Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-37
Fast Idle System
If the vehicle has this feature it is
available only with cruise control.
The manual fast idle switch is
operated using the cruise control
buttons located on the left hand
side of the steering wheel.
This system can be used to
increase engine idle speed
whenever the following conditions
are met:
.The park brake is set.
.The brake pedal is not pressed.
.The vehicle must not be moving
and the accelerator must not be
pressed.
To control the fast idle:
.To enable the Fast Idle System,
press and release the Cruise
Control On/Off button and
ensure that the switch LED is lit.
.Press and release the Cruise
Control Set switch. Engine
speed will be held at
approximately 1200 RPM. When the fast idle is active the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display
“FAST IDLE ON.”
One of the following actions will turn
off the fast idle:
.Pressing the brake.
.Selecting the Cruise Control
Cancel button.
.Releasing the Parking Brake.
.The transmission shifter is
moved out of P (Park) or
N (Neutral).
.Selecting the Cruise Control
On/Off button when it was
previously on.
.Pressing the Cruise Control Set
switch a second time.
.Pressing the accelerator greater
than a quarter of the down.
.Turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK/OFF position.
Engine Coolant Heater
The engine heater can provide
easier starting and better fuel
economy during engine warm-up
in cold weather conditions at or
below −18°C (0°F). Vehicles with an
engine heater should be plugged in
at least four hours before starting.
An internal thermostat in the
plug-end of the cord may exist
which will prevent engine coolant
heater operation at temperatures
above −18°C (0°F).
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax Diesel supplement
for more information.
Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
9-48 Driving and Operating
To use this feature, do the following:
1. Move the shift lever toM (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus buttons, located on the steering column
shift lever, to select the desired
range of gears for current driving
conditions.
When M (Manual Mode) is selected
a number displays next to the M,
indicating the current gear.
This number is the highest gear that
can be used. However, the vehicle
can automatically shift to lower
gears as it adjusts to driving
conditions. This means that all
gears below that number are
available. When 5 (Fifth) is selected,
1 (First) through 5 (Fifth) gears are
automatically shifted by the vehicle,
but 6 (Sixth) cannot be used until
the plus/minus button located on
the steering column lever is used
to change to the gear. Grade Braking is not available when
Range Selection Mode is active.
See
Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑49.
While using Range Selection Mode,
Cruise Control and the Tow/Haul
Mode can be used.
If the vehicle has an exhaust
brake, it can also be used, but will
not automatically downshift the
transmission. See Exhaust Brake
in the Duramax Diesel supplement.
Notice: Spinning the tires
or holding the vehicle in one
place on a hill using only the
accelerator pedal may damage
the transmission. The repair will
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. If you are stuck, do not
spin the tires. When stopping on
a hill, use the brakes to hold the
vehicle in place.Low Traction Mode
If your vehicle has the Allison
Transmission, or the Hydra-Matic
6-Speed Automatic Transmission,
it has a Low Traction Mode that
can assist in vehicle acceleration
when road conditions are slippery,
such as with ice or snow. While
the vehicle is at a stop, select the
second gear range using Range
Selection Mode. This will limit
torque to the wheels after it detects
wheel slip, preventing the tires from
spinning.
Black plate (74,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
9-74 Driving and Operating
The cruise control buttons are
located on the left side of the
steering wheel.
I(On/Off):Press to turn the
system on or off. The indicator light
is on when cruise control is on and
turns off when cruise control is off.
+ RES (Resume/Accelerate):
Press briefly to resume to a
previously set speed, or press and
hold to accelerate.
SET −(Set/Coast): Press to set
the speed and activate cruise
control or make the vehicle
decelerate.
[(Cancel): Press to disengage
cruise control without erasing the
set speed from memory.
Setting Cruise Control
The cruise control light on the
instrument panel cluster will come
on after the cruise control has been
set to the desired speed.
{WARNING
If you leave your cruise control on
when you are not using cruise,
you might hit a button and go into
cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even
lose control. Keep the cruise
control switch off until you want
to use cruise control.
1. Press
I.
2. Get up to the desired speed. 3. Press the SET−
button located
on the steering wheel and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator.
Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the
set speed from memory.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
press the +RES button on the
steering wheel. The vehicle returns
to the previous set speed and stays
there.
Black plate (79,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-79
Vehicles with Navigation
System
The RVC system is designed to
help the driver when backing up by
displaying a view of the area behind
the vehicle. When the driver shifts
the vehicle into R (Reverse), the
video image automatically appears
on the navigation screen. Once the
driver shifts out of R (Reverse), the
navigation screen will go back to the
last screen that had been displayed,
after a delay.
