engine CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2007 2.G User Guide

Your vehicle has a Computer-Controlled
Cranking System. This feature assists in
starting the engine and protects components. If
the ignition key is turned to the START position,
and then released when the engine begins
cranking, the engine will continue cranking for a
few seconds or until the vehicle starts. If the
engine does not start and the key is held in
START for many seconds, cranking will be
stopped after 15 seconds to prevent cranking
motor damage. To prevent gear damage, this
system also prevents cranking if the engine is
already running. Engine cranking can be
stopped by turning the ignition switch to the
ACCESSORY or LOCK position.
Notice:Cranking the engine for long periods
of time, by returning the key to the START
position immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage the cranking
motor, and drain the battery. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to allow
the cranking motor to cool down.2. If the engine does not start after 5-10 seconds,
especially in very cold weather (below 0°F
or−18°C), it could be ooded with too
much gasoline. Try pushing the accelerator
pedal all the way to the oor and holding
it there as you hold the key in START for
up to a maximum of 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to allow the
cranking motor to cool down. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and accelerator.
If the vehicle starts briey but then stops
again, do the same thing. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine. Do not race the
engine immediately after starting it. Operate
the engine and transmission gently until the
oil warms up and lubricates all moving parts.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, your engine might not
perform properly. Any resulting damage would
not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty.
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Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal
If your vehicle has this feature, you can change
the position of the throttle and brake pedals.
This feature is designed for shorter drivers, since
the pedals cannot move farther away from the
standard position, but can move toward the driver
for better pedal reach.
The switch used to
adjust the pedals
is located on the
instrument panel
below the climate
control system.
Press the arrow at the bottom of the switch
to move the pedals closer to your body.
Press the arrow at the top of the switch to
move the pedals away from your body.No adjustment to the pedals can be made when
the vehicle is in REVERSE (R) or while using
the cruise control.
Your vehicle has a memory function which allows
pedal settings to be saved and recalled. See
Memory Seat, Mirrors, and Pedals on page 13for
more information.
Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may have an engine coolant heater.
In very cold weather, 0°F (−18°C) or colder,
the engine coolant heater can help. You will get
easier starting and better fuel economy during
engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged
in a minimum of four hours prior to starting your
vehicle. At temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of
the coolant heater is not required. Your vehicle
may also have an internal thermostat in the
plug end of the cord. This will prevent operation of
the engine coolant heater when the temperature
is at or above 0°F (−18°C) as noted on the cord.
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To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical
cord. The cord is located on the driver’s
side of the engine compartment, near
the power steering uid reservoir.
3. Plug the cord into a normal, grounded
110-volt AC outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded
outlet could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong kind of extension cord
could overheat and cause a re. You
could be seriously injured. Plug the cord
into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will not
reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts. If you do
not, it could be damaged.How long should you keep the coolant heater
plugged in? The answer depends on the outside
temperature, the kind of oil you have, and
some other things. Instead of trying to list
everything here, we ask that you contact your
dealer in the area where you will be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best
advice for that particular area.
Active Fuel Management™
Your vehicle’s V8 engine may have Active Fuel
Management™. This system allows the engine to
operate on either all or half of its cylinders,
depending on the driving conditions.
When less power is required, such as cruising at a
constant vehicle speed, the system will operate
in the half cylinder mode, allowing your vehicle to
achieve better fuel economy. When greater
power demands are required, such as accelerating
from a stop, passing, or merging onto a freeway,
the system will maintain full-cylinder operation.
Your vehicle has an Active Fuel Management™
indicator. For more information on using this
display seeDIC Operation and Displays (With
DIC Buttons) on page 258orDIC Operation and
Displays (Without DIC Buttons) on page 264.
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Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for the
shift lever.
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission with
an electronic shift position indicator within the
instrument panel cluster. This display will show
the position anytime the shift lever is moved out
of PARK (P).
PARK (P):This position locks your rear wheels.
