2006 CHEVROLET SILVERADO four wheel drive

Shifting In or Out of NEUTRAL
1. With the vehicle running and the engine at an idle
set the parking brake.
2. Place the transmission into NEUTRAL (N).
Shift the transfer case in one continuous motion into or
out of the NEUTRAL position.
Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case buttons
are located to the left of
the instrument panel
cluster.
Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive.
Recommended Transfer Case Settings
Driving
ConditionsTransfer Case Settings
2
mAUTO
4WD4m4nN
Normal YES
Variable YES
Severe YES
Extreme YES
Vehicle
in Tow*YES
*SeeRecreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-62for
further information.
You can choose among four driving settings:
Notice:Driving on clean, dry pavement in
Four-Wheel-Drive High or Four-Wheel-Drive Low for
an extended period of time may cause premature
wear on your vehicle’s powertrain. Do not drive on
clean, dry pavement in Four-Wheel-Drive High or
Four-Wheel-Drive Low for extended periods of time.
AUTO 4WD (Automatic Four-Wheel Drive):This
setting is ideal for use when road surface traction
conditions are variable. When driving your vehicle in
Automatic Four-Wheel Drive, the front axle is engaged,
but the vehicle’s power is sent to the rear wheels.
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When the vehicle detects a loss of traction, the system
will automatically engage four-wheel drive. Driving in
this mode results in slightly lower fuel economy
than Two-Wheel High.
2
m(Two-Wheel High):This setting is used for driving
in most street and highway situations. Your front axle
is not engaged in two-wheel drive. This setting also
provides the best fuel economy.
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL
can cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. SeeParking Brake on
page 2-49.
N (NEUTRAL):Shift the vehicle’s transfer case to
N (NEUTRAL) only when towing your vehicle.
SeeRecreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-62or
Towing Your Vehicle on page 4-61for more information.4
m(Four-Wheel High):Use this setting when you
need extra traction, such a on snowy or icy roads or in
most off-road situations. This setting also engages
your front axle to help drive your vehicle. This is the best
setting to use when plowing snow.
4
n(Four-Wheel Low):This setting also engages
your front axle and delivers extra torque. You may never
need Four-Wheel Low. It sends maximum power to all
four wheels. You might choose Four-Wheel Low if
you are driving off-road in deep sand, deep mud, deep
snow, and while climbing or descending steep hills.
When operating in Four-Wheel Low, the gear ratio
provides additional torque when compared to
four-wheel high. The transmission gear shift feel will
be exaggerated.
Indicator lights in the switches show which setting your
transfer case is in. The indicator lights will come on
briey when you turn on the ignition and one will stay on.
If the lights do not come on, you should take your
vehicle to your dealer for service. An indicator light will
ash while the transfer case is being shifted. It will
stay on when the shift is complete. If for some reason
the transfer case cannot make a requested shift, it
will return to the last chosen setting.
If the SERVICE 4WD message stays on, you should
take your vehicle to your dealer for service. See
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-54for further
information.
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Shifting into Four-Wheel High or AUTO
4WD (Automatic Four-Wheel Drive)
Press and release the four-wheel high or AUTO 4WD
switch. This can be done at any speed, except
when shifting from Four-Wheel Low, and the indicator
light will ash while shifting. It will remain on when
the shift is completed.
Shifting into Two-Wheel High
Press and release the Two-Wheel High switch. This can
be done at any speed, except when shifting from
Four-Wheel Low.
Shifting into Four-Wheel Low
Notice:Shifting the transfer case into Four-Wheel
Low while moving at speeds faster than 3 mph
(5 km/h) may cause premature wear to the transfer
case, and may cause the gears to grind. To avoid
causing premature wear, and grinding the gears, do
not shift the transfer case into Four-Wheel Low while
the vehicle is moving faster than 3 mph (5 km/h).
To shift to Four-Wheel Low, the ignition must be in RUN
and the vehicle must be stopped or moving less than
3 mph (5 km/h) with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
The preferred method for shifting into Four-Wheel Low is
to have your vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h).Press and release the Four-Wheel Low switch. You must
wait for the Four-Wheel Low indicator light to stop
ashing and remain on before shifting your transmission
in gear.
Notice:Shifting the transmission into gear before
the Four-Wheel Low indicator light has stopped
ashing could damage the transfer case. To
help avoid damaging your vehicle, always wait for
the Four-Wheel Low indicator light to stop ashing
before shifting the transmission into gear.
It is typical for your vehicle to exhibit signicant
engagement noise and bump when shifting between
Four-Wheel Low and Four-Wheel High ranges or from
NEUTRAL (N) with the engine running.
If the Four-Wheel Low switch is pressed when your
vehicle is in gear and/or moving, the Four-Wheel Low
indicator light will ash for 30 seconds and not complete
the shift unless your vehicle is moving less than
3 mph (5 km/h) and the transmission is in NEUTRAL (N).
After 30 seconds the transfer case will shift to
four-wheel high mode.
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4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
5. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel High.
6. Simultaneously press and hold the Two-Wheel High
and Four-Wheel Low buttons for 10 seconds. The
red NEUTRAL light will come on when the
transfer case shift to NEUTRAL is complete.
7. If the engine is running, shift the transmission to
REVERSE (R) for one second, then shift the
transmission to DRIVE (D) for one second, or
FIRST (1) for vehicles equipped with a manual
transmission.
