2004 GMC SIERRA DENALI checking oil

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-4
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-5
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-6
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-8
Checking Things Under the Hood.....................5-8
Hood Release................................................5-9
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-10
Engine Oil...................................................5-11
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-16
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-18
Engine Coolant.............................................5-21
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-24
Engine Overheating.......................................5-25
Cooling System............................................5-28Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-34
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-34
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-35
Brakes........................................................5-36
Battery........................................................5-40
Jump Starting...............................................5-41
All-Wheel Drive..............................................5-46
Rear Axle.......................................................5-47
Front Axle......................................................5-48
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-49
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-49
Headlamps..................................................5-49
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Daytime
Running Lamps.........................................5-50
Roof Marker Lamps......................................5-52
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp.............................................5-54
Pickup Box Identi®cation and Fender
Marker Lamps...........................................5-55
Taillamps.....................................................5-56
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-57
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Notice:If you need a new fuel cap, be sure to get
the right type. Your dealer can get one for you. If you
get the wrong type, it may not ®t properly. This may
cause your malfunction indicator lamp to light and
may damage your fuel tank and emissions system.
See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-40.
Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{CAUTION:
Never ®ll a portable fuel container while it is in
your vehicle. Static electricity discharge from
the container can ignite the gasoline vapor.
You can be badly burned and your vehicle
damaged if this occurs. To help avoid injury to
you and others:
·Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
·Do not ®ll a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle's trunk, pickup bed or
on any surface other than the ground.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
·
Bring the ®ll nozzle in contact with the
inside of the ®ll opening before operating
the nozzle. Contact should be maintained
until the ®lling is complete.
·Do not smoke while pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts
and start a ®re. These include liquids like fuel,
oil, coolant, brake ¯uid, windshield washer and
other ¯uids, and plastic or rubber. You or
others could be burned. Be careful not to drop
or spill things that will burn onto a hot engine.
5-8

A. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 5-16.
B. Coolant Surge Tank. See
Engine Coolant on
page 5-21.
C. Air Cleaner/Filter Restriction Indicator. See
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-16.
D. Engine Oil Dipstick. See
Engine Oil on page 5-10.
E. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See
Engine Oil on page 5-10.
F. Automatic Transmission Dipstick. See
Automatic
Transmission Fluid on page 5-18.
G. Fan. See
Cooling System on page 5-28.
H. Remote Negative (-) Terminal (GND). See
Jump
Starting on page 5-41.
I. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. See
Jump Starting on
page 5-41.
J. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See
Power Steering
Fluid on page 5-34.
K. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See
Brakes on page 5-36.
L. Underhood Fuse Block. See
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 5-105.
M. Battery. See
Battery on page 5-40.
N. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See
Windshield
Washer Fluid on page 5-35.
Engine Oil
If the CHECK OIL LEVEL light appears on the
instrument cluster, it means you need to check your
engine oil level right away. For more information,
see ªCHECK OIL LEVELº under
DIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-57.
You should check your engine oil level regularly; this is
an added reminder.
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check your engine oil every time you
get fuel. In order to get an accurate reading, the oil
must be warm and the vehicle must be on level ground.
The engine oil dipstick handle is a yellow loop. See
Engine Compartment Overview on page 5-10for
the location of the engine oil dipstick.
Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to
drain back into the oil pan. If you don't, the oil
dipstick might not show the actual level.
Pull out the dipstick and clean it with a paper towel or
cloth, then push it back in all the way. Remove it again,
keeping the tip down, and check the level.
5-11

Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission ¯uid
level is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more of these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·When doing frequent trailer towing.
·Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
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 ¯uid can damage
your transmission. Too much can mean that some
of the ¯uid could come out and fall on hot engine
part or exhaust system parts, starting a ®re.
Too little ¯uid could cause the transmission to
overheat. Be sure to get an accurate reading if you
check your transmission ¯uid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission ¯uid level if you have been driving:
·When outside temperatures are above 90ÉF (32ÉC).
·At high speed for quite a while.
·In heavy traffic ± especially in hot weather.
·While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the ¯uid should be at
normal operating temperature, which is 180ÉF to 200ÉF
(82ÉC to 93ÉC).
5-18

C
California Fuel.................................................. 5-5
Canada........................................................... 7-5
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Canadian Roadside Assistance........................... 7-7
Capacities and Speci®cations..........................5-114
Car Washes for QUADRASTEERŸ Equipped
Vehicles.....................................................4-14
Carbon Monoxide...................4-42, 4-58, 2-11, 2-29
Care of
Safety Belts................................................5-98
Your Cassette Tape Player............................3-87
Your CD Player...........................................3-88
Your CDs ...................................................3-88
Cargo Lamp...................................................3-15
CARGO LAMP ON.........................................3-58
Cassette Tape Messages.................................3-76
CD Adapter Kits.............................................3-76
CD Changer...................................................3-82
CD Changer Errors.........................................3-84
CD Functions.................................................3-83
CD Messages................................................3-79
Center Console Storage Area...........................2-42
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) and
Cargo Lamp...............................................5-54
Center Instrument Panel Fuse Block................5-108
Center Passenger Position, Safety Belts.............1-22
Chains, Tires..................................................5-74CHANGE ENGINE OIL....................................3-58
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-40
Check Engine Light.........................................3-40
CHECK OIL LEVEL.........................................3-59
CHECK WASHER FLUID.................................3-59
Checking Brake Fluid......................................5-37
Checking Coolant............................................5-23
Checking Engine Oil........................................5-11
Checking Things Under the Hood....................... 5-8
Checking Your Restraint Systems......................1-79
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-102
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-36
Infants and Young Children...........................1-32
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)..........................1-44
Older Children.............................................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System........................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position...........................................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position...........................................1-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position...........................................1-56
Top Strap...................................................1-40
Top Strap Anchor Location............................1-42
Where to Put the Restraint...........................1-39
3

G
Gage
Engine Coolant Temperature.........................3-38
Fuel..........................................................3-45
Oil Pressure...............................................3-43
Speedometer..............................................3-29
Tachometer.................................................3-29
Transmission Temperature.............................3-39
Voltmeter Gage...........................................3-36
Garage Door Opener.......................................2-38
Gasoline
Octane........................................................ 5-4
Speci®cations............................................... 5-4
Gate Operator and Canadian Programming........2-41
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving................4-20
Glove Box.....................................................2-42
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities.................................................... 7-5
H
Hazard Warning Flashers................................... 3-4
Head Restraints............................................... 1-7
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.................... 3-6
Headlamps....................................................5-49
Bulb Replacement.......................................5-49
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Daytime
Running Lamps........................................5-50Headlamps (cont.)
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-49
Pickup Box Identi®cation and Fender
Marker Lamps.........................................5-55
Roof Marker Lamps.....................................5-52
Heated Seats................................................... 1-4
Heating.........................................................3-24
Highway Hypnosis...........................................4-39
Hill and Mountain Roads..................................4-40
Hitches..........................................................4-63
HomeLink
žTransmitter....................................2-38
HomeLinkžTransmitter, Programming................2-39
Hood
Checking Things Under.................................. 5-8
Release....................................................... 5-9
Horn............................................................... 3-5
How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank.................................................5-30
How to Add Fluid............................................5-20
How to Check........................................5-18, 5-67
How to Check Lubricant...................................5-47
How to Check Power Steering Fluid..................5-35
How to Inspect...............................................5-16
How to Use This Manual...................................... ii
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly...................1-14
Hydroplaning..................................................4-35
7