oil GMC SIERRA 2011 User Guide

Black plate (34,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
5-34 Instruments and Controls
The compass and outside
temperature will also be shown
in the display. The temperature
will be shown in °C or °F depending
on the units selected.
T(Vehicle Information):Press
this button to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), trailer
brake gain and output information
for vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
engine hours, compass zone
setting, and compass recalibration.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization (with DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑52 for more information.
V(Set/Reset):Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
(with DIC Buttons)
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles. Pressing the trip odometer
reset stem will also display the
odometer.
To switch between metric and
English measurements, see “Units”
later in this section.
Trip Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until TRIP
displays. This display shows the
current distance traveled in either
kilometers (km) or miles since the
last reset for the trip odometer.
Pressing the trip odometer reset
stem will also display the trip
odometer. The trip odometer can be reset to
zero by pressing the set/reset
button while the trip odometer is
displayed. You can also reset the
trip odometer while it is displayed
by pressing and holding the trip
odometer reset stem.
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the set/reset button
for at least four seconds. The trip
odometer will display the number of
kilometers (km) or miles driven since
the ignition was last turned on and
the vehicle was moving. Once the
vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.

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5-36 Instruments and Controls
To stop the timer, press the set/reset
button briefly while TIMER is
displayed.
To reset the timer to zero, press
and hold the set/reset button while
TIMER is displayed.
Transmission Temperature
Press the trip/fuel button until
TRANS TEMP displays. This
display shows the temperature of
the automatic transmission fluid
in either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Instantaneous Economy and
Active Fuel Management™
Indicator
If the vehicle has this display, press
the trip/fuel button until INST ECON
V8 displays. This display shows the
current fuel economy at a particular
moment and will change frequently
as driving conditions change.This display shows the
instantaneous fuel economy in
liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km)
or miles per gallon (mpg). Unlike
average economy, this screen
cannot be reset.
An Active Fuel Management
indicator displays on the right
side of the DIC, while INST ECON
displays on the left side. Active
Fuel Management allows the engine
to operate on either four or eight
cylinders, depending on driving
demands. When Active Fuel
Management is active, V4 will
display on the DIC. When Active
Fuel Management is inactive,
V8 will display. See
Active Fuel
Management
®on page 9‑44 for
more information.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Vehicle Information Menu
Items (with DIC Buttons)
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Oil Life
Press the vehicle information
button until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. This display shows an
estimate of the oil's remaining
useful life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE
REMAINING on the display, that
means 99% of the current oil life
remains. The engine oil life system
will alert you to change the oil on
a schedule consistent with your
driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See “CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑45. You should change the
oil as soon as you can. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is

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Instruments and Controls 5-37
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual.
SeeScheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑2 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the
OIL LIFE display after each oil
change. It will not reset itself. Also,
be careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
see Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑11.
Units
Press the vehicle information button
until UNITS displays. This display
allows you to select between metric
or English units of measurement.
Once in this display, press the
set/reset button to select between
METRIC or ENGLISH units.
All of the vehicle information will
then be displayed in the unit of
measurement selected. Tire Pressure
If the vehicle has the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), the
pressure for each tire can be viewed
in the DIC. The tire pressure will be
shown in either kilopascals (kPa)
or pounds per square inch (psi).
Press the vehicle information
button until the DIC displays
FRONT TIRES kPa (PSI) LEFT ##
RIGHT ##. Press the vehicle
information button again until the
DIC displays REAR TIRES kPa
(PSI) LEFT ## RIGHT ##.
If a low tire pressure condition
is detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you to
add pressure in a specific tire will
appear in the display. See
Tire
Pressure on page 10‑66 andTire
Messages on page 5‑49 for more
information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with the vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service. Trailer Gain and Output
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC)
system, the trailer brake display
appears in the DIC. Press the
vehicle information button until
TRAILER GAIN and OUTPUT
display.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output
to the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed in 0 to 10 bars. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
To adjust trailer gain see
“Integrated
Trailer Brake Control System” under
Towing Equipment on page 9‑112
for more information.
Engine Hours
Press the vehicle information button
until ENGINE HOURS displays.
This display shows the total number
of hours the engine has run.

