Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-31
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule
to determine when to check the
brake fluid. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2.
Checking Brake Fluid
Check brake fluid by looking at the
brake fluid reservoir. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on
page 10‑6.
The fluid level should be above
MIN. If it is not, have the brake
hydraulic system checked to see
if there is a leak. After work is done on the brake
hydraulic system, make sure the
level is above the MIN but not
over the MAX mark.
What to Add
Use only new DOT 3 brake
fluid from a sealed container.
See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑8.
Always clean the brake fluid
reservoir cap and the area around
the cap before removing it. This
helps keep dirt from entering the
reservoir.
{WARNING
With the wrong kind of fluid in
the brake hydraulic system,
the brakes might not work well.
This could cause a crash. Always
use the proper brake fluid. Notice:
.Using the wrong fluid
can badly damage brake
hydraulic system parts.
For example, just a few
drops of mineral-based oil,
such as engine oil, in the
brake hydraulic system can
damage brake hydraulic
system parts so badly that
they will have to be replaced.
Do not let someone put in
the wrong kind of fluid.
.If brake fluid is spilled on the
vehicle's painted surfaces,
the paint finish can be
damaged. Be careful not
to spill brake fluid on the
vehicle. If you do, wash it
off immediately.
Black plate (111,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-111
Interior Care
The vehicle's interior will continue to
look its best if it is cleaned often.
Although not always visible,
dust and dirt can accumulate
on the upholstery. Dirt can damage
carpet, fabric, leather, and plastic
surfaces. Regular vacuuming is
recommended to remove particles
from the upholstery. It is important to
keep the upholstery from becoming
and remaining heavily soiled. Soils
should be removed as quickly as
possible. The vehicle's interior may
experience extremes of heat that
could cause stains to set rapidly.Lighter colored interiors may require
more frequent cleaning. Use care
because newspapers and garments
that transfer color to home
furnishings may also transfer
color to the vehicle's interior.
When cleaning the vehicle's interior,
only use cleaners specifically
designed for the surfaces being
cleaned. Permanent damage may
result from using cleaners on
surfaces for which they were not
intended. Use glass cleaner only
on glass. Remove any accidental
over-spray from other surfaces
immediately. To prevent over-spray,
apply cleaner directly to the
cleaning cloth.Notice:
Using abrasive cleaners
when cleaning glass surfaces on
the vehicle, could scratch the
glass and/or cause damage to
the rear window defogger. When
cleaning the glass on the vehicle,
use only a soft cloth and glass
cleaner.
Many cleaners contain solvents that
may become concentrated in the
vehicle's breathing space. Before
using cleaners, read and adhere to
all safety instructions on the label.
While cleaning the vehicle's interior,
maintain adequate ventilation by
opening the vehicle's doors and
windows.
Dust may be removed from small
buttons and knobs using a small
brush with soft bristles.
Products that remove odors from
the vehicle's upholstery and clean
the vehicle's glass can be obtained
from your dealer.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
11-2 Service and Maintenance
{WARNING
Performing maintenance work can
be dangerous. Some jobs can
cause serious injury. Perform
maintenance work only if you
have the required know-how and
the proper tools and equipment.
If in doubt, see your dealer to
have a qualified technician do
the work. SeeDoing Your Own
Service Work on page 10‑4.
At your dealer, you can be
certain that you will receive the
highest level of service available.
Your dealer has specially trained
service technicians, uses genuine
replacement parts, as well as,
up‐to‐date tools and equipment
to ensure fast and accurate
diagnostics. The proper replacement parts,
fluids, and lubricants to use are
listed in
Recommended Fluids
and Lubricantson page 11‑8and
Maintenance Replacement Partson
page 11‑11. We recommend the use
of genuine parts from your dealer.
Rotation of New Tires
To maintain ride, handling, and
performance of the vehicle, it is
important that the first rotation
service for new tires be performed.
Tires should be rotated every
12 000 km/7,500 miles. See Tire
Rotation on page 10‑71.
Scheduled
Maintenance
When the Change Engine Oil
Soon Message Displays
Change engine oil and filter.
See Engine Oilon page 10‑7.
An Emission Control Service.
When the CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message displays in the
Driver Information Center (DIC),
service is required for the vehicle
as soon as possible, within the next
1 000 km/600 miles. If driving under
the best conditions, the engine oil
life system might not indicate the
need for vehicle service for more
than a year. The engine oil and filter
must be changed at least once a
year and the oil life system must
be reset. Your dealer has trained
service technicians who will perform
this work and reset the system.
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-7
.Evaporative control system
inspection. Check all fuel and
vapor lines and hoses for proper
hook‐up, routing, and condition.
Check that the purge valve,
if the vehicle has one, works
properly. Replace as needed.
An Emission Control Service.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board
has determined that the failure
to perform this maintenance
item will not nullify the emission
warranty or limit recall liability
prior to the completion of the
vehicle's useful life. We,
however, urge that all
recommended maintenance
services be performed at the
indicated intervals and the
maintenance be recorded.First Engine Oil Change After
Every 160 000 km/100,000 Miles
.Automatic transmission fluid
change (normal service).
See
Automatic Transmission
Fluid (4-Speed Transmission)
on
page 10‑11or Automatic
Transmission Fluid (6-Speed
Transmission) on page 10‑14.
.Four‐wheel drive only: Transfer
case fluid change (normal
service). Check vent hose at
transfer case for kinks and
proper installation. Check to be
sure vent hose is unobstructed,
clear, and free of debris. During
any maintenance, if a power
washer is used to clean mud
and dirt from the underbody,
care should be taken to not
directly spray the transfer case
output seals. High pressure
water can overcome the seals and contaminate the transfer
case fluid. Contaminated fluid
will decrease the life of the
transfer case and should be
replaced.
.Spark plug replacement and
spark plug wires inspection.
An Emission Control Service.
First Engine Oil Change After
Every 240 000 km/150,000 Miles
.Engine cooling system drain,
flush, and refill (or every five
years, whichever occurs first).
See Engine Coolant
on
page 10‑20. An Emission
Control Service.
.Engine drive belts inspection
for fraying, excessive cracks,
or obvious damage (or every
10 years, whichever occurs
first). Replace, if needed.
.Manual transmission fluid
change.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
11-8 Service and Maintenance
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
This maintenance section applies to vehicles with a gasoline engine. If the vehicle has a diesel engine and/or an
Allison Transmission, see the maintenance schedule section in the Duramax Diesel Supplement.
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part number, or specification can be obtained from your dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil Engine oil which meets GM Standard GM6094M and displays the
American Petroleum Institute Certified for Gasoline Engines starburst
symbol. To determine the proper viscosity for your vehicle's engine, see
Engine Oil on page 10‑7.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL
®coolant.
See Engine Coolant on page 10‑20.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 12377967,
in Canada 89021320).
Hydraulic Clutch System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 12377967,
in Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid (GM Part No. U.S. 89021184,
in Canada 89021186).
Automatic Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
i-6 INDEX
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-83Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-85
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-86
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-89
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-88
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-85
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-84
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-33
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-84
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Fuel Economy Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Fuses Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-61Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-61
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Gauges Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-90
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-5
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Heater Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-65
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-19
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-70
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
i-8 INDEX
Lights (cont.)Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Four-Wheel-Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Front Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-21
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
StabiliTrak
®Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9 Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-33
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
SYSTEM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
M
Maintenance
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Transfer Case Vent Filter . . . . . 9-53
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-27
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-51 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13 Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . 5-50
Battery Voltage and
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-46
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-48
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Starting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53