It is the best position to use when you start
your engine because your vehicle cannot
move easily.{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake rmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not
move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, always set your parking brake
and move the shift lever to PARK (P).
SeeShifting Into Park (P) on page 139.
If you are pulling a trailer, seeTowing
a Trailer on page 414.
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{CAUTION:
If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle
will be free to roll — even if your shift
lever is in PARK (P) — if your transfer
case is in NEUTRAL. So, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear, two-wheel
high, four-wheel high or four-wheel
low — not in NEUTRAL. SeeShifting
Into Park (P) on page 139.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle is moving forward could damage
the transmission. The repairs would not
be covered by your warranty. Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out
of snow, ice, or sand without damaging your
transmission, seeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in
Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 400.NEUTRAL (N):In this position, your engine does
not connect with the wheels. To restart when
you are already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Also, use NEUTRAL (N) when your two-wheel
drive vehicle is being towed.
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while your
engine is running at high speed is
dangerous. Unless your foot is rmly
on the brake pedal, your vehicle could
move very rapidly. You could lose
control and hit people or objects.
Do not shift into a drive gear while your
engine is running at high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) with the engine running at
high speed may damage the transmission.
The repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Be sure the engine is not running
at high speed when shifting your vehicle.
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Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill using only
the accelerator pedal may damage the
transmission. The repair will not be covered
by your warranty. If you are stuck, do not
spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
When temperatures are very cold, the
Hydra-Matic
®Automatic Transmission’s gear
shifting may be delayed providing more stable
shifts until the engine warms up. Shifts may
be more noticeable with a cold transmission.
This difference in shifting is normal.
The transmission torque converter clutch operation
is restricted during cold operation. When the
startup transmission temperature is approximately
64°F (18°C) your torque converter clutch will
temporarily not operate. Once the transmission
temperature rises above 68°F (20°C), normal
operation will resume.
Tow/Haul Mode
Your vehicle has a tow/haul mode. The button
is located on the end of the column shift
lever. Press the button to enable or disable the
tow/haul mode. You can use this feature to
assist when towing or hauling a heavy load.
See “Tow/Haul Mode” underTowing a Trailer
on page 414for more information.
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Four-Wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send
your engine’s driving power to all four wheels
for extra traction. Read the part that follows before
using four-wheel drive.
Notice:Driving on clean, dry pavement in
Four-Wheel-Drive High or Four-Wheel-Drive
Low for an extended period of time may cause
premature wear on your vehicle’s powertrain.
Do not drive on clean, dry pavement in
Four-Wheel-Drive High or Four-Wheel-Drive
Low for extended periods of time.
While driving on clean dry pavement and during
tight turns, you may experience a vibration in
the steering system.
Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically
when you shift the transfer case. Some delay for
the axle to lock or unlock is normal.
Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case
knob is located to the
left of the instrument
panel cluster.
Your vehicle has Four Wheel Drive with
StabiliTrak
®. For information on StabiliTrak®,
seeStabiliTrak®System on page 359.
Use this dial to shift into and out of four-wheel drive.
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Shifting Into Four-Wheel Drive Low
When Four-Wheel Low is engaged, vehicle
speed should be kept below 45 mph. Extended
high-speed operation in 4L may damage or
shorten the life of the drivetrain.
To shift to the Four-Wheel Drive Low position, the
ignition must be in RUN and the vehicle must
be stopped or moving less than 3 mph (5 km/h)
with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N). The
preferred method for shifting into Four-Wheel Drive
Low is to have your vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph
(1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Turn the knob to the Four-Wheel
Drive Low position. You must wait for the
Four-Wheel Drive Low indicator light to stop
ashing and remain on before shifting your
transmission in gear.Notice:Shifting the transmission into gear
before the Four-Wheel Drive Low indicator light
has stopped ashing could damage the
transfer case. To help avoid damaging your
vehicle, always wait for the Four-Wheel
Drive Low indicator light to stop ashing
before shifting the transmission into gear.
