»Sta£jrpn$arebasedonstandardschedulesfurnishedbytheCadillac
S'^y« MotorCarCompany.Theseschedulescallformethodsand
toolsapprovedbythesameengineerswhodesignedandbuilt
thecar,assuringthehighestqualityofworkatthelowest
possibleprice.StandardPriceSchedulesareopentoinspection
byownersatanyAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleServiceStation.
RepairParts
GenuineCadillacparts,manufacturedtothesamerigid
specificationsasthepartsenteringintotheoriginalassemblyof
thecar,arecarriedinstockbyAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalle
ServiceStations.Theyaresoldatuniformpricesthroughout
theUnitedStates,andarenotsubjecttotheadditionofhand-
ling,exciseorothersupplementarycharges.Printedpricelists,
publishedbytheCadillacMotorCarCompany,areopento
inspectionbyownersatanyauthorizedCadillacdistributor's
ordealer'sestablishment.
TheOwner'sObligation
Alloftheseservicefacilitiesareplacedatthedisposalofthe
Cadillacowner,inorderthathiscarmaybea continuoussource
ofsatisfactionandutility.Thisresultcannotbeguaranteed,
however,unlesstheownerfulfillscertaindefiniteobligations
himself, asfollows:
1. Todrivethecaratmoderatespeedsforthefirst500miles.
2. Tooperatethecarinaccordancewiththeinstructions
containedinthismanual.
3. Tochecktheengineoillevelevery100to150miles,and
addoilasoftenasnecessarytokeeptheindicatorat"full."
4. Tocheckthetirepressureatleasteveryweek,andkeep
ituptotherecommendedpressure—40poundsinfrontandrear-
oncarsdrivenathighspeeds,45poundsinfront.
5. Toadddistilledwatertothestoragebatteryevery1000
[6]
miles, andinwarmweatherevery500miles,oratleastevery
twoweeks.
6.Tohavethecarlubricatedevery1000miles,oroncea
vmonth,inaccordancewiththelubricationscheduleonpage28.
I7.TotakethecartoanAuthorizedServiceStationfor
inspectionevery1000miles,oratleastoncea month.
Lubrication
<
IThefirstfiveitemsabovearedetailswhichdonotnecessarily
)warranta visittotheservicestation.Forlubrication,however,
theownerisurgedtopatronizeAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalle
IServiceStations,becausetheyarepreparedtofurnishthisservice
•ina mannerthatcannotbeduplicatedelsewhere.Onlyapproved
lubricantsareused,thespecificationsofwhichhavebeenworked
joutbyCadillacengineerstogivethebestpossibleresults.
WorkmenwhospecializeonCadillaccarsknowexactlywhere
lubricationpointsarelocatedandhowmuchlubricanttoapply.
Thechargeforthislubricationserviceisonlyabouthalfa cent
amile,whichincludesthecostofthelubricants.
Inspection
Preventiveserviceisa fundamentalprincipleofCadillac
'Service."Preventiveservice"isthepracticeofinspectingthe
caratregularintervalsandmakingthoseadjustmentsthatneed
attentionbeforetheneedbecomesanemergency.Inspections
shouldbemadeevery1000miles,inordertoinsuretransporta-
tionsatisfaction.AuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleServiceStations
(willmakesuchinspectionswithoutcharge,providednodis-
Imantlingofunitsisnecessary.
|TheCadillacownerisurgedtotakefulladvantageofthis,
notonlywhilethecarisnew,butthroughoutitsentirelife.
iPreventiveservicerenderedevery1,000milesoronce
iamonthbyanAuthorizedCadillac-LaSalleService
|Station,isthesurestguaranteeoflonglifeandcom-
'pletemotoringsatisfactionattheleastpossible
expense.
W

CHAPTERII
OPERATION
O
NE ofthefirstthingsthedriverofa newcarshoulddois
tofamiliarizehimselfwiththevariouscontrolsdescribed
inthefollowingchapter.
Locks
Eachcarisequippedwithtwoeachoftwodifferentkeys.
