maintenance GMC YUKON DENALI 2003 User Guide

Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement .............. 5.54
Tires .............................................................. 5.55
Inflation .. Tire Pressure ............................... 5-55
Tire Inspection and Rotation ........................... 5.56
When It
Is Time for New Tires ....................... 5-58
Buying New Tires
......................................... 5.58
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
.......................... 5.59
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
.................. 5-61
Wheel Replacement
...................................... 5.61
Tire Chains
.................................................. 5-62
If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................ 5.63
Spare Tire
................................................... 5.77
Appearance Care ............................................ 5.78
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
................. 5-78
Care of Safety Belts
...................................... 5.80
Weatherstrips
............................................... 5.80
Changing a Flat Tire
..................................... 5-63 Cleaning the Outside
of Your Vehicle
.............. 5-81
Sheet Metal Damage
.................................... 25-83
Finish Damage
............................................ 5-83
Underbody Maintenance
............................... 5-84
Chemical Paint Spotting
................................ 5-84
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
........... 5-84
Vehicle Identification .................................... ,.5-86
Service Parts Identification Label
..................... 5-86
Electrical System ............................................ 5-87
Add-on Electrical Equipment .......................... 5-87
Windshield Wiper Fuses
............................... 25-87
Power Windows
and Other Power Options ....... 5-87
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
............................ 5-87
Capacities and Specifications .......................... 5-96
Capacities and Specifications ......................... 5-96
Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN)
................ 5-86
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ...... 5-98
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you’ll go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You’ll get genuine
GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you’ll want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you’ll
want to use the proper service manual. It tells you
much more about how to service your vehicie
than this
manual can. To order the proper service manual,
see Service Publications Ordering Information
on
page 7-10.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page
1-85.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See Part
E: Maintenance Record on page 6-17.
5-3

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.
1
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your
Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the airflow 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.
5-4

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 damage
your 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 Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specifications
which were developed by the American Automobile
Manufacturers Association and endorsed
by the
Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association for better
vehicle performance and engine protection. Gasoline meeting these specifications could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
"Auto Makers' Choice"
label on the pump.
Canada Only
5-5

I
1. To remove the engine air cleaner/filter, loosen the
screws on the cover.
2. Lift the cover upward and remove the engine air
cleaner/filter
out of the air cleaner housing. Care
should be taken to dislodge as little dirt as possible.
3. Clean the filter sealing surface and the housing.
4. Install the new engine air cleanedfilter. Refer
to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to replace the engine air cleanedfilter. See
Part 5:
Owner Checks and Services on page 6- 10.
Operating L.L engine _____. the air cleaner/filter
off can cause you or others to be burned. The
air cleaner not only cleans the air,
it stops
flame if the engine backfires.
If it isn’t there
and the engine backfires, you could be burned. Don’t drive with
it off, and be careful working
on the engine with the air cleanedfilter
off.
Notice: If the air cieaner/filter is off, a backfire can
cause a damaging engine fire. And, dirt can
easily get into your engine, which will damage
it.
Always have the air cleanedfilter in place when
you’re driving.
5. Install the cover and tighten the screws.
5-1 9

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the fluid and filter every
50,000 miles
(83
000 km) if the vehicle’s GVWR is over 8,600 or if
the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of these
conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If your vehicle’s GVWR is not over 8,600 and you do
not use your vehicle under any of these conditions,
change the fluid and filter every
100,000 miles
(1 66 000 km).
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may
choose to have this done at the dealership service
department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick.
Notice: Too much or too little fluid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some of the fluid could come out and fall
on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a fire.
Too little fluid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission fluid level
if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic - especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
See
Part A: Scheduled Maintenance Services on
page 6-4.
5-20

See Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12 for
more information on location.
1. Flip the handle up and then pull out the dipstick
and wipe it with a clean rag or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the lower
level. The fluid level must be in the COLD area,
below the cross-hatched area, for a cold check or in
the HOT area or cross-hatched area for a
hot check.
4. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then flip the handle
down
to lock the dipstick in place.
How to Add Fluid
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of transmission fluid
to use. See Part D:
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-15.
Add fluid only after checking the transmission fluid while
it is hot. (A cold check is used only as
a reference.) If
the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper fluid
to bring the level up to the HOT area for a hot check.
It doesn't take much fluid, generally less than one
pint (0.5 L). Don't overfill.
Notice: We recommend you use only fluid labeled
DEXRON@
-111, because fluid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRON@
-111 is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under How to Check.
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then flip the handle
down
to lock the dipstick in place.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is filled with
DEX-COOL@ engine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs first, if you add
only DEX-COOL@ extended life coolant.
5-22

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is filled with DOT-3
brake fluid. See Engine Compartment Overview on
page
5-12 for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake fluid level in
the reservoir might go down. The first is that the
brake fluid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the fluid level goes back up. The other reason is
that fluid is leaking out of the brake system. If it is, you
should have your brake system fixed, since a leak
means that sooner or later your brakes won’t work well,
or won’t work at all.
So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’ your brake fluid.
Adding brake fluid won’t correct a leak. If you add fluid
when your linings are worn, then you’ll have
too
much fluid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake fluid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
If you have too n._.:h brake ------) it can s,
the engine. The fluid will burn if the enginc
... I on
e is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
fluid 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 fluid. See Part C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page
6- 14.
5-36

Brake Pedal Travel Battery
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or
if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes
adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex. Its many
parts have to be
of top quality and work well together if
the vehicle is to have really good braking. Your
vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality
GM
brake parts. When you replace parts of your braking
system
- for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you need new ones put in
- be sure
you get new approved
GM replacement parts. If
you don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example,
if someone puts in brake linings that are
wrong for your vehicle, the balance between your front
and rear brakes can change
- for the worse. The
braking performance you’ve come to expect can change
in many other ways
if someone puts in the wrong
replacement brake parts. Your
new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelco@ battery. When it’s time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number shown on the
original battery’s label. We recommend an ACDelco@
battery. See Engine Compartment Overview
on
page 5-72 for battery location.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after
handling.
Vehicle Storage
If you’re not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days or
more, remove the black, negative
(-) cable from
+‘-? battery. This will hc’- keep your battery from
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
aren’t careful. See “Jump Starting” next for
tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
5-39

All-Wheel Drive
Lubricant checks in this section also apply to these
vehicles. However, there are two additional systems that
need lubrication.
Transfer Case
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often
to check the lubricant. See Part C: Periodic
Maintenance Inspections on page
6-14.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.
If the level is below the bottom of the filler plug hole,
you’ll need
to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the filler plug hole.
Use care not
to overtighten the plug.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant
to use. See Part D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page
6-15.
5-46