2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE battery

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There air bag system parts in several places around
your vehicle. You don't want the system to in¯ate while
someone is working on your vehicle. Your dealer
and the service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the air bag system. To purchase a
service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 7-11.
{CAUTION:
For up to 1 minute after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can still in¯ate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close to
an air bag when it in¯ates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air
bag system. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is quali®ed to do so.
Air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the front or
sides of the vehicle that could keep the air
bags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle's
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet
metal or height, they may keep the air bag system
from working properly. Also, the air bag system
may not work properly if you relocate any of the air
bag sensors. If you have any questions about
this, you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone
numbers and addresses for Customer Assistance
are in Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure in this manual. See
Customer
Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2
.
1-66

·Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See ªBattery Replacementº under
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation on
page 2-5.
·If you are still having trouble, see your dealer or a
quali®ed technician for service.
Remote Keyless Entry System
Operation
You can lock and unlock your doors from about 3 feet
(1 m) up to 100 feet (30 m) away using the remote
keyless entry transmitter supplied with your vehicle.
K(Unlock):Pressing this
button once will unlock the
driver's door. The interior
lamps will come on.
Pressing unlock again
within three seconds will
cause the remaining doors
to unlock.You can choose different feedback options for each
press of the unlock button, such as having the vehicle's
perimeter lamps come on and/or having the horn
chirp. See
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-46for
more information.
Q(Lock):Pressing this button once will lock all of the
doors. Pressing the button again within three seconds
may cause the horn to chirp for lock con®rmation.
You can choose different feedback options for each
press of the lock button, such as having the vehicle's
perimeter lamps ¯ash and/or having the horn chirp. See
DIC Operation and Displays on page 3-46for more
information.
L(Panic):When this button is pressed, the horn will
sound and the headlamps and taillamps will ¯ash for
up to 30 seconds. This can be turned off by pressing the
button again, or by waiting for 30 seconds, or by
starting the vehicle.
2-5

Matching Transmitter(s) to Your
Vehicle
Each remote keyless entry transmitter is coded to
prevent another transmitter from unlocking your vehicle.
If a transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can
be purchased through your dealer. Remember to bring
any remaining transmitters with you when you go to
your dealer. When the dealer matches the replacement
transmitter to your vehicle, any remaining transmitters
must also be matched. Once your dealer has coded the
new transmitter, the lost transmitter will not unlock
your vehicle. Each vehicle can have a maximum of four
transmitters matched to it.
Battery Replacement
Under normal use, the battery in your remote keyless
entry transmitter should last about two years.
You can tell the battery is weak if the transmitter won't
work at the normal range in any location. If you have
to get close to your vehicle before the transmitter works,
it's probably time to change the battery.
Notice:When replacing the battery, use care not to
touch any of the circuitry. Static from your body
transferred to these surfaces may damage the
transmitter.To replace the battery in the keyless entry transmitter,
do the following:
1. Insert a thin object, such as a coin, in the slot
between the covers of the transmitter housing
near the key ring hole. Remove the bottom
by twisting the coin.
2. Remove and replace the battery with a
three-volt CR2032 or equivalent battery, positive (+)
side up.
3. Align the covers and snap them together.
4. Check the operation of the transmitter.
2-6

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle is equipped with a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.
With this system, the
security light in the
instrument panel cluster
will ¯ash as you open
the door if your ignition is
off.
This light reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here's how to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The security
light should come on and stay on.
3. Close all doors. The security light should go off
after about 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes off.If a locked door is opened without the key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will go off. The
headlamps and parking lamps will ¯ash for two minutes,
and the horn will sound for 30 seconds, then will turn
off to save the battery power. You can choose different
feedback options for the alarm. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-46.
Remember, the theft-deterrent system won't activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key if
the alarm has been set off.
Here's how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
·If you don't want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key
afterthe doors are closed.
·Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set off the alarm.
If you set off the alarm by accident, unlock any door
with the key. You can also turn off the alarm by pressing
unlock on the remote keyless entry transmitter. The
alarm won't stop if you try to unlock a door any other
way.
2-25