Thehandlesofonesetofkeysarehexagonalinshape:these
keysunlockthecombinationignitionswitchandtransmission
lock,thelockonthefrontdoor,thesparewheelcarrierandthfe
batterybox.Thekeysintheothersethaveovalhandles:these
keysunlocktherear doorsofchauffeurdrivencars,thereardecks
ofroadstersandcoupes,andthevariouspackagecompartments.
Thelocknumberisstampedoneachkey,butnotuponthe
faceofthelock.Theownershouldmakea recordofthekey
numbersassoonashetakesdeliveryofhiscar,sothatinthe
eventbothkeysarelost,a duplicatekeycaneasilybeobtained
froma Cadillacdistributorordealer.
Therightfrontdoorcanbelockedfromtheinsidetoprevent
intrudersfromforcingtheirwayintothecar.Thiscanbe
accomplishedsimplybyturningthekeytothelockedposition
ontheoutsidebeforeenteringthecar.Thedoorwillthenbe
lockedfromtheoutside,althoughitcanbeopenedfromthe
insideintheusualmanner.
IgnitionSwitch Lock
Thelock inthecenteroftheinstrumentpanelcontrolsboth
theignitionswitchandthetransmissionlock.Whenthekey
isturned,thecylinderofthelockwillslideoutabouthalfan
[8]
inch,turningontheignitionandunlockingthetransmission
bymeansofa cableconnectiontotheshiftershafts.Toshut
offtheignitionandlockthetransmission,turnthekeytothe
lockedpositionandpushthelockcylinderallthewayin.The
carcanbelockedwhenthetransmissionisinneutralorinreverse.
Donotattempttoshutoff"theignitionwhenthetransmissionis
inanyforwardgear.Besuretoremovethekeybeforeleaving
thecar.
Gasoline Gauge
Thegasolinegauge,marked"Fuel,"isthesmalldialonthe
extremeleft.Thisgaugeindicatesingallonsthequantityof
fuelinthetankatthe
rearofthecar,andis
operatedelectricallyby
currenttakenfromthe
ignitioncircuit.To
readfromthegauge
thequantityoffuel
inthetank,the
ignitionmustbe
turned on.
Throttle Control
Thethrottlesofthe
twocarburetorsare
controlledbya hand•
leveranda foot pedaloraccelerator.Thenormalpositionof
thehandleverfordrivingthecarisallthewayup,to"CLOSE".
Inthispositionthethrottlesofthecarburetorsareopenjust
enoughtopermittheenginetorunatidlingspeedafteritis
warm.Forstarting,however,thelevershouldbemovedapprox-
imatelyone-fourththewaydown,andshouldbeleftinthis
positionuntiltheengineiswarmenoughtopermittheleverto
bereturned totheidlingpositionwithoutstallingtheengine.
(AlsoseeChapteron"ColdWeatherOperation.")
^iw>iminhi
Turnoni«nirion
tore;ul"au^e
/7¾. 3.Thegasolinegaugeisoperatedelec-
tricallybycurrentiron)theignitioncircuit.
M

CarburetorChokeControl
Correctuseofthechokecontrolisessentialnotonlytoquick
startingoftheengine,butalsotothelifeoftheengine.The
buttonmustbepulledourfarenoughinstartingtoprovidean
explosivemixturequicklysothatthebatteryisnotunneces-
sarilydischargedbyuselesscranking.Thebuttonmustalsobe
leftoutfarenoughduringthewarming-upperiodsothatthe
enginewillrunwithoutmissingand"poppingback."
Ontheotherhand,itshouldnotbepulledoutanyfurtheror
leftoutanylongerthanisnecessarytoaccomplishtheseresults,
becausesomeoftheexcessliquidgasolineintheenrichedmixture
doesnotburnandmaywashofftheoilonthecylinderwalls,
interferingwithproperlubrica-
tionofthepistons.Pushthebut-
tonallthewayinassoonasthis
canbedonewithoutcausing
"poppingback."