Black plate (40,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
5-40 Instruments and Controls
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the trip odometer
reset stem for at least four seconds.
The trip odometer will display
the number of kilometers (km)
or miles (mi) driven since the
ignition was last turned on and
the vehicle was moving. Once the
vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 8 km (5 miles) before it
is started again, and then the
retro-active reset feature is
activated, the display will show
8 km (5 miles). As the vehicle
begins moving, the display will
then increase to 8.2 km (5.1 miles),
8.4 km (5.2 miles), etc.Transmission Temperature
Press the trip odometer reset
stem until TRANS TEMP displays.
This display shows the temperature
of the automatic transmission fluid
in either degrees Celsius (°C) or
degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Trailer Gain and Output
On vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
the trailer brake display appears in
the DIC. Press the trip odometer
reset stem until TRAILER GAIN
and OUTPUT display.
TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer
gain setting. This setting can be
adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either
a trailer connected or disconnected.
OUTPUT shows the power output
to the trailer any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
is displayed in 0 to 10 bars. Dashes
may appear in the OUTPUT display.
To adjust trailer gain see
“Integrated
Trailer Brake Control System” under
Towing Equipment on page 9‑112
for more information.
Compass Zone Setting
This display allows for setting the
compass zone. See Compass on
page 5‑6 for more information.
Compass Recalibration
This display allows for calibrating
the compass. See Compass on
page 5‑6 for more information.
Oil Life
To access this display, the vehicle
must be in P (Park). Press the trip
odometer reset stem until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays. This display
shows an estimate of the oil's
remaining useful life. If you see
99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the
display, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains. The engine
oil life system will alert you to
change the oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving
conditions.

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Instruments and Controls 5-41
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See“CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON”
under Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑45. You should change
the oil as soon as you can.
See Engine Oil on page 10‑7.
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual.
See Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑2 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the
OIL LIFE display after each oil
change. It will not reset itself. Also,
be careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system,
see Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑11.Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle
or some action may be needed
to correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not
require immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing
V(Set/Reset) or the
trip odometer reset stem.
The messages that require
immediate action cannot be cleared
until that action is performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously and clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
The following are the possible
messages and some information
about them.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
BATTERY LOW START
VEHICLE
When the vehicle’ s battery is
severely discharged, this message
will display and four chimes
will sound. Start the vehicle
immediately. If the vehicle is not
started and the battery continues
to discharge, the climate controls,
heated seats, and audio systems
will shut off and the vehicle may
require a jump start. These systems
will function again after the vehicle
is started.

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Instruments and Controls 5-45
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil,
be sure to reset the CHANGE
ENGINE OIL SOON message.
SeeEngine Oil Life System on
page 10‑11 for information on how
to reset the message. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7 andScheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for
more information.
ENGINE OIL HOT IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine oil becomes hotter than the
normal operating temperature. Stop
and allow the vehicle to idle until it
cools down. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5‑17.
OIL PRESSURE LOW STOP
ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine oil pressure
is low, severe engine damage
may occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), stop
the vehicle as soon as possible.
Do not drive the vehicle until the
cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑7 for more information.
This message displays if low oil
pressure levels occur. Stop the
vehicle as soon as safely possible
and do not operate it until the cause
of the low oil pressure has been
corrected. Check the oil as soon
as possible and have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑7.
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays and a
chime may sound when the cooling
system temperature gets too hot
and the engine further enters the
engine coolant protection mode.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑25 for more information.
This message also displays when
the vehicle's engine power is
reduced. Reduced engine power
can affect the vehicle's ability
to accelerate. If this message
is on, but there is no reduction
in performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may
be reduced the next time the vehicle
is driven. The vehicle may be driven
at a reduced speed while this
message is on, but acceleration and
speed may be reduced. Anytime
this message stays on, the vehicle
should be taken to your dealer for
service as soon as possible.

Black plate (16,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
7-16 Infotainment System
Care of CDs
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality
can be reduced due to CD-R or
CD-RW quality, the method of
recording, the quality of the music
that has been recorded, and the
way the CD-R or CD-RW has been
handled. Handle them carefully.
Store CD-Rs or CD-RWs in their
original cases or other protective
cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. The CD player scans the
bottom surface of the disc. If the
surface of a CD is damaged, such
as cracked, broken, or scratched,
the CD does not play properly or not
at all. Do not touch the bottom side
of a CD while handling it; this could
damage the surface. Pick up CDs
by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
If the surface of a CD is soiled,
clean it with a soft, lint‐free cloth or
dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild,
neutral detergent solution mixed
with water. Make sure the wiping
process starts from the center to
the edge.
Inserting a CD
(Single CD Player)
Insert a CD partway into the slot,
label side up. The player pulls it in
and the CD should begin playing.
Inserting a CD(s)
(Six-Disc CD Player)
LOAD^:Press to load CDs into
the CD player. This CD player holds
up to six CDs.
To insert one CD:
1. Press and release the LOAD button.
2. Wait for the message to insert the disc.
3. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player pulls the CD in. To insert multiple CDs:
1. Press and hold the LOAD button
for two seconds. A beep sounds
and Load All Discs displays.
2. Wait for the message on when to insert the discs. The CD player
takes up to six CDs.
3. Press the LOAD button again to cancel loading more CDs.
Ejecting a CD
(Single CD Player)
ZEJECT: Press and release to
eject the disc. Remove the CD
when Remove Disc displays. If the
disc is not removed, after several
seconds the disc is automatically
pulled back into the player.

