2005 CHEVROLET COLORADO Owners Manual

4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift into PARK (P), or
REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission. See
Parking Brake on page 2-29for more information.
5. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear and not in
NEUTRAL. SeeFour-Wheel Drive on page 2-25for
more information.
6. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
start your engine,
shift into a gear, and
release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. SeeScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4for more on this. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transmission
uid (don’t overll), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt,
cooling system and brake system. Each of these is
covered in this manual, and the Index will help you nd
them quickly. If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle may be equipped with a four-pin trailer
towing harness. This harness has a four-pin trailer
connector that is attached to a bracket on the hitch
platform. The four-wire harness contains the following
trailer circuits:
Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
Brown: Taillamps/Park lamps
White: Ground
4-67

✍NOTES
4-68

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle...........................................5-5
Fuel................................................................5-5
Gasoline Octane............................................5-5
Gasoline Specications....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-6
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-7
Filling the Tank..............................................5-8
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.....................5-10
Checking Things Under the Hood....................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Oil Life System..................................5-16
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-19
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-22
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-24
Engine Coolant.............................................5-25
Radiator Pressure Cap..................................5-27
Engine Overheating.......................................5-28
Cooling System............................................5-29
Engine Fan Noise.........................................5-34Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-34
Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-35
Brakes........................................................5-36
Battery........................................................5-39
Jump Starting...............................................5-40
Rear Axle.......................................................5-44
Four-Wheel Drive............................................5-44
Front Axle......................................................5-45
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-46
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-46
Headlamps..................................................5-46
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and Daytime
Running Lamps.........................................5-48
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL).........5-48
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-49
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-50
Tires..............................................................5-52
Tire Sidewall Labelling...................................5-53
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-56
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-58
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-60
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-61
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Buying New Tires.........................................5-62
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-63
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-64
Wheel Replacement......................................5-64
Tire Chains..................................................5-66
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-67
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-68
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-69
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire..........................................5-73
Secondary Latch System...............................5-80
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools............5-83
Spare Tire...................................................5-86
Appearance Care............................................5-88
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-88
Fabric/Carpet...............................................5-90
Leather.......................................................5-90
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other Plastic
Surfaces..................................................5-91
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-91
Weatherstrips...............................................5-91
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-92Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.....................5-92
Finish Care..................................................5-92
Windshield and Wiper Blades.........................5-93
Aluminum Wheels.........................................5-93
Tires...........................................................5-94
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-94
Finish Damage.............................................5-95
Underbody Maintenance................................5-95
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-95
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-96
Vehicle Identication......................................5-97
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-97
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-97
Electrical System............................................5-98
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-98
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-98
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-98
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-99
Engine Compartment Fuse Block....................5-99
Capacities and Specications........................5-103
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to
be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer
for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts
and GM-trained and supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM.
Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems
(including some inside the vehicle), many uids, and
some component wear by-products contain and/or emit
these chemicals.
5-3

Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work,
you will want to use the proper service manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your vehicle
than this manual can. To order the proper service
manual, seeService Publications Ordering Information
on page 7-11.
Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, seeServicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-74.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and
list the mileage and the date of any service work
you perform. SeeMaintenance Record on page 6-15.{CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts,
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts,
and other fasteners. English and metric
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
5-4

Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle
can affect the airow around it. This may cause
wind noise and affect windshield washer performance.
Check with your dealer before adding equipment to
the outside of your vehicle.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of
the proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
87 or higher. If the octane is less than 87, you may get
a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs,
use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine.A little pinging noise when you accelerate or drive uphill is
considered normal. This does not indicate a problem
exists or that a higher-octane fuel is necessary. If you are
using 87 octane or higher-octane fuel and hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.
Gasoline Specications
It is recommended that gasoline meet specications
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide Fuel
Charter which is available from the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers at www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm.
Gasoline meeting these specications could provide
improved driveability and emission control system
performance compared to other gasoline.
5-5

California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet California Emission
Standards, it is designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specications. See the underhood
emission control label. If this fuel is not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp may turn on and your vehicle may fail a
smog-check test. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 3-30. If this occurs, return to your authorized
GM dealer for diagnosis. If it is determined that
the condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
may not be covered by your warranty.
Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent engine and fuel system deposits from forming,
allowing your emission control system to work properly.
In most cases, you should not have to add anything to
your fuel. However, some gasolines contain only the
minimum amount of additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations. General
Motors recommends that you buy gasolines that are
advertised to help keep fuel injectors and intake valves
clean. If your vehicle experiences problems due to dirty
injectors or valves, try a different brand of gasoline. Also,
your GM dealer has additives that will help correct and
prevent most deposit-related problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines may be available in
your area to contribute to clean air. General Motors
recommends that you use these gasolines, particularly if
they comply with the specications described earlier.
5-6