Iftheenginestillretainsheat
frompreviousrunning,thechoke
controlshouldnotbeusedwith-
Fig. 4. Thechokebuttonoutfirstattemptingtostartthe
mustbeheldoutwhilethe. , .
starteriscrankingtheengine.engmeonthenormalmixture.
Ifthechokebuttonispulledout
forstartinga hotenginethemixturemaybemadesorichthat
startingwillbeimpossible.
Thechokebuttonisnota primingdevice.Ithasnoeffect
whateveronthefuelorthefuelmixtureunlesstheengineis
beingcrankedorisrunningunderitsownpower.Tohave
anyeffect,thebuttonmustbepulledoutandkeptpartlyout
duringthecrankingoperation.
[10]
SparkControl
Correcttimingoftheignitioninrelationtothepositionsof
thepistonsiscontrolledautomaticallybythetimer-distributor,
whichprovidesforallordinaryadvancingandretardingofthe
spark.
Ahandcontrolisalsoprovided.Thisisthebuttonattheleft
ontheinstrumentpanel.Thisbuttonshouldbepushedallthe
wayin(fulladvance)forstartingandforallordinarydriving.
Thebuttoncanbepulledpartlyouttoretardthesparkincase
of"ping"causedbycarbon,heavypulling,theuseofregular
(notanti-knock)gasoline,orincasethereshouldeverbeoccasion
tocranktheenginebyhand.
TheCadillacV-12engineisa highcompressionengineandit
willperformmostsatisfactorilywhenananti-knockfuelisused.
Regulargasolinecanbeused,althoughthismaynecessitate
drivingwiththesparkslightly
retardedtoavoid"ping."The-v,/
sparkshouldberetardedjusti '•• __^\
tothepointwheretheengine
"'pings" slightlyonrapidaccel-
eration.Thisslightamountof
sparkknockisabsolutelyharm-
lesstotheengineandisanindica-
tiontothedriverthatthesparkisF>g y Drjvewjthsparkcon.
setatthepointthatwillgivetrolasfaradvancedaspossible.
maximumpowerandeconomy.:
Carbondeposit,whichaccumulateswithuseinallengines,
alsocausessparkknockandintimemayrequireretardingthe
spark.Regardlessofthekindoffuelorthepresenceofcarbon,
thecorrectsettingofthesparkcontrolatanytimeisatthepoint
wheretheengine"pings"slightlyonrapidacceleration.
["I

StarterPedal
Thestarterpedalisattherightoftheaccelerator.Pushing
thispedalforwardbringsintoactiontheelectricmotorthat
crankstheengineforstarting.Donotpushthestarterpedal
whentheengineisrunning.
Thestarterpedalisonlyoneofthecontrolsthatmustbema-
nipulatedtostarttheengine.Unlessthereisanexplosivemix-
tureinthecylindersanda sparktoigniteit,itisuselessto
cranktheengine.Thestarterpedalshouldnotbeoperated,
therefore,untilthenecessarypreliminarystepshavebeentaken.
Thefollowing,intheirproperorder,arethevariousstepsthat
mustbeperformedwhenstartingtheengine:
1. Placethethrottlelever
aboutone- fourththeway
downfromthe"CLOSE"posi-
tion.
2. Seethatthesparkcon-
trolbuttonisallthewayin.
3. Makesurethatthetrans-
missioncontrolleverisin
neutral.
4. Turnontheignition.
F/£.«.Thestarterpedalisonlyone5 UnlesstheengineisStill
ofthecontrolsthatmustbeusedto°
starttheengine.warm,pulloutthechoke
button.Iftheengineisstill
warm,donotpulloutthechokebuttonunlesstheenginefails
tostartonthenormalmixture.
6.Tostarttheengine,pushthestarterpedalforward,
releasingitassoonastheenginestarts.Iftheenginedoesnot
startreadily,donotrunthebatterydownbycontinuingto
cranktheengine,butlookforthetroubleandcorrectit.(See
belowforprobablecausesfortheenginefailingtostart.)
