GMC SIERRA 2011 Owner's Manual

Black plate (127,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-127
Canada
In order to calculate the amount of
weight any front accessory, such as
a snow plow, is adding to the front
axle, use the following formula:(W x (A + W.B.)) /W.B.= Weight
the accessory is adding to the
front axle.
Where: W = Weight of added accessory
A = Distance that the accessory
is in front of the front axle
W.B. = Vehicle Wheelbase For example, adding a 318 kg
(700 lb) snow plow actually adds
more than 318 kg (700 lbs) to the
front axle. Using the formula, if the
snow plow is 122 cm (4 ft) in front of
the front axle and the wheel base is
305 cm (10 ft), then:
W = 318 kg (700 lb)
A = 122 cm (4 ft)
W.B. = 305 cm (10 ft)
(W x (A + W.B.))/W.B. =
(700 x (4 + 10))/10 = 445 kg (980 lbs)
So, if the front axle reserve capacity
is more than 445 kg (980 lbs), you
could add the snow plow without
exceeding the front GAWR.
You can add heavier equipment
on the front of the vehicle if you
compensate for it by carrying fewer
passengers, less cargo, or by
positioning cargo toward the rear.

Black plate (128,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
9-128 Driving and Operating
This has the effect of reducing the
load on the front. However, the front
GAWR, rear GAWR, and the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) must
never be exceeded.
{WARNING
On some vehicles that have
certain front mounted equipment,
such as a snow plow, it may be
possible to load the front axle to
the front gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) but not have enough
weight on the rear axle to have
proper braking performance.
If your brakes can not work
properly, you could have a crash.
To help your brakes work properly
when a snow plow is installed,(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
always follow the snow plow
manufacturer or installer's
recommendation for rear ballast
to ensure a proper front and rear
weight distribution ratio, even
though the actual front weight
may be less than the front
GAWR, and the total vehicle
weight is less than the gross
vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Maintaining a proper front and
rear weight distribution ratio is
necessary to provide proper
braking performance. Total vehicle reserve capacity is the
difference between the GVWR and
the weight of the truck with full fuel
and passengers. It is the amount of
weight that can be added to the
vehicle before reaching the GVWR.
Keep in mind that reserve capacity
numbers are intended as a guide
when selecting the amount of
equipment or cargo the truck can
carry. If unsure of the vehicle's front,
rear, or total weight, go to a weigh
station and weigh the vehicle.
Your dealer can also help with this.
The total vehicle reserve capacity
for the vehicle can be found
in the lower right corner of the
Certification/Tire label as shown
previously.
See your dealer for additional
advice and information about
using a snow plow on the vehicle.
Also, see
Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9‑25.

Black plate (129,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-129
Emergency Roof Lamp
Provisions
Vehicles with the RPO VYU snow
plow prep package also have an
emergency roof lamp provision
package, RPO TRW. Wiring for the
emergency roof lamp is provided
above the overhead console. See
Auxiliary Roof-Mounted Lamp on
page 6‑7for switch location.
Pickup Conversion to
Chassis Cab
We are aware that some vehicle
owners might consider having
the pickup box removed and a
commercial or recreational body
installed. Owners should be aware
that, as manufactured, there are
differences between a chassis cab
and a pickup with the box removed
which could affect vehicle safety.
The components necessary to adapt
a pickup to permit its safe use with
a specialized body should be
installed by the body builder.

Black plate (130,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
9-130 Driving and Operating
2NOTES

Black plate (1,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
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 . . . . . 10-11
Automatic Transmission Fluid (4-Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Automatic Transmission Fluid (6-Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-19
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-25
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-29
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Noise Control System . . . . . . 10-38
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-39
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-40
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-41
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Pick-Up Box Identification and Fender Marker
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Taillamps (Chassis Cab Models) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-48
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54

Black plate (2,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
10-2 Vehicle Care
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-58
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Dual Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . 10-75
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79 Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-82
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-97
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-103
Recreational Vehicle
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-103
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-108
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-112
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-116
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:

Black plate (3,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-3
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,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
Remote Keyless Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories
to the vehicle can affect vehicle
performance and safety, including
such things as airbags, braking,
stability, ride and handling,
emissions systems, aerodynamics,
durability, and electronic systems
like antilock brakes, traction control,
and stability control. Some of these
accessories could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from the installation or use
of non‐GM certified parts, including
control module modifications, is notcovered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer can accessorize the 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.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑46.

Black plate (4,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
10-4 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
the hybrid supplement for more
information.
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
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
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and
English fasteners can be
easily confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used, parts
can later break or fall off.
You could be hurt.
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑15. This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see
Airbag System
Check on page 3‑48.
Keep a record with all parts receipts
and list the mileage and the date
of any service work performed.
See Maintenance Records on
page 11‑12.

Black plate (5,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the handle with this symbolon it. It is located inside the
vehicle to the left of the brake
pedal.
2. Go to the front of the vehicleand locate the secondary hood
release. This is located under
the hood, near the center of
the grille. 3. Push the secondary hood
release to the right.
4. Lift the hood. Before closing the hood, be sure
all the filler caps are on properly.
Then bring the hood from full
open to within 152 mm (6 in)
from the closed position, pause,
and push the front center of the
hood with a swift, firm motion to
fully close the hood.

Black plate (6,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
10-6 Vehicle Care
Engine Compartment Overview
5.3 L V8 Engine Shown (4.3 L V6 Engine, 4.8 L V6 Engine, 6.0 L V8 Engine, and 6.2 L V8 Engine Similar)