brakes GMC CANYON 2007 Owner's Guide

Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inated to the upper
limit for cold tires. You’ll nd these numbers on the
Certication/Tire label located at the bottom of the
center pillar on the driver’s side of the vehicle, or
seeLoading Your Vehicle on page 286. Then be
sure you don’t go over the GVWR limit for your
vehicle, including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads
are a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
Weight-Distributing Hitches and Weight
Carrying Hitches
You can use your step bumper hitch for trailers up to
2,000 lbs (907 kg) total weight, and 200 lbs (90 kg)
tongue weight.
Notice:If you use a step-bumper hitch, your
bumper could be damaged in sharp turns.
Make sure you have ample room when turning
to avoid contact between the trailer and the
bumper.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your
vehicle and your trailer. Cross the safety
chains under the tongue of the trailer to help
prevent the tongue from contacting the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer.
For trailers up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg) you may attach
the safety chains to the attaching points on the
bumper. For heavier trailers, follow the trailer
or hitch manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your rig. Never allow
safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (450 kg)
loaded, then it needs its own brakes — and
they must be adequate. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the trailer brakes so you’ll be
able to install, adjust and maintain them properly.
307

Your trailer’s brake system can tap into the
vehicle’s hydraulic brake system only if:
The trailer parts can withstand 3,000 psi
(20 650 kPa) of pressure.
The trailer’s brake system will use less than
0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc) of uid from your
vehicle’s master cylinder. Otherwise,
both braking systems won’t work well. You
could even lose your brakes.
If everything checks out this far, then make the
brake uid tap at the port on the master cylinder
that sends uid to the rear brakes. But don’t
use copper tubing for this. If you do, it will bend
and nally break off. Use steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of
experience. Before setting out for the open road,
you’ll want to get to know your rig. Acquaint
yourself with the feel of handling and braking with
the added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is
now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.Before you start, check all trailer hitch parts and
attachments, safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake controller
by hand to be sure the brakes are working.
This lets you check your electrical connection at
the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure
that the load is secure, and that the lamps and any
trailer brakes are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead
as you would when driving your vehicle without
a trailer. This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a
good deal longer, you’ll need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before you can
return to your lane.
308

Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with
one hand. Then, to move the trailer to the left, just
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. Your vehicle could
be damaged. Avoid making very sharp
turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider
turns than normal. Do this so your trailer
won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs,
trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have
extra wiring and a heavy-duty turn signal asher.
The arrows on your instrument panel will ash
whenever you signal a turn or lane change.
Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps will also
ash, telling other drivers you’re about to
turn, change lanes or stop.When towing a trailer, the arrows on your
instrument panel will ash for turns even if the bulbs
on the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your signal when
they are not. It’s important to check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before
you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you
don’t shift down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
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 you turn your engine off immediately
after towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
your vehicle may show signs similar to engine
overheating. To avoid this, let the engine run while
parked (preferably on level ground) with the
automatic transmission in PARK (P) (or the manual
transmission out of gear and the parking brake
applied) for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If you do get the overheat warning,
seeEngine Overheating on page 340.
309

Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill.
If something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill,
here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet, or into gear for a manual
transmission. When parking uphill, turn your
wheels away from the curb. When parking
downhill, turn your wheels into the curb.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release
the regular brakes until the chocks absorb
the load.4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift into PARK (P),
or REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission.
SeeParking Brake on page 130for 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 126
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.
310

Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you’re pulling a trailer. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 437for 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.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle may be equipped with a four-pin
trailer towing harness. This harness has a four-pin
trailer connector that is attached to a bracket on
the hitch platform. The four-wire harness contains
the following trailer circuits:
Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
Brown: Taillamps/Park lamps
White: Ground
Trailer Recommendations
You must subtract your hitch load from the
CWR for your vehicle. Weigh your vehicle with
your trailer attached, so that you won’t go over
the GVWR or the GAWR.
You’ll get the best performance if you spread out
the weight of your load the right way, and if
you choose the correct hitch and trailer brakes.
For more information, seeTowing a Trailer
on page 300later in this section.
311