The vehicle may have signicant engagement noise
and bump when shifting between Four-Wheel Drive
Low and Four-Wheel Drive High ranges or from
NEUTRAL while the engine is running.
If the knob is turned to the Four-Wheel Drive Low
position when your vehicle is in gear and/or
moving, the Four-Wheel Drive Low indicator light
will ash for 30 seconds and not complete the
shift unless your vehicle is moving less than 3 mph
(5 km/h) and the transmission is in NEUTRAL (N).
After 30 seconds the transfer case will shift to
Four-Wheel Drive High mode.
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Shifting Out of Four-Wheel Drive Low
To shift from Four-Wheel Drive Low to Four-Wheel
Drive High, AUTO, or Two-Wheel Drive High, your
vehicle must be stopped or moving less than 3 mph
(5 km/h) with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N) and
the ignition in RUN. The preferred method for
shifting out of Four-Wheel Drive Low is to have your
vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Turn
the knob to the Four-Wheel Drive High, AUTO, or
Two-Wheel Drive High position. You must wait for
the Four-Wheel Drive High, AUTO, or Two-Wheel
Drive High indicator light to stop ashing and
remain on before shifting your transmission
into gear.
Notice:Shifting the transmission into gear
before the Four-Wheel Drive Low indicator light
has stopped ashing could damage the
transfer case. To help avoid damaging your
vehicle, always wait for the Four-Wheel
Drive Low indicator light to stop ashing
before shifting the transmission into gear.
The vehicle may have signicant engagement noise
and bump when shifting between Four-Wheel Drive
Low and Four-Wheel Drive High ranges or from
NEUTRAL while the engine is running.If the knob is turned to the Four-Wheel Drive High,
AUTO, or Two-Wheel Drive High switch position
when your vehicle is in gear and/or moving,
the Four-Wheel Drive High, AUTO or Two-Wheel
Drive High indicator light will ash for 30 seconds
but will not complete the shift unless your
vehicle is moving less than 3 mph (5 km/h) and
the transmission is in NEUTRAL (N).
Shifting into NEUTRAL
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL do the
following:
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked so that it will
not roll.
2. Set the parking brake and apply the regular
brake pedal. SeeParking Brake on page 138
for more information.
3. Start the vehicle or turn the ignition to RUN.
4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
5. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel
Drive High.
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6. Turn the transfer case dial clockwise to
NEUTRAL till it stops and hold it for
10 seconds. Then slowly release the dial to
the four low position. The NEUTRAL light will
come on when the transfer case shift to
NEUTRAL is complete.
7. If the engine is running, verify that the
transmission is in NEUTRAL (N) by shifting
the transmission to REVERSE (R) for
one second, then shift the transmission to
DRIVE (D) for one second.
8. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY, which will
turn the engine off.
9. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P).
10. Release the parking brake prior to moving
the vehicle.
11. Turn the ignition to LOCK.
Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular
brake pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N) and
turn the ignition to RUN with the engine off.3. Turn the transfer case dial to the desired
transfer case shift position (Two-Wheel
Drive High, Four-Wheel Drive High, AUTO).
After the transfer case has shifted out of
NEUTRAL the NEUTRAL light will go out.
4. Release the parking brake prior to moving
the vehicle.
Notice:Shifting the transmission into gear
before the Four-Wheel Drive Low indicator
light has stopped ashing could damage the
transfer case. To help avoid damaging
your vehicle, always wait for the Four-Wheel
Drive Low indicator light to stop ashing
before shifting the transmission into gear.
5. Start the engine and shift the transmission to
the desired position.
Excessively shifting the transfer case into or out
of the different modes may cause the transfer
case to enter the shift protection mode. This will
protect the transfer case from possible damage
and will only allow the transfer case to respond
to one shift per 10 seconds. The transfer case
may stay in this mode for up to three minutes.
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