spare tire CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2003 1.G Owners Manual

Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel
drive. Also, seeBraking on page 4-6. If your vehicle
doesn't have four-wheel drive, you shouldn't drive
off-road unless you're on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some de®nite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
ªOff-roadingº means you've left the great North American
road system behind. Traffic lanes aren't marked.
Curves aren't banked. There are no road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In
short, you've gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that's
why it's very important that you read this guide.
You'll ®nd many driving tips and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be sure to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields (if so equipped) are properly
attached. Be sure you read all the information about
your four-wheel-drive vehicle in this manual. Is
there enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully in¯ated? Are
the ¯uid levels up where they should be? What are the
local laws that apply to off-roading where you'll be
driving? If you don't know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you be on
someone's private land? If so, be sure to get the
necessary permission.
4-19

Tires..............................................................5-61
In¯ation -- Tire Pressure................................5-62
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-62
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-64
Buying New Tires.........................................5-64
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-65
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-67
Wheel Replacement......................................5-67
Tire Chains..................................................5-68
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-69
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-70
Spare Tire...................................................5-87
Appearance Care............................................5-88
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-88
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-91
Weatherstrips...............................................5-91
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-91Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-93
Finish Damage.............................................5-93
Underbody Maintenance................................5-94
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-94
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-94
Vehicle Identi®cation......................................5-96
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN).................5-96
Service Parts Identi®cation Label.....................5-96
Electrical System............................................5-96
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-97
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-97
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-97
Capacities and Speci®cations........................5-106
Capacities and Speci®cations........................5-106
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts.........5-108
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

In¯ation -- Tire Pressure
The Certi®cation/Tire label, which is on the rear edge of
the driver's door, shows the correct in¯ation pressures
for your tires when they're cold. ªColdº means your
vehicle has been sitting for at least three hours or driven
no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Notice:Don't let anyone tell you that underin¯ation
or overin¯ation is all right. It's not. If your tires
don't have enough air (underin¯ation), you can get
the following:
·Too much ¯exing
·Too much heat
·Tire overloading
·Bad wear
·Bad handling
·Bad fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (overin¯ation), you
can get the following:
·Unusual wear
·Bad handling
·Rough ride
·Needless damage from road hazards
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Also, check the tire pressure of the spare tire.
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can't tell if your tires are properly in¯ated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly in¯ated even when they're underin¯ated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles (12 500 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires
as soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. See
When It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-64andWheel Replacement
on page 5-67for more information.
Make sure the spare tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to rotate or turn the tire. If it moves,
use the wheel wrench/hoist shaft to tighten the cable.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-70.
5-62

If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels. If your vehicle has 17 inch road
tires (those originally installed on your vehicle)
it is all right to drive with the 16 inch spare tire
that came with your vehicle. When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with the same overall diameter as
your vehicle's road tires and wheels. Because
this spare tire was developed for use on your
vehicle, it will not affect vehicle handling or
cause damage to your vehicle.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim ¯anges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
5-65

Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes ¯at, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your
hazard warning ¯ashers.
{CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The
vehicle can slip off the jack and roll over you
or other people. You and they could be badly
injured. Find a level place to change your tire.
To help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake ®rmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be
sure the transfer case is in a drive gear ±
not in NEUTRAL.
4. Turn off the engine.
5. Put the wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire farthest away from the one
being changed. That would be the tire on
the other side of the vehicle, at the
opposite end.The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The jack and the wheel blocks are located under a cover
near the passenger side rear seat.
5-70

To remove the tools, do the following:
1. Open the top door on the passenger's side Top-Box
Storage unit. Use the ignition/door key to unlock it if
it is locked. See
Top-Box Storage on page 2-77for more information on the Top-Box Storage unit.
2. Remove the black pouch from the storage box.
You now have all of the tools you will need to
lower the spare tire and change a ¯at.
You'll use the jack handle extensions and the wheel
wrench to remove the underbody-mounted spare tire.A. Spare Tire (Valve Stem Pointed Down)
B. Hoist Assembly
C. Hoist Cable
D. Tire Retainer
E. Hoist Shaft
F. Hoist End of Extension Tool
G. Hoist Shaft Access Hole
H. Wheel Wrench
I. Jack Handle Extensions
J. Hoist Lock (If Equipped) Top Box Storage Unit (Passenger Side)
5-72

Follow these instructions to lower the spare tire:
1. Your vehicle may be equipped with a hoist lock (J).
Open the spare tire lock cover on the bumper and
use the ignition key to remove the lock.
2. Assemble the wheel wrench (H) and the two jack
handle extensions (I) as shown.3. Insert the hoist end
(open end) (F) of the
extension through
the hole (G) in the rear
bumper.
Be sure the hoist end of the extension connects to
the hoist shaft (E). The ribbed square end of the
extension is used to lower the spare tire.
4. Turn the wheel wrench (H) counterclockwise to
lower the spare tire to the ground. Continue to
turn the wheel wrench until the spare tire can be
pulled out from under the vehicle.
If the spare tire does not lower to the ground, the
secondary latch is engaged causing the tire
not to lower. See ªSecondary Latch Systemº later in
this section.
5-73

5. The wheel wrench has
a hook that allows you
to pull the hoist
cable towards you to
assist in reaching
the spare tire.
6. When the tire has been
lowered, tilt the
retainer (D) at the end
of the cable so it
can be pulled up
through the wheel
opening.
7. Put the spare tire near the ¯at tire.Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
Use the following pictures and instructions to remove
the ¯at tire and raise the vehicle.
The tools you'll be using include the bottle jack (A), the
wheel blocks (B), the jack handle (C), the jack handle
extensions (D), and the wheel wrench (E).
5-74

{CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get
under a vehicle when it is supported only by a
jack.
{CAUTION:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to ®t the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.
3. Position the jack under the vehicle.Front Tire Flat:If the ¯at tire is on a front tire of
the vehicle, you'll need to use the jack handle (C)
and only one jack handle extension (D). Attach
the wheel wrench to the jack handle extension.
Attach the jack handle to the jack. Position the jack
on the frame behind the ¯at tire where the frame
sections overlap. Turn the wheel wrench clockwise
to raise the vehicle. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground so there is enough room for the spare
tire to clear the ground.Front Position
5-76

Rear Tire Flat:If the ¯at tire is on a rear tire of the
vehicle, you'll need to use the jack handle (C)
and both jack handle extensions (D). Attach the
wheel wrench to the jack handle extensions. Attach
the jack handle to the jack.On all 1500 Series
vehicles, use the jacking pad provided on the rear
axle. On 2500 series vehicles, use the axle between
the spring and shock bracket. Turn the wheel
wrench clockwise to raise the vehicle. Raise the
vehicle far enough off the ground so there is enough
room for the spare tire to clear the ground.
4. Remove all the wheel
nuts and take off the
¯at tire. Rear Position 1500
Series
Rear Position 2500
Series
5-77