2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO light

Black plate (123,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-123
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC)
Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
2500 and 3500 series vehicles with
StabiliTrak have a Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) feature. If the vehicle
is towing a trailer and the system
detects that the trailer is swaying,
the vehicle's brakes are applied
without the driver pressing the brake
pedal. If the vehicle is equipped with
the Integrated Trailer Brake Control
(ITBC) system, StabiliTrak may also
apply the trailer brakes. The TCS/
StabiliTrak warning light will flash on
the instrument panel cluster to notify
the driver to reduce speed. If the
trailer continues to sway, StabiliTrak
will reduce engine torque to help
slow the vehicle.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer
accessories can affect the vehicle's
performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications
on page 10‑3for
more information.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
Notice: Do not add anything
electrical to the vehicle unless
you check with your dealer first.
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle and the
damage would not be covered
by the vehicle's warranty. Some
add-on electrical equipment can
keep other components from
working as they should.
Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle 12‐volt battery, even if the
vehicle is not operating.
The vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to the vehicle, see
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
on page 3‑48and Adding
Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 3‑48.
Adding a Snow Plow or
Similar Equipment
Before installing a snow plow on the
vehicle, here are some things you
need to know:
Notice: If your vehicle does
not have the snow plow prep
package, adding a plow can
damage your vehicle, and the
repairs would not be covered by
warranty. Unless your vehicle was
built to carry a snow plow, do not
add one to your vehicle. If your
vehicle has the snow plow prep
package, called RPO VYU, then
the payload your vehicle can
carry will be reduced when a
snow plow is installed. Your
vehicle can be damaged if either
the front or rear axle ratings or
the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
are exceeded.
Some vehicles are built with a
special snow plow prep package,
called RPO VYU. If your vehicle has
this option, you can add a plow to it,
provided certain weights, such as

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-18 Vehicle Care
How to Check and Add Fluid
Visually check the brake/clutch
fluid reservoir to make sure the
fluid level is at the MIN (minimum)
line on the side of the reservoir. The
brake/hydraulic clutch fluid system
should be closed and sealed.
Do not remove the cap to check
the fluid level or to top‐off the fluid
level. Remove the cap only when
necessary to add the proper fluid
until the level reaches the MIN line.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see“Pickup Models” under“Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter” in the Duramax
®
Diesel Supplement for the correct
inspection and replacement
procedures.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6for the location of the
engine air cleaner/filter.
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
Inspect the air cleaner/filter at
the scheduled maintenance
intervals and replace it at the first
oil change after each 80 000 km
(50,000 mi) interval. See Scheduled
Maintenance
on page 11‑2for
more information. If driving on
dusty/dirty conditions, inspect the
filter at each engine oil change.
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/filter,
remove the engine air cleaner/filter
from the vehicle by following
Steps 1 through 6. When the engine
air cleaner/filter is removed, lightly
shake it to release loose dust and
dirt. If the engine air cleaner/filter
remains caked with dirt, a new filter
is required. Never use compressed
air to clean the filter.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-29
Brakes
This vehicle has front disc brakes
and could have rear drum brakes or
rear disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or be
heard all the time the vehicle is
moving, except when applying
the brake pedal firmly.
{WARNING
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
a crash. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have
the vehicle serviced.Notice:
Continuing to drive with
worn-out brake pads could result
in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to torque
specifications in Capacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2.
If the vehicle has rear drum brakes,
they do not have wear indicators,
but if a rear brake rubbing noise is
heard, have the rear brake linings
inspected immediately. Rear brake
drums should be removed and
inspected each time the tires are
removed for rotation or changing. Drum brakes have an inspection
hole to inspect lining wear during
scheduled maintenance. When the
front brake pads are replaced, have
the rear brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be
replaced as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal
does not return to normal height,
or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service might be
required.
Brake Adjustment
Every time the brakes are applied,
with or without the vehicle moving,
the brakes adjust for wear.

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-30 Vehicle Care
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is
complex. Its many parts have to be
of top quality and work well together
if the vehicle is to have really good
braking. The vehicle was designed
and tested with top-quality brake
parts. When parts of the braking
system are replaced, be sure to get
new, approved replacement parts.
If this is not done, the brakes might
not work properly. For example,
installing disc brake pads that are
wrong for the vehicle, can change
the balance between the front
and rear brakes—for the worse.
The braking performance expected
can change in many other ways if
the wrong replacement brake parts
are installed.
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder reservoir
is filled with DOT 3 brake fluid.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6for the location of the
reservoir.
There are only two reasons why
the brake fluid level in the reservoir
might go down:
.The brake fluid level goes down
because of normal brake lining
wear. When new linings are
installed, the fluid level goes
back up.
.A fluid leak in the brake
hydraulic system can also cause
a low fluid level. Have the brake
hydraulic system fixed, since a
leak means that sooner or later
the brakes will not work well. Do not top off the brake fluid.
Adding fluid does not correct a
leak. If fluid is added when the
linings are worn, there will be too
much fluid when new brake linings
are installed. Add or remove brake
fluid, as necessary, only when work
is done on the brake hydraulic
system.
{WARNING
If too much brake fluid is added, it
can spill on the engine and burn,
if the engine is hot enough. You
or others could be burned, and
the vehicle could be damaged.
Add brake fluid only when work
is done on the brake hydraulic
system. See
“Checking Brake
Fluid” in this section.
When the brake fluid falls to a low
level, the brake warning light comes
on. See Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑29.

