1999 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Owners Manual

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2-17
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid
draining your battery or damaging your starter.
2. If it doesn't start within 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, while you
hold the ignition key in START. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and let up on the accelerator
pedal. Wait about 15 seconds between each try to help
avoid draining your battery or damaging your starter.
When starting your engine in very cold weather
(below 0
F or
-18
C), do this:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START and hold it there. When the
engine starts, let go of the key. Use the accelerator
pedal to maintain engine speed, if you have to, until
your engine has run for a while.2. If your engine still won't start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the same thing, but
this time keep the pedal down for five or six seconds.
This clears the extra gasoline from the engine.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your 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 don't,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See ªTowing
Your Vehicleº in the Index.

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2-18 Starting Your V6 Engine
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn your
ignition key to START. When the engine starts, let
go of the key. The idle speed will go down as your
engine gets warm.
NOTICE:
Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will cause your battery to
be drained much sooner. And the excessive heat
can damage your starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid
draining your battery or damaging your starter.
2. If it doesn't start right away, hold your key in
START. If it doesn't start in 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way down for five more
seconds, unless it starts sooner.3. If your engine still won't start (or starts but then
stops), wait 15 seconds and start over.
When the engine starts, let go of the key and the
accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your 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 don't,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See ªTowing
Your Vehicleº in the Index.

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2-19
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
In very cold weather,
0
F (
-18
C) or colder, the
engine coolant heater
can help.
You'll get easier starting and better fuel economy during
engine warm
-up. Usually, the coolant heater should be
plugged in a minimum of four hours prior to starting
your vehicle.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord is located on the driver's side of the engine
compartment, near the power steering fluid reservoir.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110
-volt AC outlet.
CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire. You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three
-prong
11 0
-volt AC outlet. If the cord won't reach, use a
heavy
-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store
the cord as it was before to keep it away from moving
engine parts. If you don't, it could be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead of
trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you'll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for
that particular area.

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2-20
Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
If your vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission, it features an electronic shift position
indicator within the instrument cluster. This display
must be powered anytime the shift lever is capable of
being moved out of PARK (P). This means that if your
key is in OFF, rather than LOCK, there will be a small
current drain on your battery which could discharge
your battery over a period of time. If you have to
leave your key in the ignition OFF position for an
extended period, it is recommended that you remove
the IGN 0 fuse from the instrument panel fuse block.
See ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the Index.PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It's the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can't move easily.
CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
CAUTION: (Continued)

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2-21
CAUTION: (Continued)
If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle will
be free to roll
-- even if your shift lever is in
PARK (P)
-- if your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL (N). So, be sure the transfer case is
in a drive gear, two
-wheel high (2H) or
four
-wheel high (4H) or four-wheel low
(4L)
-- not in NEUTRAL (N). See ªShifting Into
PARK (P)º in the Index. If you're pulling a
trailer, see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transmission.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
ªStuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snowº in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn't
connect with the wheels. To restart when you're already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
CAUTION:
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine is ªracingº (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don't shift out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while your engine is racing.

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2-22
NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn't covered by your warranty.
DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving. If you
need more power for passing, and you're:

Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.

Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You'll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer, carrying
a heavy load, driving on steep hills or for off
-road
driving. You may want to shift the transmission to
THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often.THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than DRIVE (D).
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
If you manually select SECOND (2) in a light duty
automatic transmission, the transmission will drive in
second gear. You may use this feature for reducing the
speed of the rear wheels when you are trying to start
your vehicle from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission won't shift into first
gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.

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2-23
NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can't rotate, don't try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don't hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
On cold days, approximately 32
F (0
C) or colder, your
transmission is designed to shift differently until the
engine reaches normal operating temperature. This is
intended to improve heater performance.
Tow/Haul Mode (Automatic Transmission)
Your vehicle is equipped with a tow/haul mode. The
selector switch is located on the end of the column shift
lever. You can use this feature to assist when towing or
hauling a heavy load. See ªTow/Haul Modeº in the
Index for more information.

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2-24
Manual Transmission Operation
5-Speed (VORTEC 6000 V8 and 6.5L
V8 Diesel Engines)
Here's how to operate
your transmission.
FIRST (1) is intended only for heavy loads or trailer
towing and is not recommended for normal driving.
During the first 500 miles (805 km) of vehicle use, start
your vehicle moving in FIRST (1). This allows clutch
components to break
-in properly.FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal. Shift into FIRST (1)
only when the vehicle is below 5 mph (8 km/h). If you
try to shift down into FIRST (1) at excessive vehicle
speeds, the shift lever will not move into the FIRST (1)
position until vehicle speed is reduced.
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
SECOND (2). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into SECOND (2) when you're going less
than 20 mph (32 km/h). If you've come to a complete
stop and it's hard to shift into SECOND (2), put the shift
lever into NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch.
Press the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into
SECOND (2). If you try to downshift into SECOND (2)
at excessive vehicle speeds, the shift lever will not move
into the SECOND (2) position until the vehicle speed
is reduced.
THIRD (3): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
THIRD (3). Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.