brake CHEVROLET KODIAK 2009 Service Manual

Air Pressure Gage
If your vehicle has air
brakes, the air pressure
gage is located above the
switchbank in the center
of the instrument panel.
This gage shows the air pressure for both your front
and rear brake systems.
If the needle on the gage indicates that the air pressure
is below 60 to 75 psi (415 to 517 kPa), the low air
warning light will come on. An alarm will also sound if
this happens.The bottom yellow pointer shows the pressure available
for the front secondary system, while the top white
pointer shows pressure for the rear primary system.
There should be no more than 4 psi (28 kPa) difference
showing between the systems.
Don’t drive until both pointers are showing at least
120 psi (827 kPa), so you’ll have enough air if you need
to apply your brakes.
Hourmeter Gage
To access the engine hourmeter gage, press the trip
odometer button three times.
The instrument panel cluster displays the accumulated
engine run time hours using the reconfigurable odometer
display. The engine run time hours displays only
when the ignition is in the LOCK or ACC/ACCESSORY
position and the trip reset button is pressed for about
four seconds. The value of the accumulated hours does
not change when the battery is disconnected.
The hourmeter resets to 0.0 when 10,000 hours
are accumulated. The instrument panel cluster begins
to reaccumulate the engine run time hours from
0.0 hours.
3-47

Audio System(s)
If the vehicle came without a radio, the wiring provisions
for a radio and an antenna were installed at the
assembly plant, so that if you want, a radio can be
installed at the dealer/retailer.
Determine which radio the vehicle has and read the
following pages to become familiar with its features.
{CAUTION:
Taking your eyes off the road for extended periods
could cause a crash resulting in injury or death to
you or others. Do not give extended attention to
entertainment tasks while driving.
This system provides access to many audio and non
audio listings.
To minimize taking your eyes off the road while driving,
do the following while the vehicle is parked:
•Become familiar with the operation and controls of
the audio system.
•Set up the tone, speaker adjustments, and preset
radio stations.
For more information, seeDefensive Driving on
page 4-2.Notice:Contact your dealer/retailer before adding
any equipment.
Adding audio or communication equipment could
interfere with the operation of the vehicle’s engine,
radio, or other systems, and could damage them.
Follow federal rules covering mobile radio and
telephone equipment.
Notice:The chime signals related to safety belts,
parking brake, and other functions of your vehicle
operate through the radio/entertainment system.
If that equipment is replaced or additional equipment
is added to your vehicle, the chimes may not
work. Make sure that replacement or additional
equipment is compatible with your vehicle before
installing it. SeeAccessories and Modifications
on page 5-3.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold the HR (down) or MIN (up) arrow for
two seconds. Then press HR until the correct hour
displays. Press and hold MIN until the correct minute
displays. The time can be set with the ignition on or off.
3-48

Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle............4-2
Driving for Better Fuel Economy.......................4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-4
Hydraulic Brake Systems.................................4-4
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-5
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-5
Trailer Brake Hand Control Valve......................4-6
Rear Axle Differential Lock Control....................4-7
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-8
Steering........................................................4-9
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-11
Passing.......................................................4-11Loss of Control.............................................4-12
Driving at Night............................................4-13
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-14
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-15
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-16
Winter Driving..............................................4-17
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-19
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-19
Tow Hooks..................................................4-20
Loading the Vehicle......................................4-20
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.......4-22
Towing..........................................................4-23
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-23
Trailer Connections.......................................4-25
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and
the Vehicle
Driving for Better Fuel Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel mileage. Here are some
driving tips to get the best fuel economy possible.
•Avoid fast starts and accelerate smoothly.
•Brake gradually and avoid abrupt stops.
•Avoid idling the engine for long periods of time.
•When road and weather conditions are appropriate,
use cruise control, if equipped.
•Always follow posted speed limits or drive more
slowly when conditions require.
•Keep vehicle tires properly inflated.
•Combine several trips into a single trip.
•Replace the vehicle’s tires with the same TPC Spec
number molded into the tire’s sidewall near the size.
•Follow recommended scheduled maintenance.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always expect the
unexpected.” The first step in driving defensively is to
wear your safety belt — SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-11.
{CAUTION:
Assume that other road users (pedestrians,
bicyclists, and other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they
might do and be ready. In addition:
•Allow enough following distance between you
and the driver in front of you.
•Focus on the task of driving.
Driver distraction can cause collisions resulting in
injury or possible death. These simple defensive
driving techniques could save your life.
4-2

