GMC CANYON 2005 Owner's Manual

4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift into PARK (P), or
REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission. See
Parking Brake on page 2-29for more information.
5. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure
the transfer case is in a drive gear and not in
NEUTRAL. SeeFour-Wheel Drive on page 2-26
for more information.
6. Release the regular brakes.
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. SeeScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4for more on this. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transmission
uid (don’t overll), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt,
cooling system and brake system. Each of these is
covered in this manual, and the Index will help you nd
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.
4-69

✍NOTES
4-70

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle..............................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling Your Tank............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Oil Life System..................................5-16
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-19
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-22
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-24
Engine Coolant.............................................5-25
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-28Engine Overheating.......................................5-28
Cooling System............................................5-30
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-34
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-35
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-36
Brakes........................................................5-37
Battery........................................................5-40
Jump Starting...............................................5-41
Rear Axle.......................................................5-44
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-45
Front Axle......................................................5-46
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-47
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-47
Headlamps..................................................5-47
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Daytime Running Lamps.............................5-49
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-50
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-50
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-52
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Tires..............................................................5-54
Tire Sidewall Labelling...................................5-55
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-58
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-60
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-62
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-63
Buying New Tires.........................................5-64
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-65
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-66
Wheel Replacement......................................5-66
Tire Chains..................................................5-68
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-69
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-70
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-71
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire................................................5-74
Secondary Latch System...............................5-81
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools............5-84
Spare Tire...................................................5-88
Appearance Care............................................5-89
Fabric/Carpet...............................................5-89
Vinyl...........................................................5-91
Leather.......................................................5-91
Instrument Panel..........................................5-92
Interior Plastic Components............................5-92Glass Surfaces.............................................5-92
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-92
Weatherstrips...............................................5-92
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-93
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.....................5-93
Finish Care..................................................5-93
Windshield and Wiper Blades.........................5-94
Aluminum Wheels.........................................5-95
Tires...........................................................5-95
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-96
Finish Damage.............................................5-96
Underbody Maintenance................................5-96
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-96
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-97
Vehicle Identication......................................5-98
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-98
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-98
Electrical System............................................5-98
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-98
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-99
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-99
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-99
Engine Compartment Fuse Block...................5-100
Capacities and Specications........................5-103
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems
(including some inside the vehicle), many uids, and
some component wear by-products contain and/or emit
these chemicals.
5-3

Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work,
you will want to use the proper service manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your vehicle
than this manual can. To order the proper service
manual, seeService Publications Ordering Information
on page 7-11.
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, seeServicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-74.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-16.{CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
5-4

Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle
can affect the airow around it. This may cause
wind noise and affect windshield washer performance.
Check with your dealer before adding equipment to
the outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane
of 87 or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may
get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this
occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as
soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damageyour engine. A little pinging noise when you accelerate
or drive uphill is considered normal. This does not
indicate a problem exists or that a higher-octane fuel is
necessary. If you are using 87 octane or higher-octane
fuel and hear heavy knocking, your engine needs
service.
Gasoline Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide
Fuel Charter which is available from the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers at
www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline
meeting these specications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
5-5

California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet California Emission
Standards (see the underhood emission control
label), it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specications. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions standards,
your vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp may turn on and your vehicle may fail a
smog-check test. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 3-30. If this occurs, return to your authorized
GM dealer for diagnosis. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by your warranty.
Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work
properly. In most cases, you should not have to add
anything to your fuel. However, some gasolines contain
only the minimum amount of additive required to
meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
General Motors recommends that you buy gasolines
that are advertised to help keep fuel injectors and intake
valves clean. If your vehicle experiences problems
due to dirty injectors or valves, try a different brand of
gasoline. Also, your GM dealer has additives that
will help correct and prevent most deposit-related
problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be available in
your area to contribute to clean air. General Motors
recommends that you use these gasolines, particularly if
they comply with the specications described earlier.
5-6

Notice:Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that
contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel
system and also damage the plastic and rubber
parts. That damage would not be covered under
your warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does
not recommend the use of such gasolines. Fuels
containing MMT can reduce the life of spark plugs and
the performance of the emission control system may
be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn on.
If this occurs, return to your authorized GM dealer
for service.Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel may be hard
to nd. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not
be covered by your warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an auto club, or
contact a major oil company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.
5-7

Filling Your Tank
{CAUTION:
Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel re can
cause bad injuries. To help avoid injuries to you
and others, read and follow all the instructions
on the pump island. Turn off your engine when
you are refueling. Do not smoke if you are near
fuel or refueling your vehicle. Keep sparks,
ames and smoking materials away from fuel.
Do not leave the fuel pump unattended when
refueling your vehicle — this is against the law
in some places. Keep children away from the
fuel pump; never let children pump fuel.The tethered fuel cap is located behind a hinged fuel
door on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
To remove the fuel cap, turn it slowly to the left
(counterclockwise).
While refueling, hang the tethered fuel cap from the
hook on the fuel door.
5-8