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Infotainment System 7-23
Notice:If a label is added to
a CD, or more than one CD is
inserted into the slot at a time,
or an attempt is made to play
scratched or damaged CDs, the
CD player could be damaged.
While using the CD player, use
only CDs in good condition
without any label, load one CD at
a time, and keep the CD player
and the loading slot free of
foreign materials, liquids, and
debris.
If an error displays, see “CD
Messages” later in this section.Care of CDs and DVDs
If playing a CD-R or CD-RW, the
sound quality can be reduced due to
CD-R or CD-RW quality, the method
of recording, the quality of the music
that has been recorded, and the
way the CD-R or CD-RW has been
handled. Handle them carefully.
Store CD-Rs or CD-RWs in their
original cases or other protective
cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. The CD or DVD player
scans the bottom surface of the
disc. If the surface of a disc is
damaged, such as cracked, broken,
or scratched, the disc does not play
properly or not at all. Do not touch
the bottom side of a disc while
handling it; this could damage the
surface. Pick up discs by grasping
the outer edges or the edge of the
hole and the outer edge. If the surface of a disc is soiled,
clean it with a soft, lint‐free cloth or
dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild,
neutral detergent solution mixed
with water. Make sure the wiping
process starts from the center to
the edge.
Audio Output
Only one audio source can be heard
through the speakers at one time.
An audio source is defined as DVD
slot, CD slot, XM, FM‐AM, front
auxiliary jack, USB port, or rear
auxiliary jack.
Press the
Obutton to turn the radio
on. The radio can be heard through
all of the vehicle speakers.

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Driving and Operating 9-37
C (ON/RUN):This position can
be used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning
and indicator lights. The switch
stays in this position when the
engine is running. The transmission
is also unlocked in this position on
automatic transmission vehicles.
If you leave the key in the
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN
position with the engine off, the
battery could be drained. You may
not be able to start the vehicle if the
battery is allowed to drain for an
extended period of time.
D (START): This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning tone will sound when
the driver door is opened and the
ignition is in ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF, and the key is in the
ignition.Starting the Engine
If the vehicle has a Duramax diesel
engine, see the Duramax diesel
supplement for more information.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
the hybrid supplement for more
information.
Notice: Do not try to shift to
P (Park) if the vehicle is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Notice: The engine is designed to
work with the electronics in the
vehicle. If you add electrical parts
or accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Before adding electrical
equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, the engine
might not perform properly.
Any resulting damage would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty.
Starting Procedure
1. With your foot off the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to
START. When the engine starts,
let go of the key. The idle speed
will go down as your engine gets
warm. Do not race the engine
immediately after starting it.
Operate the engine and
transmission gently to allow
the oil to warm up and lubricate
all moving parts.

Black plate (38,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
9-38 Driving and Operating
The vehicle has a
Computer-Controlled
Cranking System. This feature
assists in starting the engine
and protects components.
If the ignition key is turned
to the START position, and
then released when the engine
begins cranking, the engine
will continue cranking for a
few seconds or until the vehicle
starts. If the engine does not
start and the key is held in
START for many seconds,
cranking will be stopped after
15 seconds to prevent cranking
motor damage. To prevent
gear damage, this system also
prevents cranking if the engine
is already running. Engine
cranking can be stopped by
turning the ignition switch to
the ACC/ACCESSORY or
LOCK/OFF position.When the Low Fuel warning
lamp is on and the FUEL LEVEL
LOW message is displayed in
the Driver Information Center
(DIC), the Computer‐Controlled
Cranking System is disabled
to prevent possible vehicle
component damage. When
this happens, hold the ignition
switch in the START position
to continue engine cranking.
Notice: Cranking the engine for
long periods of time, by returning
the key to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down. 2. If the engine does not start
after 5‐10 seconds, especially
in very cold weather (below
−18°C or 0°F), it could be
flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing the accelerator
pedal all the way to the floor
and holding it there as you
hold the key in START for up
to 15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try, to
allow the cranking motor to cool
down. When the engine starts,
let go of the key and accelerator.
If the vehicle starts briefly but
then stops again, do the same
thing. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine. Do not
race the engine immediately
after starting it. Operate the
engine and transmission gently
until the oil warms up and
lubricates all moving parts.