7. Pushthechokebuttoninpartwayassoonastheengine
[12]
stairs, andallthewav111assoonastheengineiswarmenough
topermitit.
8.Notewhetherpressureisindicatedontheoilpressure
gaugeamistoptheengineatonceifnopressureisindicated.
9.Movethethrottleleveruptothe"CLOSE"positionas
soonastheengineiswarmenoughtopermitit.
Incoldweather,disengagetheclutchduringthecranking
;operation.Thisrelievesthestarterofthenecessityofturning
Ithetransmissiongears,whichareimmersedinlubricant.The
Jadditionalloadissmallinwarmweatherwhenthelubricantis
jthin,butincoldweatherthepowerrequiredtoturnthegears
jthroughthethickenedlubricantaddsunnecessarilytothe
jloadonthestarterandthebattery.
WhatToDoIfTheEngineFailsToStart
Iftheenginedoesnotstartreadily,releasethestarterpedal
andlookforthecause.
1
i
'Theignitionmaynotbeturnedon.
Theremaybenogasolineinthetankintherearofthecar.
Theremaybenogasolineinthevacuumtankonthedash.
Ifthefuelsupplyshouldgiveoutontheroad,sothatthevacuum
tankonthedashbecomesempty,itwillbenecessaryafter
refillingthetanktoaddgasolinetothevacuumtank.
Thecarburetorsmaybeflooded byunnecessaryuseofthe
chokewhentheengineiswarm.Togetridofthesurplusgaso-
lineinthecylindersopenthethrottlewide,and,withthe
ignitionturnedoff,holdthestarterpedaldownfor10to15
>seconds.Thenreturnthethrottlelevertotheusualposition
Iforstarting,turnontheignitionandtryoncemoretostartthe
Iengine.
[13]

OilPressureGauge
Thesmalldialattheleftofthe
clockistheoilpressuregauge.
Thisgaugedoesnot indicatethe
quantity ofoilintheengine.It
indicatesonlythe pressure under
whichtheoilisforcedtothe
enginebearings. Fig.7. Theoilgaugedoesnot
indicateijuantity;itonlyshows
thepressureunderwhichoilis
forcedtotheenginebearings.
I
Whentheengineisnotrunning,
thepointerontheoilpressure
gaugeshouldremainatzero,but
assoonastheengineisstartedandaslongasitruns,thegauge
shouldshowpressure.Ifnopressureisindicatedwhenthe
engineisrunning,stoptheengineatonceanddeterminethe1
cause.Seriousdamagemaybedoneiftheengineisrunwithout
oilpressure.
Ammeter
Theammetershowshowmuchcurrentthegeneratorisfur-
nishingthebatterywhenthemotorisrunningandhowmuchthe
lightsandignitionaredrawingfromthebatterywhenthegen-
eratorisnotcharging.Itdoesnotregisterthecurrentdrawnby
thestartingmotorwhenstartingtheenginenorthetotaloutput
ofthegeneratorwhenthelights
areon.
Theammetershouldindicate,
onthe"Charge"sidemostof'
thetime,otherwise,morecurrent
willbetakenoutofthebattery
thanisputintoitandthebattery
willeventuallybecomefullydis-
charged,j
Fi%. S. Theammeterindicates
theamountofelectricalcurrent
flowing toorfromthebattery.
areinuse,theammetershouldshow"Charge"assoonasthe
carisrunningtenortwelvemilesperhourinhighgear.If
theammetershouldshow"Discharge"withalllightsoff,
eitherwhentheengineisnotrunningorwhenthecarisrunning
morethantwelvemilesperhour,thecauseshouldbeinvest-
igated.
ClutchPedal
Theclutchhastwouses:First,toenablethecartobestarted
graduallyandwithoutjerkorjar;second,topermitshiftingof
thetransmissiongears.Theoperationoftheclutchisdiscussed
belowinconnectionwiththetransmissioncontrol.Further
commentisunnecessaryatthispoint,exceptthefollowingsug-
gestionstothedriver:
Donotdrivewiththefootrestingontheclutchpedal.The
Cadillacclutchoperatessoeasilythateventheweightofthe
driver'sfootmayunintentionallycausetheclutchtoslip.
