coolant CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2011 2.G Owners Manual

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High
/Low-Beam Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power
Foldaway Mirrors
}: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-7
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press and hold
/
until the parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
The vehicle can be remote started
two separate times between driving
sequences. The engine will run for
10 minutes after each remote start.
Or, you can extend the engine run
time by another 10 minutes within
the first 10 minute remote start time
frame, and before the engine stops.
For example, if
Qand then/are
pressed again after the vehicle has
been running for 5 minutes,
10 minutes are added, allowing the
engine to run for 15 minutes. The additional 10 minutes are
considered a second remote
vehicle start.
Once two remote starts, or a single
remote start with one time extension
has been done, the vehicle must be
started with the key. After the key
is removed from the ignition, the
vehicle can be remote started again.
The vehicle cannot be remote
started if the key is in the ignition,
the hood is not closed, or if there is
an emission control system
malfunction and the check engine
light is on.
Also, the engine will turn off during a
remote vehicle start if the coolant
temperature gets too high or if the
oil pressure gets low.
Remote Start Ready
If the vehicle does not have the
remote vehicle start feature, it may
have the remote start ready feature.
This feature allows your dealer to
add the manufacturer's remote
vehicle start feature.
See your dealer to add the
manufacturer's remote vehicle start
feature to the vehicle.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-16
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-18
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-20
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-24
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . 5-24
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-26
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-26
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-27
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-37
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-40
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-40
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-41
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-41
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-43
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-45
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-46

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-15
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
This gauge shows the engine
coolant temperature.
It also provides an indicator of how
hard the vehicle is working. During a
majority of the operation, the gauge
will read 100°C (210°F) or less. If the vehicle is pulling a load or
going up hills, it is normal for the
temperature to fluctuate and
approach the 122°C (250°F) mark.
If the gauge reaches the 125°C
(260°F) mark, it indicates that the
cooling system is working beyond
its capacity.
See
Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22.

Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-39
LEFT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the driver side rear door is
not fully closed and the vehicle is
shifted out of P (Park). Stop and turn
off the vehicle, check the door for
obstructions, and close the door
again. Check to see if the message
still appears on the DIC.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the front passenger door
is not fully closed and the vehicle is
shifted out of P (Park). Stop and turn
off the vehicle, check the door for
obstructions, and close the door
again. Check to see if the message
still appears on the DIC.
RIGHT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the passenger side rear
door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).Stop and turn off the vehicle, check
the door for obstructions, and close
the door again. Check to see if the
message still appears on the DIC.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
ENGINE HOT A/C
(Air Conditioning)
TURNED OFF
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
See
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge on page 5‑15. To avoid
added strain on a hot engine,
the air conditioning compressor
automatically turns off. When the
coolant temperature returns to
normal, the air conditioning
compressor turns back on. You can
continue to drive your vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
ENGINE OVERHEATED
IDLE ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22 for more information.
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down. See Engine
Coolant Temperature Gauge on
page 5‑15.
See Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode on page 10‑24 for
information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
5-40 Instruments and Controls
ENGINE OVERHEATED
STOP ENGINE
Notice:If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑22 for more information.
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the engine cooling system
reaches unsafe temperatures for
operation. Stop and turn off the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so
to avoid severe damage. This
message clears when the engine
has cooled to a safe operating
temperature.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil, be sure to reset the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON message. See
Engine
Oil Life System on page 10‑11 for
information on how to reset the
message. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑8 andScheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for more
information.
ENGINE OIL HOT IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine oil becomes hotter than the
normal operating temperature. Stop
and allow the vehicle to idle until it
cools down. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5‑15.
OIL PRESSURE LOW
STOP ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine oil pressure is
low, severe engine damage may
occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), stop the
vehicle as soon as possible. Do
not drive the vehicle until the cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. See
Engine Oil on
page 10‑8 for more information.
This message displays if low oil
pressure levels occur. 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 the oil as soon as
possible and have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
See Engine Oil on page 10‑8.
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays and a chime
sounds when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the
engine further enters the engine
coolant protection mode. See
Engine Overheating on page 10‑22
for further information.
This message also displays when
the vehicle's engine power is
reduced. Reduced engine power
can affect the vehicle's ability to

