2007 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE check engine light

Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance
may damage the engine. The repairs would
not be covered by your warranty. Always follow
the maintenance schedule in this manual for
changing engine oil.
That is a check to be sure the light works.
If it does not come on, be sure to have it xed
so it will be there to warn you if something
goes wrong.
When the light comes on and stays on, it means
that oil is not owing through your engine properly.
You could be low on oil and you might have
some other system problem.
Security Light
This light ashes when
the vehicle security
system is activated.
Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light will
come on when the
fog lamps are in use.
The light will go out when the fog lamps are
turned off. SeeFog Lamps on page 218for
more information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes
on whenever you
set the cruise control.
The light goes out when the cruise control is
turned off. SeeCruise Control on page 212for
more information.
255

CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the engine oil needs
to be changed. When you change the engine
oil, be sure to reset the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message. SeeEngine Oil Life System
on page 449for information on how to reset the
message. This message clears itself after
10 seconds until the next ignition cycle or until the
message is reset. SeeEngine Oil on page 446
andScheduled Maintenance on page 563for
more information.
CHECK TIRE PRESSURE
If your vehicle has a Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM)
system, this message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the vehicle’s tires
need to be checked. This message also displays
LEFT FRONT, RIGHT FRONT, LEFT REAR,
or RIGHT REAR to indicate which tire needs
to be checked. You can receive more than one
tire pressure message at a time. To read the
other messages that may have been sent at thesame time, press the set/reset button or the trip
odometer reset stem. If a tire pressure message
appears on the DIC, stop as soon as you can.
Have the tire pressures checked and set to those
shown on the Tire Loading Information label.
SeeTires on page 492,Loading Your Vehicle
on page 402, andInation - Tire Pressure
on page 500. The DIC display also shows the
tire pressure values for the front and rear tires
by pressing the vehicle information button.
See “DIC Operation and Displays (With DIC
Buttons)” earlier in this section. If the tire pressure
is low, the low tire pressure warning light comes
on. SeeTire Pressure Light on page 250.DRIVER DOOR OPEN
This message displays and a chime sounds if the
driver’s door is not fully closed and the vehicle
is in a drive gear. Stop and turn off the vehicle,
check the door for obstructions, and close the door
again. Check to see if the message still appears
on the DIC.
268

SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, this message
displays when there is a problem with the Traction
Control System (TCS). When this message
displays, the system will not limit wheel spin.
Adjust your driving accordingly. See your dealer
for service. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 359
for more information.
STABILITRAK OFF
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, this message
displays when you turn off StabiliTrak®,or
when the stability control has been automatically
disabled. To limit wheel spin and realize the
full benets of the stability enhancement system,
you should normally leave StabiliTrak
®on.
However, you should turn StabiliTrak®off if your
vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow
and you want to rock your vehicle to attempt to
free it, or if you are driving in extreme off-road
conditions and require more wheel spin. See
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or
Snow on page 400. To turn the StabiliTrak
®
system on or off, seeStabiliTrak®System
on page 359.There are several conditions that can cause
this message to appear.
One condition is overheating, which could
occur if StabiliTrak®activates continuously
for an extended period of time.
The message also displays if the brake
system warning light is on. SeeBrake
System Warning Light on page 246.
The message could display if the stability
system takes longer than usual to complete its
diagnostic checks due to driving conditions.
The message displays if an engine or vehicle
related problem has been detected and the
vehicle needs service. See your dealer.
The message also displays if the vehicle is
shifted into 4LO.
The message turns off as soon as the conditions
that caused the message to be displayed are
no longer present.
275

TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may display along with the check
engine light on the instrument panel cluster if
the vehicle’s fuel cap is not tightened properly.
SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on page 250.
Reinstall the fuel cap fully. SeeFilling the Tank
on page 440. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly
installed. A loose or missing fuel cap allows fuel
to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few driving
trips with the cap properly installed should turn
this light and message off.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
If your vehicle has a Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM)
system, this message displays when the system
is re-learning the tire positions on your vehicle.
SeeDIC Operation and Displays (With DIC
Buttons) on page 258orDIC Operation and
Displays (Without DIC Buttons) on page 264for
more information. The tire positions must be
re-learned after rotating the tires or after replacing
a tire or sensor. SeeTire Inspection and
Rotation on page 506,Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 501, andInation - Tire Pressure
on page 500for more information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, this message
displays when the Traction Control System (TCS)
is turned off. Adjust your driving accordingly.
SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 359for more
information.
276