Service........................................................ 316
Accessories and Modications................... 316
California Proposition 65 Warning.............. 317
Doing Your Own Service Work.................. 317
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle.......................................... 318
Fuel............................................................. 318
Gasoline Octane........................................ 318
Gasoline Specications.............................. 318
California Fuel........................................... 318
Additives................................................... 319
Fuels in Foreign Countries........................ 320
Filling the Tank......................................... 320
Filling a Portable Fuel Container............... 322
Checking Things Under the Hood.............. 323
Hood Release........................................... 323
Engine Compartment Overview.................. 324
Engine Oil................................................. 325Engine Oil Life System.............................. 328
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter............................ 330
Automatic Transmission Fluid.................... 331
Manual Transmission Fluid........................ 334
Hydraulic Clutch........................................ 336
Engine Coolant.......................................... 337
Radiator Pressure Cap.............................. 340
Engine Overheating................................... 340
Cooling System......................................... 342
Engine Fan Noise..................................... 347
Power Steering Fluid ................................. 348
Windshield Washer Fluid........................... 349
Brakes...................................................... 350
Battery...................................................... 353
Jump Starting............................................ 354
Rear Axle.................................................... 359
Four-Wheel Drive........................................ 359
Front Axle................................................... 360
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
313

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:
Accessories and Modications
When you add non-GM accessories to your vehicle
they can affect your vehicle’s performance and
safety, including such things as, airbags, braking,
stability, ride and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and electronic systems
like anti-lock brakes, traction control and
stability control. Some of these accessories may
even cause malfunction or damage not covered by
warranty.
GM Accessories are designed to complement and
function with other systems on your vehicle.
Your GM dealer can accessorize your vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories. When you go to
your GM dealer and ask for GM Accessories,
you will know that GM-trained and supported
service technicians will perform the work using
genuine GM Accessories.
316

A. Windshield Washer Fluid. See “Adding Washer
Fluid” underWindshield Washer Fluid on
page 349.
B. Engine Coolant Recovery Tank. SeeEngine
Coolant on page 337.
C. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 330.
D. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir (low in engine
compartment). SeePower Steering Fluid
on page 348.
E. Automatic Transmission Fluid Dipstick (If
Equipped). See “Checking the Fluid Level”
underAutomatic Transmission Fluid on
page 331.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine
Oil” underEngine Oil on page 325.
G. Radiator Pressure Cap. SeeCooling System
on page 342.
H. Remote Negative (−) Terminal (GND). See
Jump Starting on page 354.
I. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil”
underEngine Oil on page 325.
J. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. SeeJump
Starting on page 354.K. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid” under
Brakes on page 350.
L. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. SeeEngine
Compartment Fuse Block on page 426.
M. Battery. SeeBattery on page 353.
N. Hydraulic Clutch Fluid Reservoir (If Equipped).
SeeHydraulic Clutch on page 336.
Engine Oil
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check the engine oil every time
you get fuel. 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.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 324
for 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 you
do not do this, the oil dipstick might not
show the actual level.
325

Brakes
Brake Fluid
The brake master
cylinder reservoir is
lled with DOT-3 brake
uid. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview
on page 324for the
location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake uid
level in the reservoir might go down. The rst is that
the brake uid goes down to an acceptable level
during normal brake lining wear. When new linings
are put in, the uid level goes back up. The other
reason is that uid is leaking out of the brake
system. If it is, you should have the brake system
xed, since a leak means that sooner or later the
brakes will not work well, or will not work at all.So, it is not a good idea to top off the brake uid.
Adding brake uid will not correct a leak. If
you add uid when your linings are worn, then you
will have too much uid when you get new
brake linings. You should add or remove brake
uid, as necessary, only when work is done on the
brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake uid, it can
spill on the engine. The uid will burn if
the engine is hot enough. You or others
could be burned, and your vehicle could
be damaged. Add brake uid only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic
system. See “Checking Brake Fluid” in
this section.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine
when to check your brake uid. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 437.
350

Checking Brake Fluid
You can check the brake uid without taking off
the cap.
Look at the brake uid
reservoir. The uid level
should be above
MIN. If it is not have the
brake system checked
to see if there is a leak.
After work is done on the brake hydraulic system,
make sure the level is above the MIN but not
over the MAX mark.
What to Add
When you do need brake uid, use only DOT-3
brake uid. Use new brake uid from a sealed
container only. SeeRecommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 447.
Always clean the brake uid reservoir cap and the
area around the cap before removing it. This
will help keep dirt from entering the reservoir.
{CAUTION:
With the wrong kind of uid in the brake
system, the brakes may not work well, or
they may not even work at all. This could
cause a crash. Always use the proper
brake uid.
Notice:
Using the wrong uid can badly damage
brake system parts. For example, just a
few drops of mineral-based oil, such
as engine oil, in the brake system can
damage brake system parts so badly that
they will have to be replaced. Do not
let someone put in the wrong kind of uid.
If you spill brake uid on your vehicle’s
painted surfaces, the paint nish can
be damaged. Be careful not to spill brake
uid on your vehicle. If you do, wash it
off immediately. SeeWashing Your Vehicle
on page 419.
351