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
8-6 Climate Controls
Automatic Operation
AUTO (Automatic):When
automatic operation is active the
system will control the inside
temperature, the air delivery, and
the fan speed.
Use the steps below to place the
entire system in automatic mode:
1. Press the AUTO button.
When AUTO is selected, the
display will change to show the
current temperature(s) and
AUTO will be lit on the display.
The current delivery mode and
fan speed will also be displayed
for approximately 5 seconds.
When AUTO is selected, the air
conditioning operation and air
inlet will be automatically
controlled. The air conditioning
compressor will run when the
outside temperature is over
about 4°C (40°F). The air inlet
will normally be set to outside air. If it is hot outside, the air
inlet may automatically switch to
recirculate inside air to help
quickly cool down the vehicle.
The light on the button comes
on in recirculation.
2. Set the driver and passenger temperature.
To find your comfort setting, start
with a 23°C (74°F) temperature
setting and allow about
20 minutes for the system to
regulate. Use the driver or
passenger temperature buttons
to adjust the temperature setting
as necessary. If a temperature
setting of 15°C (60°F) is chosen,
the system remains at the
maximum cooling setting. If a
temperature setting of 32°C
(90°F) is chosen, the system
remains at the maximum heat
setting. Choosing either
maximum setting will not
cause the vehicle to heat or
cool any faster. Do not cover the solar sensor
located on the top of the instrument
panel near the windshield. This
sensor regulates air temperature
based on sun load and also turns
on the headlamps. For more
information on the solar sensor, see
“Sensors”
later in this section.
To avoid blowing cold air in cold
weather, the system will delay
turning on the fan until warm air is
available. The length of delay
depends on the engine coolant
temperature. Pressing the fan
switch will override this delay and
change the fan to a selected speed.
Manual Operation
D C(Fan Control): Press these
buttons to increase or decrease the
fan speed.
Pressing either fan button while in
automatic control places the fan
under manual control. The fan
setting remains displayed and the
AUTO light turns off. The air
delivery mode remains under
automatic control.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-33
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 ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF position.
When the Low Fuel warning
lamp is on and the FUEL LEVEL
LOW message is displayed in
the Driver Information Center
(DIC), the Computer‐Controlled
Cranking System is disabled to
prevent possible vehicle
component damage. When this
happens, hold the ignition switch
in the START position to
continue engine cranking.
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 let the
cranking motor cool down. 2. If the engine does not start after
5‐10 seconds, especially in very
cold weather (below −18°C or
0°F), it could be flooded with too
much gasoline. Try pushing the
accelerator pedal all the way to
the floor 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 briefly but then
stops again, repeat these steps.
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: The engine is designed to
work with the electronics in the
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, the engine
might not perform properly. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Engine Heater
The engine coolant heater can
provide easier starting and better
fuel economy during engine
warm-up in cold weather conditions
at or below
−18°C (0°F). Vehicles
with an engine heater should be
plugged in at least four hours before
starting. An internal thermostat in
the plug-end of the cord may exist
which will prevent engine coolant
heater operation at temperatures
above −18°C (0°F).

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
9-34 Driving and Operating
To Use the Engine Coolant
Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap theelectrical cord. The cord is
secured to the Engine
Compartment Fuse Block with a
clip. Carefully remove the wire
tie which secures the electrical
cord. Do not cut the
electrical cord.
3. Plug the cord into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING
Plugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause an
electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could
overheat and cause a fire.
You could be seriously injured.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
The following vehicle accessories
can be used for up to 10 minutes
after the engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Power Windows
.OnStar System (if equipped)
.Sunroof (if equipped)
These features work when the key
is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY. Once the key is
turned from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF,
the windows and sunroof continue
to work up to 10 minutes until any
door is opened. The radio continues
to work for up to 10 minutes or until
the driver door is opened.

Black plate (77,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-77
Passing
More passing distance is
needed when towing a trailer.
The combination will not accelerate
as quickly and is longer so it is
necessary to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before
returning to the lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have someone
guide you.
Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns
while trailering could cause the
trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. The vehicle could be
damaged. Avoid making very
sharp turns while trailering.
When turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this
so the trailer will not strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees
or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
If the trailer turn signal bulbs burn
out, the arrows on the instrument
panel will still flash for turns. It is
important to check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are
still working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear beforestarting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the
brakes might get hot and no longer
work well.
Vehicles can tow in D (Drive). Shift
the transmission to a lower gear if
the transmission shifts too often
under heavy loads and/or hilly
conditions.
The tow/haul mode may be used if
the transmission shifts too often.
See Tow/Haul Mode Light on
page 5‑24.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, consider the
following: Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal
altitudes. If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades,
the vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating.