battery GMC SAVANA 2011 Owner's Guide

Black plate (84,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-84 Vehicle Care
Jump Starting
For more information about the
vehicle battery, seeBattery on
page 10‑31.
If the vehicle battery has run down,
you may want to use another
vehicle and some jumper cables to
start your vehicle. Be sure to use
the following steps to do it safely.
{WARNING
Batteries can hurt you. They can
be dangerous because:
.They contain acid that can
burn you.
.They contain gas that can
explode or ignite.
.They contain enough
electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps
exactly, some or all of these
things can hurt you. Notice:
Ignoring these steps
could result in costly damage to
the vehicle that would not be
covered by the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by
pushing or pulling it will not
work, and it could damage the
vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must
have a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach,
but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they
are, it could cause a ground
connection you do not want. You
would not be able to start your vehicle, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical
systems.
To avoid the possibility of the
vehicles rolling, set the parking
brake firmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start
procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in
N (Neutral) before setting the
parking brake.
Notice: If the radio or other
accessories are left on during the
jump starting procedure, they
could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by the
warranty. Always turn off the
radio and other accessories when
jump starting the vehicle.

Black plate (85,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-85
3. Turn off the ignition on bothvehicles. Unplug unnecessary
accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory
power outlet. Turn off the radio
and all lamps that are not
needed. This will avoid sparks
and help save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the positive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations of the other
vehicle.
On your van, use the unpainted
radio antenna bracket as a
remote negative (−) terminal.
{WARNING
Using an open flame near a
battery can cause battery gas to
explode. People have been hurt
doing this, and some have been
blinded. Use a flashlight if you
need more light.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
add water to take care of that
first. If you do not, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{WARNING
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running. 5. Check that the jumper cables do
not have loose or missing
insulation. If they do, you could
get a shock. The vehicles could
be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables,
here are some basic things you
should know. Positive (+) will go
to positive (+) or to a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one. Negative (−) will go to
an unpainted metal part or to a
remote negative (−) terminal if
the vehicle has one. On your
van, use the unpainted radio
antenna bracket as a remote
negative (−) terminal.
Do not connect positive (+) to
negative (−) or you will get a
short that would damage the
battery and maybe other parts
too. And do not connect the
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal on the dead
battery because this can cause
sparks.

Black plate (86,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-86 Vehicle Care
6. Connect the red positive (+)cable to the positive (+) terminal
of the dead battery. Use a
remote positive (+) terminal if the
vehicle has one. Do not let the
other end touch metal. Connect
it to the positive (+) terminal of
the good battery. Use a remote
positive (+) terminal if the vehicle
has one.
7. Now connect the black negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal of the good
battery. Use a remote
negative (−) terminal if the
vehicle has one. Do not let the other end touch
anything until the next step. The
other end of the negative (−)
cable does not go to the dead
battery. It goes to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or
to a remote negative (−) terminal
on the vehicle with the dead
battery. On your van, use the
unpainted radio antenna bracket
as a remote negative (−)
terminal.
8. Connect the other end of the
negative (−) cable to the
negative (−) terminal location on the vehicle with the dead battery.
On your van, use the unpainted
radio antenna bracket as a
remote negative (−) terminal.
Notice: Your vehicle uses the
unpainted radio antenna bracket
as a remote negative (−) terminal.
Move the antenna coax cable out
of the way before clamping the
negative jumper cable to the fixed
antenna bracket. Avoid touching
the negative cable clamp to the
air conditioning line. Failure to do
either of these could damage
your vehicle. The repairs would
not be covered by the warranty.
9. Now start the vehicle with the
good battery and run the engine
for a while.
10. Try to start the vehicle that had the dead battery. If it will not
start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.

Black plate (87,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-87
Notice:If the jumper cables are
connected or removed in the
wrong order, electrical shorting
may occur and damage the
vehicle. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always connect and remove the
jumper cables in the correct
order, making sure that the
cables do not touch each other or
other metal.
Jumper Cable Removal
A. Unpainted Metal Part or Remote Negative (−) Terminal
B. Good Battery or Remote Positive (+) and Remote
Negative (−) Terminals
C. Dead Battery or Remote Positive (+) Terminal To disconnect the jumper cables
from both vehicles, do the following:
1. Disconnect the black
negative (−) cable from the
vehicle that had the dead
battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (−) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the vehicle with the
good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other vehicle.
5. Return the remote positive (+) terminal cover to its original
position.

Black plate (90,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-90 Vehicle Care
3. Firmly set the parking brake.See Parking Brake on page 9‑36
for more information.
4. Put the transmission in P (Park).
5. Secure the vehicle to the dolly following the manufacturer's
instructions.
6. Use an adequate clamping device designed for towing to
ensure that the front wheels are
locked into the straight position.
7. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF. If the tow vehicle will not be
started or driven for six weeks or
more, remove the battery cable
from the negative terminal (post)
of the battery to prevent the
battery from draining while
towing. Rear Towing (Rear Wheels Off the
Ground)
–All‐Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles
The vehicle was not designed to be
towed with two wheels on the
ground. To properly tow these
vehicles, they should be placed on
a platform trailer with all four wheels
off the ground. Notice:
Towing an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground, or even with only two of
its wheels on the ground, will
damage drivetrain components.
Do not tow an all-wheel-drive
vehicle with any of its wheels on
the ground.

Black plate (7,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-7
Services Provided
.Emergency Fuel Delivery:
Delivery of enough fuel for the
vehicle to get to the nearest
service station.
.Lock‐Out Service:Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock
may be available if you have
OnStar
®. For security reasons,
the driver must present
identification before this service
is given.
.Emergency Tow From a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest GMC dealer for warranty
service, or if the vehicle was in a
crash and cannot be driven.
Assistance is also given when
the vehicle is stuck in the sand,
mud, or snow.
.Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty.
.Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
.Trip Routing Service: Detailed
maps of North America when
requested either with the most
direct route or the most scenic
route. Additional travel
information is also available.
Allow three weeks for delivery.
.Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: If your trip is
interrupted due to a warranty
failure, incidental expenses may
be reimbursed during the
5 years/160 000 km (100,000 mi)
Powertrain warranty period.
Items considered are hotel,
meals, and rental car.
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance
.Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws.
.Legal fines.
.Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices.
.Towing or services for vehicles
driven on a non-public road or
highway.
Services Specific to
Canadian‐Purchased Vehicles
.Fuel Delivery: Reimbursement
is approximately $5 Canadian.
Diesel fuel delivery may be
restricted. Propane and other
fuels are not provided through
this service.
.Lock-Out Service: Vehicle
registration is required.
.Trip Routing Service: Limit of
six requests per year.

Black plate (2,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-37
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Center High-MountedStoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-42
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40 Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-42
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-20
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-36
Child Restraints Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-59, 3-62, 3-65
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Climate Control System Rear Heating System . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Black plate (7,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont.)Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-10
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-3 Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-20
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-38
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-33
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40 Mirrors
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Trailer Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
N
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Noise Control System . . . . . . . . 10-33
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

Black plate (8,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
i-8 INDEX
OilEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . .10-11
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-44
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Operation, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-12
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
P
Park Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25 Parking
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-36
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-37
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-23
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 Power (cont.)
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Pregnancy, Using Safety
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-16
Program
Courtesy Transportation . . . . . . 13-8
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-16
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33