power steering fluid CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2011 2.G Owners Manual

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Silverado 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 (1,1)Chevrolet Silverado 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18 Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-21
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-22
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-26
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . 5-31
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-31
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . 5-31
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-32
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-33
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-33
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-44
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-47
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-47
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-48
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-48
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-50
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Starting the Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-52
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-53

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 10-9
Automatic Transmission Fluid (4-Speed Transmission) . . . 10-11
Automatic Transmission Fluid (6-Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14 Manual Transmission
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-18
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-24
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-27
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Noise Control System . . . . . . 10-36
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-37
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38 Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-39
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-40
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Headlamps (Silverado) . . . . . 10-43
Pick-Up Box Identification
and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Taillamps (Chassis Cab Models) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-46
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-46

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-7
A.Engine Air Cleaner/Filteron
page 10‑18.
B. Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Cooling
System on page 10‑19.
C. Positive (+) Terminal. See Jump
Starting on page 10‑96.
D. Battery on page 10‑32.
E. Remote Negative (−) Terminal (Out of View). See Jump
Starting on page 10‑96.
F. Automatic Transmission Dipstick (Out of View). See
“Checking the Fluid Level”
under Automatic Transmission
Fluid (4-Speed Transmission)
on page 10‑11or Automatic
Transmission Fluid (6-Speed
Transmission) on page 10‑14.
G. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When
to Add Engine Oil” under
Scheduled Maintenance
on
page 11‑2. H. Engine Oil Dipstick (Out of
View). See “Checking Engine
Oil” under Scheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2.
I. Engine Cooling Fan. See Cooling System on page 10‑19.
J. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See Power Steering Fluid
on
page 10‑27.
K. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See Brake Fluid
on
page 10‑30.
L. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑48.
M. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding Washer
Fluid” under Washer Fluid
on
page 10‑28.
If the vehicle has a diesel engine
and/or an Allison Transmission, see
the Duramax
®Diesel Supplement.
Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
For diesel engine vehicles, see
“Engine Oil” in the Duramax Diesel
Supplement.
It is a good idea to check the engine
oil level at each fuel fill. In order to
get an accurate reading, the oil
must be warm and the vehicle
must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle
is a yellow loop. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on
page 10‑6for the location
of the engine oil dipstick.
1. Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to drain back
into the oil pan. If this is not
done, the oil dipstick might
not show the actual level.
2. Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or cloth,
then push it back in all the way.
Remove it again, keeping the tip
down, and check the level.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-27
If the vehicle has electric cooling
fans, the fans may be heard
spinning at low speed during
most everyday driving. The fans
may turn off if no cooling is required.
Under heavy vehicle loading, trailer
towing, high outside temperatures,
or operation of the air conditioning
system, the fans may change to
high speed and an increase in
fan noise may be heard. This is
normal and indicates that the
cooling system is functioning
properly. The fans will change
to low speed when additional
cooling is no longer required.Power Steering Fluid
SeeEngine Compartment Overviewon page 10‑6for reservoir location.
When to Check Power Steering
Fluid
It is not necessary to regularly
check power steering fluid unless
there is a leak suspected in the
system or an unusual noise is
heard. A fluid loss in this system
could indicate a problem. Have the
system inspected and repaired.
How to Check Power Steering
Fluid
To check the power steering fluid:
1. Turn the key off and let the
engine compartment cool down.
2. Wipe the cap and the top of the reservoir clean.
3. Unscrew the cap and wipe the dipstick with a clean rag.
4. Replace the cap and completely tighten it.
5. Remove the cap again and look at the fluid level on the dipstick.
The level should be at the FULL
COLD mark. If necessary, add only
enough fluid to bring the level up to
the mark.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
11-8 Service and Maintenance
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
This maintenance section applies to vehicles with a gasoline engine. If the vehicle has a diesel engine and/or an
Allison Transmission, see the maintenance schedule section in the Duramax Diesel Supplement.
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part number, or specification can be obtained from your dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil Engine oil which meets GM Standard GM6094M and displays the
American Petroleum Institute Certified for Gasoline Engines starburst
symbol. To determine the proper viscosity for your vehicle's engine, see
Engine Oil on page 10‑7.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL
®coolant.
See Engine Coolant on page 10‑20.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 12377967,
in Canada 89021320).
Hydraulic Clutch System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 12377967,
in Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 89021184,
in Canada 89021186).
Automatic Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
EngineAir Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-42
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35 Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . 9-111
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-17
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
F
Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Filter Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-5 Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-114
Fluid
AutomaticTransmission . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Four-Wheel Drive
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 10-32, 9-53
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . 5-31
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Front Fog Lamps Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
i-10 INDEX
Pickup Conversion toChassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-127
Pickup-Box Identification and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-35
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-18
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-10
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-18
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
Rear Seat Entertainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Rear Seat Audio (RSA) . . . . . . . 7-47
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12, 3-13
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 9-78
Rear Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19 Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19 Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Recreational Vehicle
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-101
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Replacement Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Replacement Parts
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-50
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-50
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-68
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts After a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
i-12 INDEX
ShiftingInto Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Snow Plow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-123
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . . 5-31
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Starting the Vehicle Messsages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4 Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Stoplamps and Back-Up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-45 Storage Areas
Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22, 2-23
Switches Airbag On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System
Noise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-14 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14 Throttle, Adjustable . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tires
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Dual Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-67
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Pressure MonitorSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78