2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO wheel

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. SeePart C: Periodic
MaintenanceInspections on page 6-17.
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 ®ller plug hole,
you'll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the ®ller 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. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-19.
AWD Transfer Case (A) Fill Plug (B) Drain Plug
5-54

Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. SeePart A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services on page 6-4.
How to Check Lubricant
To get an accurate reading, the vehicle should be on a
level surface.The proper level for the 1500 Series is from 5/8 inch to
1 5/8 inch (15 mm to 40 mm) below the bottom of
the ®ller plug hole. The proper level for the 1500 HD
Series, 2500 Series, 2500 HD, and 3500 Series is from
0 to 1/2 inch (0 to 13 mm) below the bottom of the
®ller plug hole. The proper level for the 1500 and
2500 Series vehicles with QUADRASTEERŸ (4 Wheel
Steer) is from 0 to 1/4 inch (0 to 6 mm) below the
®ller plug hole. Add only enough ¯uid to reach the proper
level.
What to Use
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine what
kind of lubricant to use. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-19.
1500 Series Shown, 2500 Series Similar
5-55

Four-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. SeePart C: Periodic
MaintenanceInspections on page 6-17.
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 ®ller plug hole,
you'll need to add some lubricant. Add enough lubricant
to raise the level to the bottom of the ®ller 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. SeePart D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-19.
Manual Transfer Case
Automatic Transfer Case
5-56

·Tire overloading
·Bad wear
·Bad handling
·Bad fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (overin¯ation), you
can get the following:
·Unusual wear
·Bad handling
·Rough ride
·Needless damage from road hazards
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Also, check the tire pressure of the spare tire.
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can't tell if your tires are properly in¯ated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly in¯ated even when they're underin¯ated.Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem. Press
the tire gage ®rmly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire in¯ation pressure is low,
add air until you reach the recommended amount.
If you over®ll the tire, release air by pushing on the metal
stem in the center of the tire valve. Recheck the tire
pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Dual Tire Operation
When the vehicle is new, or whenever a wheel, wheel
bolt or wheel nut is replaced, check the wheel nut torque
after 100, 1,000 and 6,000 miles (160, 1 600 and
10 000 km) of driving. For proper torque and wheel nut
tightening information, see ªRemoving the Flat Tire
and Installing the Spare Tireº in the index.
The outer tire on a dual wheel setup generally wears
faster than the inner tire. Your tires will wear more
evenly and last longer if you rotate the tires periodically.
See ªTire Inspection and Rotationº earlier in this
section. Also see ªScheduled Maintenance Servicesº in
the Index for scheduled rotation intervals
5-70

{CAUTION:
If you operate your vehicle with a tire that is
badly underin¯ated, the tire can overheat. An
overheated tire can lose air suddenly or catch
®re. You or others could be injured. Be sure all
tires (including the spare) are properly in¯ated.
See ªTiresº and ªIn¯ation ± Tire Pressureº in the Index
for more information on proper tire in¯ation.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles (12 500 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires
as soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. See
When It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-73andWheel Replacement
on page 5-76for more information.
Make sure the spare tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to rotate or turn the tire. If it moves,
use the wheel wrench/hoist shaft to tighten the cable.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-80.
If your vehicle has dual rear wheels, also see
Dual Tire
Operation on page 5-70.The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The ®rst rotation
is the most important. See ªPart A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services,º in Section 6, for scheduled
rotation intervals.
If your vehicle has single rear wheels and the tread
design for your front tires is the same as your rear tires,
always use one of the correct rotation patterns shown
here when rotating your tires. If your vehicle is an
SS model, the spare tire is not designed to be used in
the tire rotation.
If your vehicle has front tires with different tread designs
(such as all season vs. on/off road) than the rear
tires, don't rotate your tires front to rear.
5-71

If your vehicle has dual rear wheels and the tread
design for your front tires is the same as your rear tires,
always use one of the correct rotation patterns shown
here when rotating your tires.If your vehicle has dual rear
wheels and the tread
design for the front tires is
different from the dual rear
tires, always use the
correct rotation pattern
shown here when rotating
your tires. The dual tires
are rotated as a pair, and
the inside rear tires became
the outside rear tires.
When you install dual wheels, be sure the vent holes in
the inner and outer wheels on each side are lined up.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear in¯ation pressures as shown on the
Certi®cation/Tire label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See ªWheel Nut Torqueº
under
Capacities and Speci®cations on page 5-118.
5-72

{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an emergency, you can use a cloth or a
paper towel to do this; but be sure to use a
scraper or wire brush later, if you need to, to
get all the rust or dirt off. See ªChanging a Flat
Tireº in the Index.
When It Is Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it's
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have only 1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining. Some
commercial truck tires may
not have treadwear
indicators.
You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:
·You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
·You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire's rubber.
·The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged
deep enough to show cord or fabric.
·The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
·The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can't be repaired well because of the size or
location of the damage.
5-73

Buying New Tires
To ®nd out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Certi®cation/Tire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had a
Tire Performance Criteria Speci®cation (TPC Spec)
number on each tire's sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread design,
the TPC number will be followed by an ªMSº (for mud
and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a TPC
Spec number, make sure they are the same size, load
range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you could
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
have a crash. Using tires of different sizes may
also cause damage to your vehicle. Be sure to
use the same size and type tires on all wheels.
If your vehicle has 20 inch road tires (those
originally installed on your vehicle) it is all
right to drive with the 16 inch spare tire that
came with your vehicle. When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with the same overall diameter as
your vehicle's road tires and wheels. Because
this spare tire was developed for use on your
vehicle, it will not affect vehicle handling or
cause damage to your vehicle.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim ¯anges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
5-74