Turning the Rear Vision Camera
System On or Off
To turn the RVC system on or off:
1. Shift into P (Park).
2. Press the MENU button to enterthe configure menu options,
then press the MENU hard key
to select Display or touch the
Display screen button.
3. Select the Rear Camera Options screen button. The Rear Camera
Options screen will display.
4. Select the Video screenbutton. When the Video screen
button is highlighted the RVC
system is on.
The delay after shifting out of
R (Reverse) is approximately
10 seconds. The delay can be
cancelled by performing one of
the following:
.Pressing a hard key on the
navigation system.
.Shifting into P (Park).
.Reaching a vehicle speed of
8 km/h (5 mph). There is a message on the rear
vision camera screen that states
“Check Surroundings for Safety.”
Adjusting the Brightness and
Contrast of the Screen
To adjust the brightness and
contrast of the screen, press the
MENU button while the rear vision
camera image is on the display.
Any adjustments made will only
affect the rear vision camera screen.
](Brightness):
Touch the + (plus)
or –(minus) screen buttons to
increase or decrease the brightness
of the screen.
_(Contrast): Touch the + (plus) or
– (minus) screen buttons to increase
or decrease the contrast of the
screen.
Black plate (118,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
9-118 Driving and Operating
Trailer Brake Control Panel
A. Manual Trailer Brake ApplyLever
B. Trailer Gain Adjustment Buttons The ITBC system has a control
panel located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
column. See
Instrument Panel
(Base/Uplevel Version)
on
page 1‑2or Instrument Panel
(Premium Version)on page 1‑6.
The control panel allows adjustment
to the amount of output, referred
to as trailer gain, available to the
electric trailer brakes and allows
manual application of the trailer
brakes. The Trailer Brake Control
Panel is used along with the Trailer
Brake Display Page on the DIC to
adjust and display power output to
the trailer brakes.
Trailer Brake DIC Display Page
The ITBC system displays
messages on the vehicle’s Driver
Information Center (DIC). See Brake
System Messages
on page 5‑44for more information. The display page indicates
Trailer Gain setting, power output
to the electric trailer brakes, trailer
connection, and system operational
status.
The Trailer Brake Display Page can
be displayed by performing any of
the following actions:
.Scrolling through the DIC menu
pages using the odometer
trip stem or the DIC Vehicle
Information button (if equipped).
.Pressing a Trailer Gain
button—If the Trailer Brake
Display Page is not currently
displayed, pressing a Trailer
Gain button will first recall the
current Trailer Gain setting.
After the Trailer Brake Display
Page is displayed, each press
and release of the gain buttons
will then cause the Trailer Gain
setting to change.
Black plate (119,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-119
.Activating the Manual Trailer
Brake Apply lever.
.Connecting a trailer equipped
with electric trailer brakes.
All DIC warning and service
messages must first be
acknowledged by the driver
by pressing the odometer trip stem
or the DIC Vehicle Information
button (if equipped) before the
Trailer Brake Display Page can
be displayed and Trailer Gain
can be adjusted.
TRAILER GAIN: This setting is
displayed any time the Trailer Brake
Display Page is active. This setting
can be adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0
with either a trailer connected or
disconnected. To adjust the Trailer
Gain, press one of the Trailer Gain
adjustment buttons located on the
Trailer Brake Control Panel. Press
and hold a gain button to cause the
Trailer Gain to continuously adjust.
To turn the output to the trailer off,
adjust the Trailer Gain setting to
0.0 (zero). 0.0 (zero) gain is the factory default
setting. To properly adjust trailer
gain, see
“Trailer Gain Adjustment
Procedure” later in this section.
TRAILER OUTPUT: This is
displayed any time a trailer with
electric brakes is connected. Output
to the electric brakes is based on
the amount of vehicle braking
present and relative to the Trailer
Gain setting. Output is displayed
from 0 to 10 bars for each gain
setting.