Donotformthepracticeofdisengagingtheclutchwhenever
thebrakesareapplied.Mostoccasionsforuseofthebrakes
requireonlyslowingdownwithoutstoppingorevenshifting
gears. A skilleddriverwillnottouchtheclutchpedaluntilthe
carisjustabouttostopor
untilheisabouttoshifttoa
lowergear.Itisa mistaken
ideathatapplyingthebrakes
withtheclutchengagedis
more severeonthebrakelining.
Theoppositeisactuallythe
case, proofofwhichisinthe
factthatincoastingdown
grades,theresistanceofthe
engineisusedtoassistthe
brakesincontrollingthecar
speed.
Ordinarily,whennolights
[H]
Itwillbeobservedinoper-Fig.9. A gooddriverusestheclutch
pedalonlywhenshiftinggearsorabout
tostop.
[15]
m
'e?8
&l>i
tm
U3
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1<t-
ia,

atingtheclutchpedalthatthepedaloilersalmostnoresist-
anceuntilithasbeenmovedaboutoneinch.Itisatthis>
pointthatitactuallybeginstodisengagetheclutch.ItisJ
importantthatthepedalhavethis"lostmotion."Ifthe-
fullpressureoftheclutchspringsisfeltjustassoonas
thecontrolpedalismoved,thecontrolrodshouldberead-
justed.Failuretomakethisadjustmentwillresultinthe
clutchslipping.
TransmissionControl
TheoperationoftheCadillacSyncro-meshtransmissionis,
ingeneral,thesameastheoperationoftheconventionalselec-
tivesliding-geartypeoftransmission.Thepositionsofthei
controlleverforthevariousspeedcombinationsarethesamet
andthedirectionsinwhichthecontrolleverismovedarethe|
same.Itisalsonecessarytodisengagetheclutchbeforemoving
thecontrollever,thesameaswiththeconventionaltransmission.
Theonlydifferenceisinthemannerofmovingthecontrol
lever.Withtheconventionaltransmission,itiscustomarywhen•
shiftingtoa highergeartohesitatemomentarilyinneutralandI
thenmovetheleverquicklytoitsnewposition.WiththeI
CadillacSyncro-meshj
transmissionthereisno
necessityeitherforthej
hesitationinneutralor
fortherapidmovement?
oftheleverduringthe
latterpartoftheshift.
Instead,themovement of
thecontrollevershould,
Fig. 10. Thecontrolleverpositionsarebeonesmooth,Continu-|
thesameasfortheconventionaltypeof
transmission.. ousmovement.I
[161
Thesynchronizingprincipleappliestoallshiftsintointer-
mediateor high; inotherwords,tothefollowingshifts:
Lowtointermediate
Intermediatetohigh
Hightointermediate
Thereisnosynchronizingmechanismforloworreverse
gearsbecauseshiftsintothesegearsareusuallymadewhenthe
carisstandingstill.Whenshiftingfromneutraltolowor
reverse,therefore,itmaybenecessarytoawaitaninstantafter
disengagingtheclutch,togivethegearsa chancetostop
"spinning."Donotattempttoshiftfromintermediatetolow
unlessthecarisstandingstillormovingvery slowly.
If,whendescendinga gradeathighspeed,itbecomesdesir-
abletoshiftfromhightointermediateinordertousetheengine
asa brake,re-engagetheclutchslowlyaftermakingtheshift.
Thiswillbringtheengineuptospeedgraduallyandavoidthe
suddenloadthatwouldotherwisebeimposedupontheclutch.
