2003 GMC SIERRA DENALI wheel

Notice: If the other system isn’t a 12-volt system
with a negative ground, both vehicles can be
damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved
in the jump start procedure. Put the automatic
transmission in PARK
(P) before setting the parking
brake.
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be
sure the transfer case is in a drive gear not in
NEUTRAL.
Notice: If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
3.
4.
Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the accessory power outlets. Turn
off
the radio and all the lamps that aren’t needed.
This will avoid sparks and help save both batteries.
And it could save your radio!
Open the hoods and locate the positive
(+) and
negative
(-) terminal locations of the other vehicle.
Your vehicle has a remote positive
(+) jump starting
terminal and a remote negative
(-) jump starting
terminal. You should always use these remote
terminals instead of the terminals on the battery.
The remote positive
(+) terminal is located behind
a red plastic cover near the engine accessory
drive bracket.
To uncover the remote positive (+)
terminal, open the red plastic cover.
The remote negative
(-) terminal is located on the
engine drive bracket on all
V8 and diesel
engines, and on the thermostat housing on the
8.1L engine. On
V8 engines it is marked ”GND.”
See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-12
for more information on location.
5-44

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 hoie.
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
6-16.
Automatic Transfer Case (A) Fill Plug (B) Drain Plug
5-49

Rear Axle
When to Check Lubricant
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine how
often to check the lubricant. See
PaHA: 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 is from
5/8 inch to 1 5/8 inch (1 5 mm to
40 mm) below the bottom of the filler plug hole. Add
only enough fluid to reach the proper level. The proper
level for vehicles with QUADRASTEERTM
(4 Wheel
Steer) is from
0 to 1/4 inch (0 to 6 mm) below the filler
plug hole. Add only enough fluid to reach the proper
level.
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- 16.
5-50

Inflation - Tire Pressure
The CertificationKire label, which is on the rear edge of
the driver’s door, shows the correct inflation pressures
for your tires when they’re cold. “Cold” means your
vehicle has been sitting for at least three hours or driven
no more than
1 mile (1.6 km).
Notice: Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation
or overinflation is all right. It’s not. If your tires
don’t have enough air (underinflation), you can get
the following:
Too much flexing
Too much heat
Tire overloading
Bad wear
Bad handling
Bad fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (overinflation), you
can get the following:
Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards
5-62
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 inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
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 5-64 and Wheel Replacement
on page
5-67 for 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 and jack handle extensions to
tighten the cable. See
Changing a Flat Tire on
page
5-69.

The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The first rotation
is the most important. See “Part A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services,” in Section
6, for scheduled
rotation
intervals;
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on the
CertificationEire label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque”
under
Capacities and Specificatiol on ge 5-104.
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the spare tire in your tire rotation. 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 “Changing a Flal
Tire”
in the Index.
5-63

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 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 17 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.
If yo^ Jse bias-ply tires on y--. ,chicle, the
wheel rim flanges 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.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold
in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters
of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to
30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
5-65

While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect
to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and
a half
(1.5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded
100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction - AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
Temperature - A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation
of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds
to a
level of performance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination.
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
5-66

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However,
if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded.
If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer
if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any
of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new
GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle. Usin,
__ __ wrong replacement wheels,
whc
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous.
It could affect the braking and
handling
of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you
lose control. You could have
a collision
in which you or others could be
injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts
for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire clearance to the
body and chassis.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-69 for more
information.
5-67