2007 CHEVROLET KODIAK brake light

Air Pressure Gage
If your vehicle has air
brakes, the air pressure
gage is located above
the switchbank in
the center of the
instrument panel.
This gage shows the air pressure for both your
front and rear brake systems.
If the needle on the gage indicates that the air
pressure is below 60 to 75 psi (415 to 517 kPa),
the low air warning light will come on. An alarm will
also sound if this happens.The top pointer shows the pressure available for the
front system, while the bottom pointer shows
pressure for the rear. There should be no more than
4 psi (28 kPa) difference showing between the
systems.
Don’t drive until both pointers are showing at least
120 psi (827 kPa), so you’ll have enough air if
you need to apply your brakes.
Hourmeter Gage
To access the engine hourmeter gage, press the
trip odometer button three times.
The instrument panel cluster displays the
accumulated engine run time hours using the
reconfigurable odometer display. The engine run
time hours displays only when the ignition is in the
LOCK or ACCESSORY position and the trip
reset button is pressed for about four seconds.
The value of the accumulated hours does
not change when the battery is disconnected.
The hourmeter resets to 0.0 when 10,000 hours
are accumulated. The instrument panel cluster
begins to reaccumulate the engine run time hours
from 0.0 hours.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the
steering, and the accelerator. All three systems
have to do their work at the places where the tires
meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or
ice, it is easy to ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide. That means
you can lose control of your vehicle.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 169.
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to
bring up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.Average reaction time is about three-fourths of
a second. But that is only an average. It might
be less with one driver and as long as two or
three seconds or more with another. Age,
physical condition, alertness, coordination and
eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs
and frustration. But even in three-fourths of
a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h)
travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of
distance in an emergency, so keeping enough
space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary
greatly with the surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of the road,
whether it is wet, dry or icy; tire tread; the condition
of the brakes; the weight of the vehicle; the
weight of the load; and the amount of brake
force applied.
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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.Hydraulic Brake Systems
If your engine stops running, or if your primary
brake system stops working, your vehicle has a
reserve power assist system to help you slow down.
Just slowly and steadily apply the brake pedal until
you can safely get off the road. The pedal will seem
harder to push down. Do not pump the pedal; the
system will not work well or at all that way.
You may find that the steering wheel seems hard
to turn when you are turning and braking at
the same time. Also, the primary brake warning
light may come on and the warning tone may
sound. This is normal because the main hydraulic
brake system and power steering both use the
power steering pump. If this ever happens, let up
on the brake pedal a little. When you let up on
the brake pedal in that situation, it lets the steering
get a little more help from the pump.
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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 172.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving
safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of
you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking.
Here is what happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the brakes at
each wheel.
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Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful
in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or both of the rear wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When
this happens, the system applies the brake(s)
at the affected wheel(s).
The bottom light on the TCS on/off button will
come on when the TCS is limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal. The TCS will function at speeds up
to about 25 mph (42 km/h).
The TCS may operate on dry roads under some
conditions. When this happens, you may notice a
reduction in acceleration. This is normal and
doesn’t mean there’s a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard
acceleration in a turn, an abrupt upshift or downshift
of the transmission or driving on rough roads.When the light in the top of the TCS button is
on, the TCS is off and will not limit wheel
spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The light in the top of the TCS button will come
on if the TCS is turned off by pressing the
TCS on/off button.
The light may also come on if a problem has been
detected in either the traction control system or
the anti-lock brake system.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you
should always leave the system on. But you
can turn the traction control system off if you ever
need to. You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow
and rocking the vehicle is required. SeeRocking
Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 236for
more information.
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To turn the system on
or off, press the traction
control button located
on the instrument panel.
If you used the TCS button to turn the system off,
the light in the top of the button will come on and
stay on. You can turn the TCS back on at any time
by pressing the button again; the light should go off.Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the
engine stops or the system is not functioning,
you can steer but it will take much more effort.
On vehicles with hydraulic brakes, the power
steering and main hydraulic brake system both use
the power steering pump. SeeBraking on page 210.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned
on the news happen on curves. Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is
subject to the same laws of physics when driving on
curves. The traction of the tires against the road
surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change
its path when you turn the front wheels. If there is
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the
same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a
vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this.
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The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see.
Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good
shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see
road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings,
the edge of the road, and even people walking.
It is wise to keep your wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled with washer fluid. Replace your
windshield wiper inserts when they show signs
of streaking or missing areas on the windshield,
or when strips of rubber start to separate from
the inserts.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They
may not work as well in a quick stop and
may cause pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of
water or a vehicle wash, apply your brake
pedal lightly until your brakes work
normally.Driving too fast through large water puddles
or even going through some vehicle washes can
cause problems, too. The water may affect
your brakes. Try to avoid puddles. But if you
cannot, try to slow down before you hit them.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can
build up under your tires that they can actually ride
on the water. This can happen if the road is wet
enough and you are going fast enough. When your
vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact
with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can
if your tires do not have much tread or if the
pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if
a lot of water is standing on the road. If you
can see reflections from trees, telephone poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just is not a hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down
when it is raining.
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Trailer Connections
Heavy-Duty Trailer Wiring Package
Your vehicle may be equipped with an eight-wire
trailer towing harness. This harness, with a
seven-pin universal heavy-duty trailer connector,
is attached to a bracket on the platform hitch.
The Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
wire is tied next to the trailer wiring harness for
use with a trailer.
The eight-wire harness contains the following
trailer circuits:
•Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
•Dark Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
•Brown: Taillamps
•White: Ground
•Light Green: Back-up Lamps
•Light Blue: CHMSL
•Red: Battery Feed
•Dark Blue: Trailer Brake
Trailer Connections
(C7/C8 Models Only)
If your vehicle has these trailer connections, they
are located at the rear of the cab for a tractor
and at the rear of the chassis when towing
a trailer. There will be an air connection and an
electrical connection.
Be sure that the couplings to the trailer are
made correctly.
Air Connections
If you are not connecting the trailer air line
connections to another piece of equipment,
be sure to replace their protective caps.
Electrical Connections
This system is a seven-wire cable that will
connect to the trailer, supplying power to the
trailer’s lighting system. When not in use, it
is stored in the trailer air-hose storage bracket.
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