On vehicles with Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) or Hill Start Assist
(HSA), output to the electric trailer
brakes may be displayed when the
systems are active. See Trailer
Sway Control (TSC)
on page 9‑123and Hill Start Assist (HSA)on
page 9‑70. The Trailer Output will indicate
“- - - - - -”
on the Trailer Brake
Display Page whenever the
following occur:
.No trailer is connected
.A trailer without electric brakes
is connected (no DIC message
is displayed)
.A trailer with electric brakes
has become disconnected
(a CHECK TRAILER WIRING
message will also be displayed
on the DIC)
.There is a fault present in the
wiring to the electric trailer
brakes (a CHECK TRAILER
WIRING message will also be
displayed on the DIC)
.There is a fault in the ITBC
system (a SERVICE TRAILER
BRAKE SYSTEM message will
also be displayed in the DIC)
Black plate (121,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-121
.In the Trailer Output display
on the DIC,“- - - - - -”will
disappear if there is no
error present. Connecting
a trailer without electric
brakes will not clear the
six dashed lines.
4. Adjust the Trailer Gain by using the gain adjustment (+ / -)
buttons on the Trailer Brake
Control Panel.
5. Drive the vehicle with the trailer attached on a level road surface
representative of the towing
condition and free of traffic at
about 32 to 40 km/h (20 to
25 mph) and fully apply the
Manual Trailer Brake Apply
Lever.
Adjusting trailer gain at speeds
lower than 32 to 40 km/h
(20 to 25 mph) may result
in an incorrect gain setting. 6. Adjust the Trailer Gain to just
below the point of trailer wheel
lock-up, indicated by trailer
wheel squeal or tire smoke
when a trailer wheel locks.
Trailer wheel lock-up may not
occur if towing a heavily loaded
trailer. In this case, adjust the
Trailer Gain to the highest
allowable setting for the towing
condition.
7. Re-adjust Trailer Gain any time vehicle loading, trailer loading or
road surface conditions change
or if trailer wheel lock-up is
noticed at any time while towing.
Other ITBC-Related DIC Messages
In addition to displaying TRAILER
GAIN and TRAILER OUTPUT
through the DIC, trailer connection
and ITBC system status are
displayed on the DIC.
TRAILER CONNECTED: This
message will be briefly displayed
when a trailer with electric brakes
is first connected to the vehicle. This message will automatically turn
off in about 10 seconds. The driver
can also acknowledge this message
before it automatically turns off.
CHECK TRAILER WIRING: This
message will be displayed if:
1. The ITBC system first
determines connection to a
trailer with electric brakes and
then the trailer harness becomes
disconnected from the vehicle.
If the disconnect occurs while
the vehicle is stationary, this
message will automatically
turn off in about 30 seconds.
This message will also turn off if
the driver acknowledges this
message or if the trailer harness
is re-connected.
If the disconnect occurs while
the vehicle is moving, this
message will continue until
the ignition is turned off.
This message will also turn
off if the driver acknowledges
this message or if the trailer
harness is re-connected.
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-10 Vehicle Care
How to Reset the Engine Oil
Life System
The Engine Oil Life System
calculates when to change the
engine oil and filter based on
vehicle use. Whenever the oil is
changed, reset the system so it
can calculate when the next oil
change is required. If a situation
occurs where the oil is changed
prior to a CHANGE ENGINE OIL
SOON message coming on, reset
the system.
Always reset the engine oil life to
100% after every oil change. It will
not reset itself. To reset the Engine
Oil Life System on most vehicles:
1. Display the OIL LIFEREMAINING on the DIC.
If the vehicle does not have
DIC buttons, the vehicle must
be in P (Park) to access this
display. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑34. 2. Press and hold the SET/RESET
button on the DIC, or the trip
odometer reset stem if the
vehicle does not have DIC
buttons, for more than
five seconds. The oil life
will change to 100%.
On all vehicles, the Engine Oil Life
System can be reset as follows:
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN with the engine off.
2. Fully press the accelerator pedal slowly three times within
five seconds.
3. Display the OIL LIFE REMAINING on the DIC. If the
display shows 100%, the system
is reset. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑34.
If the vehicle has a CHANGE
ENGINE OIL SOON message
and it comes back on when the
vehicle is started and/or the OIL
LIFE REMAINING is near 0%, the
Engine Oil Life System has not
reset. Repeat the procedure.
What to Do with Used Oil
Used engine oil contains certain
elements that can be unhealthy for
your skin and could even cause
cancer. Do not let used oil stay on
your skin for very long. Clean your
skin and nails with soap and water,
or a good hand cleaner. Wash or
properly dispose of clothing or rags
containing used engine oil. See the
manufacturer's warnings about the
use and disposal of oil products.
Used oil can be a threat to the
environment. If you change your
own oil, be sure to drain all the oil
from the filter before disposal. Never
dispose of oil by putting it in the
trash, pouring it on the ground, into
sewers, or into streams or bodies of
water. Recycle it by taking it to a
place that collects used oil.