trailer CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2002 1.G Owner's Guide

4-70 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 fluid
(don't overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling
system and brake system. Each of these is covered
in this manual, and the Index will help you find 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.

4-71 Trailer Wiring Harness
Heavy-Duty Trailer Wiring Package
Your vehicle is equipped with the eight-wire trailer
towing harness. This harness with a seven
-pin universal
heavy
-duty trailer connector is attached to a bracket on
the platform hitch.** The Center High
-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
wire is tied next to the trailer wiring harness for use with
a trailer.
The eight
-wire harness contains the following
trailer circuits:

Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal

Dark Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal

Brown: Taillamps

White: Ground

Light Green: Back
-up Lamps

Light Blue: CHMSL

Red: Battery Feed

Dark Blue: Trailer Brake

4-72
Instrument Panel Jumper Wiring Harness
This harness is included with the heavy-duty trailer
wiring package. The harness is for an electric trailer
brake controller and includes a trailer battery feed fuse.
This harness and fuse should be installed by your dealer
or a qualified service center.Four
-Wire Trailer Harness Adapter
If you need to tow a
light
-duty trailer with a
standard four
-way round
pin connector, an adapter
is included.
Connect the adapter with the tab (arrow) pointing
towards the top. The cap on the wiring harness will lock
onto the tab (arrow) and help hold the adapter in place.

5-9
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service
if you need to have your vehicle towed. See ªRoadside
Assistanceº and ªRecreational Vehicle Towingº in
the Index.
Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle's instrument panel. See ªEngine Coolant
Temperature Gageº in the Index. In addition,
you will find a LOW COOLANT, CHECK COOLANT
TEMP, ENGINE OVERHEATED and a REDUCED
ENGINE POWER message in the message center on the
instrument panel. See ªMessage Centerº in the Index.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
If an overheated engine condition exists and the
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message is displayed, an
overheat protection mode which alternates firing groups
of cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a loss in power and engine performance.
This operating mode allows your vehicle to be driven to
a safe place in an emergency. Towing a trailer in the
overheat protection mode should be avoided.
NOTICE:
After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine oil will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant loss, change the oil and reset
the oil life system. See ªEngine Oilº in the Index.

5-11 If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:

Climb a long hill on a hot day.

Stop after high
-speed driving.

Idle for long periods in traffic.

Tow a trailer. See ªDriving on Gradesº in the Index.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If your air conditioner is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- DRIVE (D).If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, idle the engine for three
minutes while you're parked. push down the accelerator
until the engine speed is about twice as fast as normal
idle speed for at least three minutes while you're parked.
If you still have the warning, turn off the engine and get
everyone out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see
ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating Modeº listed
previously in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

5-19
5. Then replace the pressure cap. Be sure the pressure
cap is hand
-tight.
Engine Fan Noise
Your vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When
the clutch is engaged, the fan spins faster to provide
more air to cool the engine. In most everyday driving
conditions, the fan is spinning slower and the clutch is
not fully engaged. This improves fuel economy and
reduces fan noise. Under heavy vehicle loading, trailer
towing and/or high outside temperatures, the fan speed
increases as the clutch more fully engages. So you may
hear an increase in fan noise. This is normal and should
not be mistaken as the transmission slipping or making
extra shifts. It is merely the cooling system functioning
properly. The fan will slow down when additional
cooling is not required and the clutch disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start
the engine. It will go away as the fan clutch
partially disengages.

6-21
Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle's GVWR is over 8,600 or
if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of
these conditions:

In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90F (32C) 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 fluid and filter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See ªScheduled Maintenance Servicesº in the Index.
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 fluid can damage your
transmission. Too much can mean that some of
the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine
parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire.
Too little fluid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading
if you check your transmission fluid.

6-22
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission fluid level if you have been driving:

When outside temperatures are above 90F (32C).

At high speed for quite a while.

In heavy traffic
-- especially in hot weather.

While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is 180F to 200F
(82C to 93C).
Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles
(24 km) when outside temperatures are above 50F
(10C). If it's colder than 50F (10C), drive the
vehicle in THIRD (3) until the engine temperature gage
moves and then remains steady for 10 minutes.
A cold fluid check can be made after the vehicle has
been sitting for eight hours or more with the engine off,
but this is used only as a reference. Let the engine run at idle for five minutes if outside
temperatures are 50F (10C) or more. If it's colder
than 50F (10C), you may have to idle the engine
longer. Should the fluid level be low during this cold
check, you must check the fluid hot before adding fluid.
Checking the fluid hot will give you a more accurate
reading of the fluid level.
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:

Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the
engine running.

With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
in PARK (P).

With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).

Let the engine run at idle for three minutes or more.

6-66
Center Instrument Panel Utility Block
The center instrument panel utility block is located
underneath the instrument panel, to the left of the
steering column.
Relay Name Usage
SEO Special Equipment Option
HTD ST Heated Seats
SPARE Not UsedRelay Name Usage
VANITY Headliner Wiring
TRAILER Trailer Brake Wiring
PWR ST Power Seats
SPARE Not Used
UPF Upfitter
PARK LAMP Parking Lamps
*FRT PRK EXPT Not Used
SPARE 2 Not Used
PUDDLE LP Puddle Lamps
SL RIDE Not Used
SPARE 3 Not Used
INADV PWR Interior Lamps Feed
CTSY LP Courtesy Lamps
CEL PHONE Cellular Telephone Wiring

6-69
Name Usage
STUD #1 Accessory Power/Trailer Wiring
Feed/Load Leveling
ABS Anti
-Lock Brakes
IGN A Ignition Switch
AIR A.I.R. System
RAP #1 Retained Accessory Power,
Power Mirrors, Power Door Locks,
Power Seat(s)
IGN B Ignition Switch
RAP #2 Retained Accessory Power/Rear
Power Windows, Sunroof, Radio
STUD #2 Accessory Power/Trailer Wiring
Brake Feed
TRL R TRN Right Turn Signal Trailer Wiring
TRL L TRN Left Turn Signal Trailer Wiring
IGN 1 Ignition, Fuel Controls
INJ
-B Ignition, Fuel Controls (Relay)
STARTER Starter (Relay)Name Usage
PARK LP Parking Lamps
FRT HVAC Climate Control System
STOP LP Exterior Lamps, Stoplamps
ECM 1 VCM/PCM
CHMSL Center High Mounted Stoplamp
VEH STOP Stoplamps, Cruise Control
TRL B/U Backup Lamps Trailer Wiring
INJ
-A Fuel Controls, Ignition
RR HVAC Not Used
VEH B/U Vehicle Backup Lamps
ENG 1 Engine Controls, Canister Purge,
Fuel System
ETC Electronic Throttle Control
IGN E A/C Compressor Relay, Rear
Window Defogger, Daytime
Running Lamps, A.I.R. System
B/U LP Backup Lamps, Automatic
Transmission Shift Lock
Control System