adding oil CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2004 1.G Owners Manual

BUCKLE SEATBELT
If your vehicle is equipped with the passenger sensing
system, this message reminds you to buckle the
driver’s and/or passenger’s seatbelt. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-78. The message will come
on when the ignition is in RUN and the following
conditions occur:
The driver’s seatbelt is unbuckled.
The driver’s seatbelt is unbuckled and the
passenger’s seatbelt is unbuckled with the
passenger airbag enabled.
Press the select button to acknowledge the message
and clear it from the DIC display.
BUCKLE PASSENGER
If your vehicle is equipped with the passenger sensing
system, this message reminds you to buckle the
passenger’s seatbelt. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-78. This message will come on and a
chime will sound when the ignition is in RUN and the
driver’s seatbelt is buckled and the passenger’s seatbelt
is unbuckled with the passenger airbag enabled.
Press the select button to acknowledge this message
and clear it from the DIC display.
CARGO LAMP ON
If the cargo lamp is on, this message will appear on the
DIC and you will hear a chime. Turn off the vehicle
and check the liftgate. Restart the vehicle and check for
the message on the DIC display. Press the select
button to acknowledge the message and clear it from
the DIC display.
CHECK OIL LEVEL
If your vehicle is equipped with an oil level sensor, and
the oil level in the vehicle is low, this message will
appear on the DIC. Check the oil level and correct it as
necessary. You may need to let the vehicle cool or
warm up and cycle the ignition to be sure this message
will clear. Once the problem is corrected, pressing
the select button will clear this message from the DIC
display. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-20.
CHECK WASHER FLUID
If the washer uid level is low, this message will appear
on the DIC. Adding washer uid will clear the message.
Press the select button to acknowledge the message
and clear it from the DIC display. SeeWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 5-47.
3-65

LEFT REAR DOOR AJAR (Crew Cab)
If the driver’s side rear door is not fully closed, this
message will appear on the display and you will hear a
chime. Stop and turn off the vehicle, check the door
for obstacles, and close the door again. Check to see if
the message still appears on the DIC. Press the
select button to acknowledge the message and clear it
from the DIC display.
LOW COOLANT LEVEL
If your vehicle is equipped with a low coolant level
sensor, this message will appear on the DIC if
the engine coolant level is low. Adding coolant will clear
the message.
OIL PRESSURE LOW
If low oil pressure levels occur, this message will be
displayed on the DIC and a chime will sound. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible and do not operate
it until the cause of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-20.
OIL LIFE RESET
This message will appear on the display for
about 10 seconds after resetting the change engine
oil message.
PASSENGER DOOR AJAR
If the passenger’s door is not fully closed, this message
will appear on the display and you will hear a chime.
Stop and turn off the vehicle, check the door for
obstacles, and close the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC. Press the select
button to acknowledge the message and clear it from
the DIC display.
RANGE SHIFT INHIBITED
(Allison Transmission®Only)
If the transmission is unable to shift into a selected gear
this message will appear on the DIC. The electronic
shift position indicator on the instrument panel cluster
may blink when this occurs. To make the vehicle shift to
the requested gear you may have to shift back to
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) and re-select the
desired gear.
REDUCED ENGINE POWER
This message is displayed when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the engine further enters
the engine coolant protection mode.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-38for
further information.
3-67

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-6
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-7
Fuel E-85 (85% Ethanol).................................5-8
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-9
Filling Your Tank............................................5-9
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-11
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-12
Hood Release..............................................5-12
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-14
Engine Oil...................................................5-20
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-25
Automatic Transmission Fluid
(Except Allison Transmission
®) ....................5-27
Automatic Transmission Fluid
(Allison Transmission
®) ...............................5-30
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-33
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-34Engine Coolant.............................................5-35
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-38
Engine Overheating.......................................5-38
Cooling System............................................5-41
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-46
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-46
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-47
Brakes........................................................5-49
Battery........................................................5-52
Jump Starting...............................................5-53
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-58
Rear Axle.......................................................5-59
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-60
Noise Control System.....................................5-61
Tampering with Noise Control System
Prohibited.................................................5-61
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-63
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-63
Headlamps..................................................5-63
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Daytime Running Lamps.............................5-65
Roof Marker Lamps......................................5-66
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
and Cargo Lamp.......................................5-68
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission uid to use. SeeRecommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-13.
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 overll.
Notice:We recommend you use only uid labeled
DEXRON
®-III, because uid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by uid other than DEXRON
®-III is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding uid, recheck the uid level as
described underHow 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.
Automatic Transmission Fluid
(Allison Transmission
®)
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 25,000 miles
(41 500 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90°F (32°C) 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
50,000 miles (83 000 km).
SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
5-30

How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission uid to use. SeeRecommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-13.
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 overll.
Notice:We recommend you use only uid labeled
DEXRON
®-III, because uid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by uid other than DEXRON
®-III is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding uid, recheck the uid level as
described underHow to Check.
When the correct uid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Manual Transmission Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have it checked is when the engine oil is
changed. See your maintenance schedule to nd out
when to change your transmission uid.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at your GM dealership
service department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading.
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.
Check the uid level only when your engine is off, the
vehicle is parked on a level place and the transmission
is cool enough for you to rest your ngers on the
transmission case.
5-33

What to Use
Use a mixture of one-halfclean, drinkable waterand
one-half DEX-COOL®coolant which won’t damage
aluminum parts. If you use this coolant mixture,
you don’t need to add anything else.
{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch re and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and DEX-COOL
®coolant.Notice:If you use an improper coolant mixture,
your engine could overheat and be badly damaged.
The repair cost would not be covered by your
warranty. Too much water in the mixture can freeze
and crack the engine, radiator, heater core and
other parts.
If you have to add coolant more than four times a year,
have your dealer check your cooling system.
Notice:If you use the proper coolant, you do not
have to add extra inhibitors or additives which claim
to improve the system. These can be harmful.
Checking Coolant
The coolant surge tank is
located in the engine
compartment on the
passenger’s side of the
vehicle. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on
page 5-14for more
information on location.
5-36

{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
vehicle’s coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch re and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and a proper coolant.
Notice:In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
{CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
1. Park the vehicle on a
level surface. You can
remove the coolant
surge tank pressure
cap when the cooling
system, including
the coolant surge tank
pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is
no longer hot.
2. Turn the pressure cap slowly counterclockwise (left)
about one full turn. If you hear a hiss, wait for that to
stop. A hiss means there is still some pressure left.
3. Then keep turning the pressure cap slowly, and
remove it.
5-44