Drunk Driving
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your
reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment
can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol.
You can have a serious — or even fatal — collision
if you drive after drinking. Do not drink and drive or
ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home
in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a global tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle: judgment, muscular coordination, vision, and
attentiveness.
Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, more than 17,000 annual
motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with
the use of alcohol, with about 250,000 people injured.For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the
person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control the vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator.
At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of
the vehicle.
4-3

Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-31.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
the vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes; the
weight of the vehicle; the weight of the load; and the
amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. The brakes might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much
faster with a lot of heavy braking. Keeping pace with thetraffic and allowing realistic following distances
eliminates a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being driven,
brake normally but do not pump the brakes. If the brakes
are pumped, the pedal could get harder to push down.
If the engine stops, there will still be some power brake
assist but it will be used when the brake is applied. Once
the power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Hydraulic Brake Systems
If the engine stops running, or if the primary brake system
stops working, your vehicle has a reserve power assist
system to help you slow down. Just slowly and steadily
apply the brake pedal until you can safely get off the road.
The pedal will seem harder to push down. Do not pump
the pedal; the system will not work well that way.
You might find that the steering wheel seems hard to
turn when you are turning and braking at the same time.
Also, the primary brake warning light might come on
and the warning tone might sound. This is normal
because the main hydraulic brake system and power
steering both use the power steering pump. If this ever
happens, let up on the brake pedal a little. When
you let up on the brake pedal in that situation, it lets the
steering get a little more help from the pump.
4-4

Antilock Brake System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS), an
advanced electronic braking system that helps prevent a
braking skid.
When the engine is started and the vehicle begins to
drive away, ABS checks itself. A momentary motor
or clicking noise might be heard while this test is going
on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
ABS, this warning light
stays on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on
page 3-33.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that the wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each wheel.ABS can change the brake pressure to each wheel, as
required, faster than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change the time needed to get
a foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping
distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to apply the brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough
room up ahead to stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down firmly and let antilock work. The brakes might be
felt to pulsate, or the sound of air exhausting might
be heard if the vehicle has air brakes, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help more than
even the very best braking.
4-5

Trailer Brake Hand Control Valve
If your vehicle has this feature, the control is mounted
on the floor console.
This feature lets you apply
the trailer brakes without
applying the tractor brakes.You can apply the trailer brakes a little or apply them all
the way if you have to. Use this control only when
you are driving. Do not use it for parking or to hold the
rig on a hill.
{CAUTION:
Using the trailer brake hand control for parking or
for holding the vehicle on a hill may not keep the
vehicle from rolling. This can happen if someone
hits the valve by accident, or if air pressure bleeds
from the system. If the vehicle rolls, you or others
could be injured. To park the vehicle or hold it on
a hill, use the parking brake properly.
4-6

Traction Control System (TCS)
The vehicle may have a traction control system that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only if it senses that one
or both of the rear wheels are spinning or beginning to
lose traction. When this happens, the system applies the
brake(s) at the affected wheel(s).
The bottom light on TCS on/off button will come on
when the TCS is limiting wheel spin. The system may
be heard or felt while it is working, but this is normal.
TCS will function at speeds up to about 25 mph
(42 km/h).
TCS may operate on dry roads under some conditions.
When this happens, a reduction in acceleration may
be noticed. This is normal and doesn’t mean there’s a
problem with the vehicle. Examples of these conditions
include a hard acceleration in a turn, an abrupt
upshift or downshift of the transmission or driving on
rough roads.When the light in the top of the TCS button is on, TCS
is off and will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
The light in the top of the TCS button will come on if
TCS is turned off by pressing the TCS on/off button.
The light may also come on if a problem has been
detected in either the traction control system or
the anti-lock brake system.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever the vehicle is started. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, the system
should always be left on. But the traction control
system can be turned off if needed. Turn the system off
if the vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow
and rocking the vehicle is required. SeeRocking Your
Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-19for more information.
4-8

To turn the system on or
off, press the traction
control button located on
the instrument panel.
If the TCS button was used to turn the system off, the
light in the top of the button will come on and stay
on. TCS can be turned back on at any time by pressing
the button again; the light should go off.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
the vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3for more information.Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost because the engine stops
or the system is not functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
On vehicles with hydraulic brakes, the power steering
and main hydraulic brake system both use the
power steering pump. SeeBraking on page 4-4.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the condition of the tires
and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is
banked, and vehicle speed. While in a curve, speed is
the one factor that can be controlled.
If there is a need to reduce speed, do it before entering
the curve, while the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you can drive through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait
to accelerate until out of the curve, and then accelerate
gently into the straightaway.
4-9