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-41
The vehicle should:
.Be placed so the headlamps
are 7.6 m (25 ft) from a
light‐colored wall.
.Have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the way
to the wall.
.Be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall.
.Not have any snow, ice, or mud
on it.
.Be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp
aiming is being performed.
.Be loaded with a full tank of
fuel and one person or 75 kg
(160 lbs) sitting on the
driver seat.
.Have the tires properly inflated.
.Have the spare tire in its proper
location in the vehicle.Headlamp aiming is done with the
vehicle's low-beam headlamps.
The high-beam headlamps will be
correctly aimed if the low-beam
headlamps are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim:
1. Open the hood. See
Hood
on
page 10‑5
2. Locate the aim dot on the lens of the low‐beam headlamp. 3. Record the distance from the
ground to the aim dot on the
low‐beam headlamp.
4. At a wall, measure from the
ground upward (A) to the
recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it.

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-42 Vehicle Care
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B)on the wall the width of the
vehicle at the height of the
mark in Step 4.
Notice: Do not cover a headlamp
to improve beam cut-off when
aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up
which may cause damage to the
headlamp.
6. Turn on the low-beam
headlamps and place a piece
of cardboard or equivalent in
front of the headlamp not being
adjusted. This allows only the
beam of light from the headlamp
being adjusted to be seen on the
flat surface.
7. Locate the vertical headlampaiming screws, which are under
the hood near each headlamp
assembly.
The adjustment screw can be
turned with an E8 Torx
®socket.
8. Turn the vertical aiming screw until the headlamp beam
is aimed to the horizontal tape
line. Turn it clockwise or
counterclockwise to raise or
lower the angle of the beam.
9. Make sure that the light from theheadlamp is positioned at the
bottom edge of the horizontal
tape line. The lamp on the
left (A) shows the correct
headlamp aim. The lamp
on the right (B) shows the
incorrect headlamp aim.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through 9 for the opposite headlamp.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-44 Vehicle Care
Pick-Up Box Identification
and Fender Marker
Lamps
The pick-up box identification lamps
are LEDs. For replacement of the
LED lighting assembly contact your
dealer.
To replace a pickup box fender
marker lamp bulb:
1. Press the tab from the back toremove the lamp.
2. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise to remove
from the lamp assembly.
3. Gently pry the bulb from the socket.
4. Install the new bulb in socket.
5. Reinstall socket into lamp assembly.
6. Reinstall the lamp assembly.
Taillamps (Chassis Cab
Models)
A. Backup Lamp
B. Stoplamp/Taillamp/Turn Signal Lamp To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Remove the four screws.
2. Lift the lens off the lamp
assembly.
3. Turn the old bulb counterclockwise and pull the it
straight out from the socket.
4. Install a new bulb into the socket, turn it clockwise, and
press it in until it is tight.
5. Reinstall the lens and the four screws.

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-48 Vehicle Care
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to
heavy snow or ice, the windshield
wipers will stop until the motor cools
and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected
from electrical overload, overload
due to heavy snow or ice may
cause wiper linkage damage.
Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using
the windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem and not snow
or ice, be sure to get it fixed.
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see the
hybrid supplement for more
information.
The wiring circuits in the vehicle
are protected from short circuits
by a combination of fuses, circuit
breakers and fusible thermal links.
This greatly reduces the chance of
fires caused by electrical problems.
Look at the silver-colored band
inside the fuse. If the band is broken
or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure
you replace a bad fuse with a new
one of the identical size and rating.
If you ever have a problem on the
road and don't have a spare fuse,
you can borrow one that has thesame amperage. Just pick some
feature of your vehicle that you can
get along without
–like the radio
or cigarette lighter –and use its
fuse, if it is the correct amperage.
Replace it as soon as you can.
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax Diesel supplement
for more information.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
the hybrid supplement for more
information.
The Engine Compartment Fuse
Block is located in the engine
compartment, on the driver side
of the vehicle.