Coasting
Incoastingdowngrades,itisrecommendedthatthetrans-
missionbeleftingearandtheclutchengaged.Withthethrottle
intheidlingposition,thecaristhusmadetodrivetheengine,
theresistanceofwhichassiststhebrakesandsaveswearonthe
brakelining.Itmustberememberedthatthebrakesaresub-
jectedtomuchmoresevereuseongradesthanonthelevel,
becausegravityactscontinuously,whereasonthelevel,the
brakesneedabsorbonlythemomentumofthecar.
Ordinarily,theresistanceofferedbytheengine,whenthe
transmissionisinhigh,supplementedbymoderateuseofthe
brakes,issufficienttocontrolthespeedofthecar.Onsteep
grades,however,thetransmissioncontrolshouldbeshiftedto
intermediate.
[17]

Donotturnoiltheignitionwhencoastingwiththecar
drivingtheengine.Contrarytoa commonimpression, this
doesnotappreciablyincreasetheresistance,andislikelyto
causedamagetotheengine.Evenwiththethrottleclosed,
somefuelisadmittedtothecylinders,andifthisisnotburned,
itcondensesonthecylinderwallsandwashesawaytheoil
whichlubricatesthepistons.
Brakes
Thefoot brakesareinternalbrakesoftheshoetype,applied
onallfourwheelsthrougha mechanicallinkage.
Whenapplyingthebrakeswhiledrivingonwetasphaltstreets
orslipperyroadsmorecareshouldbeexercisedandmoretime
shouldbeallowedforstoppingthecarthanisnecessaryondry
pavements.Thebrakesshouldbeappliedgentlywhilethe
clutch is still engaged. Theclutchshouldnotbereleaseduntil
thecarhasalmoststopped.
Donotattemptsuddenstops.Cadillacfour-wheelbrakes
minimizethepossibilityofskiddingunderslipperyconditions,
buttheireffectivenessshouldnotinduceanyonetodriveless
carefully.
Asthebrakeliningwears,thepedalmustbepushedfarther
downtoapplythebrakes.Donotwaituntilthepedalgoesall
thewaytothefloorboardbeforehavingthebrakesreadjusted.
Readjustmentisrecommendedassoonasthepedalmustbe
pusheddowntowithinoneinchofthefloorboard.A temporary
adjustmentofthebrakesisexplainedonpage46.
Forparking,thebrakesareoperatedbythehandleveratthe
rightofthetransmissioncontrollever.
LightingSwitch
Thelightingswitchcontrolisattheupperendofthesteering
columninthecenterofthesteeringwheel.Theleverhasfour
[18]
positions,-PARKING,""OFF,""DOWN"and"UP."Turn-
ingtheleverto"PARKING"turnsonthefrontparkinglamps
andthetworearlamps.Turn-
ingtheleverto"DOWN"
turnsontheheadlamplower
beamsandthetworear lamps,
whileturningtheleverto"UP"
turnsontheheadlampupper
beamsandthetworear lamps.
Theinstrumentlampsare
controlledbytheupperbutton
_.,,_.,...• , i attheextremeleftoftheinstru-
Fig. )1. Thelightingswitchcontrol
isatthehubofthesteeringwheel.mentpanel.
Thelampbulbswhichareusedareasfollows:
Lamp
Headlamps
RearLamps
StopLight
TailLight
Parkinglamps
Instrumentlamps
Closedcarlamps
Steplight
Voltage
u
6-8
6-a\
68/
6-8V
6-81
6-8/
Candle-Power
21(TwoFilament)
MazdaNo.1110
15MazdaNo.87
3MazdaNo.63
DangerofRunningEngineinClosedGarage
Everypersonhavingtodowiththeoperationorcareofa
motorcarshouldbewarnedofthedangerthatattendsrunning
theenginewhilethecarisina smallclosedgarage.
Carbonmonoxide,a deadlypoisonousgas,ispresentinthe
exhaustofallinternalcombustionengines.Mostpeopleare
alreadyfamiliarwithcarbonmonoxideintheformofillumin-
atinggas,orinthegasproducedbyfurnacesandstoveswhen
insufficientairissuppliedtogivecompletecombustion.But
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