8. Turn the engine off, by turning the key to
ACCESSORY.
9. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P).
10. Turn the ignition to LOCK.Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular brake
pedal.
2. Turn the ignition to RUN with the engine off.
3. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Press the button for the desired transfer case shift
position (Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel High, AUTO
4WD, or Four-Wheel Low).
5. After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL
the red light will go out.
6. Release the parking brake.
7. You may start the engine and shift the transmission
to the desired position.
Excessively shifting the transfer case into or out of the
different modes may cause the transfer case to enter the
shift protection mode. This will protect the transfer case
from possible damage and will only allow the transfer
case to respond to one shift per 10 seconds. The transfer
case may stay in this mode for up to three minutes.
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Electronic Transfer Case
If your four-wheel-drive
vehicle has the electronic
transfer case, the
transfer case switches are
located to the left of the
instrument panel cluster.
Recommended Transfer Case Settings
Driving ConditionsTransfer Case Settings
2m4m4nN
Normal YES
Severe YES
Extreme YES
Vehicle in Tow* YES
*SeeRecreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-62or
Towing Your Vehicle on page 4-61for further
information.Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose among three driving settings:
2
m(Two-Wheel High):This setting is for driving
in most street and highway situations. Your front axle is
not engaged in two-wheel drive.
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL
can cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. SeeParking Brake on
page 2-49.
(N) NEUTRAL:Shift the vehicle’s transfer case to
NEUTRAL only when towing your vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-62orTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-61for more information.
2-45

4m(Four-Wheel High):This setting engages your
front axle to help drive your vehicle. Use four-wheel high
when you need extra traction, such as on snowy or
icy roads, or in most off-road situations.
4
n(Four-Wheel Low):This setting also engages
your front axle to give you extra traction. You may never
need Four-Wheel Low. It sends the maximum power
to all four wheels. You might choose Four-Wheel Low if
you were driving off-road in sand, mud or deep snow
and while climbing or descending steep hills. When
operating in Four-Wheel Low, the gear ratio provides
additional torque when compared to Four-Wheel
High. The transmission gear shift feel will be
exaggerated.
Indicator lights in the switches show you which setting
you are in. The indicator lights will come on briey when
you turn on the ignition and the last chosen setting
will stay on. If the lights do not come on, you should take
your vehicle in for service. An indicator light will ash
while shifting. Fast ashing means the conditions
were not met to make the desired shift, typically the
vehicle was going too fast, the automatic transmission
was not in neutral, or the clutch pedal was not fully
pressed. Slow ashing means the shift is in progress.
It will stay on when the shift is completed. If for
some reason the transfer cannot make a requested
shift, it will return to the last chosen setting.
Shifting from Two-Wheel High to
Four-Wheel High
Press and release the Four-Wheel High switch. This
can be done at any speed, and the front axle will lock
automatically with some delay.
Shifting from Four-Wheel High to
Two-Wheel High
Press and release the Two-Wheel High switch. This can
be done at any speed, and the front axle will unlock
automatically with some delay.
It is normal to hear and feel your vehicle’s transfer case
shift into Four-Wheel Low. If you shift with the vehicle
stopped, the indicator light may remain ashing slowly. It
may be necessary to shift the transmission momentarily
into REVERSE (R) and DRIVE (D), for an automatic
transmission, or REVERSE (R) and FIRST (1) for
a manual transmission to have the light stop ashing.
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Shifting into NEUTRAL
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. SeeParking Brake on
page 2-49.
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL, rst make sure
the vehicle is parked so that it will not roll:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Start the vehicle or turn the ignition to RUN.
3. Press the foot brake pedal and put the transmission
in NEUTRAL (N).
4. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel High.
5. Simultaneously press and hold the Two-Wheel High
and Four-Wheel Low buttons for 10 seconds. The
red NEUTRAL light will come on when the
transfer case shift to NEUTRAL is complete.
6. Start the engine if it is not already running.7. Press and hold the foot brake pedal and Shift the
transmission to REVERSE (R) for one second,
then shift the transmission for one second to
DRIVE (D) for an automatic transmission, or
FIRST (1) for vehicles equipped with a manual
transmission and then let out the clutch. This is to
ensure the transfer case is in NEUTRAL. If not,
repeat this procedure starting at Step 3.
8. Turn the engine off, by turning the key to
ACCESSORY.
9. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P) for
an automatic transmission, or FIRST (1) for
vehicles equipped with a manual transmission.
10. Turn the ignition to LOCK.
Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL:
1. Set the parking brake and press and hold the
regular brake pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N) for an
automatic transmission, or press the clutch pedal for
vehicles equipped with a manual transmission.
Then turn the ignition to RUN with the engine off.
3. Press the button for the desired transfer case shift
position (Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel High, or
Four-Wheel Low).
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Shifting Into Park (P)
(Automatic Transmission)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with
the parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle will
not move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, use the steps that follow. With
four-wheel drive, if your transfer case is in
NEUTRAL, your vehicle will be free to roll,
even if your shift lever is in PARK (P). So, be
sure the transfer case is in a drive gear — not
in NEUTRAL. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-67.1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position by
pulling the shift lever toward you and moving it up
as far as it will go.
3. If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear — not in
NEUTRAL (N).
4. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
5. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
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