Notice:If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you
can't turn it, be sure you are using the correct key; if
so, is it all the way in? Turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force it could break the
key or the ignition switch. If none of these works,
then your vehicle needs service.
B (ACCESSORY):This position allows you to use
things like the radio, power windows and the windshield
wipers when the engine is off.
C (RUN):This position is for driving.
D (START):This position starts your engine.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
The Retained Accessory Power (RAP) feature will allow
certain features on your vehicle to continue to work
for up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to
LOCK.
Starting Your Engine
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine won't start in any other position ± that's a
safety feature. To restart when you're already moving,
use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Notice:Don't try to shift to PARK (P) if your
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could damage the
transaxle. Shift to PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
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.
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 ¯oor, 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.
When starting your engine in very cold weather (below
0ÉF or-18ÉC), do this:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START and hold it there up to
15 seconds. When the engine starts, let go of the
key.
2-28

Programming the HomeLinkž
Transmitter
Do not use the HomeLinkžTransmitter with any garage
door opener that does not have the ªstop and reverseº
feature. This includes any garage door opener model
manufactured before April 1, 1982. If you have a newer
garage door opener with rolling codes, please be
sure to follow steps 6 through 8 to complete the
programming of your HomeLink
žTransmitter.
Read the instructions completely before attempting to
program the HomeLink
žTransmitter. Because of
the steps involved, it may be helpful to have another
person available to assist you in programming the
transmitter.
Keep the original transmitter for use in other vehicles as
well as for future HomeLink
žprogramming. It is also
recommended that upon the sale of the vehicle,
the programmed HomeLink
žbuttons should be erased
for security purposes. Refer to ªErasing HomeLinkž
Buttonsº or, for assistance, contact HomeLinkžon the
internet at: www.homelink.com or by calling
1-800-355-3515.
Be sure that people and objects are clear of the garage
door or gate operator you are programming. When
programming a garage door, it is advised to park outside
of the garage.It is recommended that a new battery be installed in
your hand-held transmitter for quicker and more
accurate transmission of the radio frequency.
Your vehicle's engine should be turned off while
programming the transmitter. Follow these steps to
program up to three channels:
1. Press and hold down the two outside buttons,
releasing only when the indicator light begins to
¯ash, after 20 seconds. Do not hold down the
buttons for longer than 30 seconds and do not
repeat this step to program a second and/or third
transmitter to the remaining two HomeLink
žbuttons.
2. Position the end of your hand-held transmitter about
1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 cm) away from the HomeLink
ž
buttons while keeping the indicator light in view.
3. Simultaneously press and hold both the desired
button on HomeLink
žand the hand-held transmitter
button. Do not release the buttons until Step 4
has been completed.
Some entry gates and garage door openers may
require you to substitute Step 3 with the procedure
noted in ªGate Operator and Canadian
Programmingº later in this section.
4. The indicator light will ¯ash slowly at ®rst and then
rapidly after HomeLink
žsuccessfully receives the
frequency signal from the hand-held transmitter.
Release both buttons.
5. Press and hold the newly-trained HomeLink
žbutton
and observe the indicator light.
2-56

Sunroof
Your vehicle may be equipped with a power sliding
sunroof. To open or close your sunroof, the ignition
needs to be on or RAP needs to be active. See
ªRetained Accessory Powerº under
Ignition Positions on
page 2-27.
Press and release the rear side of the button located in
the front overhead console to express-open the glass
panel and sunshade. To close the glass panel,
press and hold the front of the button. The glass will not
be fully seated unless the button is held until the
glass stops moving. With the sunroof closed, press the
forward side of the button to open the sunroof to the
vent position.The sunroof is also equipped with a sunshade which
you can pull forward to block sun rays.
If a hand, arm, or other object is blocking the sunroof
glass panel as it is closing, the glass panel will stop
at the obstruction. After the obstruction is removed, the
glass panel can be closed or opened.
Use care not to leave the sunroof open for long periods
of time as debris may collect in the tracks.
If the battery has been recharged, disconnected or is
not working, you may need to reprogram the sunroof. To
do this, start the vehicle and press the forward side of
the sunroof button until the glass panel moves to a fully
closed position. Release, and press again to move to
the vent position which occurs when the sunroof is fully
tilted rearward. This will reset the memory and enable
the sunroof to function properly.
2-84

Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The lamps will not
come on if the dome override button is pressed in.
Reading Lamps
If your vehicle has reading
lamps, press the button
located next to the lamp to
turn it on. The lamps
can be adjusted to point in
the direction you want.
Press the button again to turn the lamp off.Your vehicle may also have reading lamps in other
locations. To turn on or off, press the button located next
to the lamp. The lamps are ®xed and cannot be
adjusted.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off lights such as the dome and
reading lights if they are left on for more than 20 minutes
when the ignition is in lock. This will keep your battery
from running down.
3-18