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic.
This is a mistake. The brakes may not have time to
cool between hard stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic
following distances, you will eliminate a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means better braking
and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not pump the
brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to
push down. If the engine stops, you will still have
some power brake assist. But you will use it
when you brake. Once the power assist is used
up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 433.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that
will help prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive
away, ABS will check itself. You may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem
with ABS, this warning
light will stay on.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light on page 248.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP
problem, both the brake and ABS warning lights
will come on accompanied by a 10-second
chime. The lights and chime will come on each
time the ignition is turned on until the problem is
repaired. See your dealer for service.
357

You can run the engine to keep warm, but be
careful.
{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You cannot see
it or smell it, so you might not know it is in
your vehicle. Clear away snow from around
the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking the exhaust pipe. And
check around again from time to time to
be sure snow does not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of
the vehicle that is away from the wind.
This will help keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This
saves fuel. When you run the engine, make it go
a little faster than just idle. That is, push the
accelerator slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat
that you get and it keeps the battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with
your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
399

Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol)
The 8th digit of your Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN) shows the code letter or number
that identies your engine. You will nd the VIN at
the top left of the instrument panel. SeeVehicle
Identication Number (VIN) on page 546.
If your vehicle has the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 0)
or the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 3), you may use
either regular unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85); also see
Fuel on page 435. In all other engines, use only
the unleaded gasoline described underGasoline
Octane on page 436.
Only vehicles that have the 5.3L V8 engine
(Code 0) or the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 3) may
use 85% ethanol fuel (E85). General Motors
encourages the use of E85 in vehicles that are
designed to use it. The ethanol in E85 is a
“renewable” fuel, meaning it is made from
renewable sources such as corn and
other crops.Many service stations will not have an 85% ethanol
fuel (E85) pump available. The U. S. Department
of Energy has an alternative fuels website
(www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/
locator.html) that can help you nd E85 fuel.
Those stations that do have E85 should have a
label indicating ethanol content. Do not use the fuel
if the ethanol content is greater than 85%.
At a minimum, E85 should meet ASTM
Specication D 5798. By denition, this means
that fuel labeled E85 will have an ethanol content
between 70% and 85%. Filling the fuel tank
with fuel mixtures that do not meet ASTM
specications can affect driveability and could
cause the check engine light to come on.
To ensure quick starts in the wintertime, the
E85 fuel must be formulated properly for your
climate according to ASTM specication D 5798.
If you have trouble starting on E85, it may
be because your E85 fuel is not properly
formulated for your climate. If this happens,
switching to gasoline or adding gasoline
to your fuel tank may improve starting.
438

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master
cylinder reservoir is
lled with DOT-3 brake
uid. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview
on page 444for the
location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake uid
level in the reservoir might go down. The rst
is that the brake uid goes down to an acceptable
level during normal brake lining wear. When
new linings are put in, the uid level goes back
up. The other reason is that uid is leaking out of
the brake system. If it is, you should have your
brake system xed, since a leak means that
sooner or later your brakes will not work well,
or will not work at all.So, it is not a good idea to top off your brake uid.
Adding brake uid will not correct a leak. If you
add uid when your linings are worn, then you
will have too much uid when you get new brake
linings. You should add or remove brake uid,
as necessary, only when work is done on
the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake uid, it can
spill on the engine. The uid will burn
if the engine is hot enough. You or others
could be burned, and your vehicle could
be damaged. Add brake uid only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic
system. See “Checking Brake Fluid”
in this section.
When the brake uid falls to a low level, the brake
warning light will come on. SeeBrake System
Warning Light on page 246.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine
when to check your brake uid. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 563.
472