Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
6-2 Lighting
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
Headlamp High/Low‐Beam
Changer: Push the turn signal/lane
change lever away from you and
release, to turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the
lever again or pull it toward you
and release.
This indicator light turns on in
the instrument cluster when the
high‐beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
The flash‐to‐pass feature works with
the low beams or Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) on or off.
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal/lane change lever toward
you momentarily and then release it.
The Pedestrian Friendly Alert will
also sound if the vehicle is moving
less than 64 km/h (40 mph).
Pedestrian Friendly Alert
While driving at low speeds, such
as in parking lots, use this feature
to alert people who may not hear
your vehicle approaching.
The pedestrian alert is only
available when the vehicle is
moving at less than 64 km/h
(40 mph) or is stopped and is
not in P (Park). To use the pedestrian friendly alert:
Pull the turn signal/lane change
lever all the way toward you
momentarily. See
Exterior
Lamp Controls on page 6‑1 and
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
on page 6‑2. The high‐beam
headlamps and indicator light
will turn on, and a soft‐note
alert will momentarily sound.
When the turn signal/lane change
lever is released, the high‐beam
headlamps and indicator light will
turn off.
Repeat for additional activations of
the pedestrian friendly alert.
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-3
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
system comes on in daylight when
the following conditions are met:
.The vehicle is on.
.The exterior lamp control is in
the automatic position.
.The electric drive unit is not in
P (Park).
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.A light sensor on top of the
instrument panel makes the DRL
work, so be sure it is not covered.
Fully functional DRL are required on
all vehicles first sold in Canada.When the DRL are on, the taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not be
on. The instrument cluster will be lit.
When the exterior lamp control band
is turned to the headlamp position,
the low-beam headlamps come on.
The other lamps that come on with
the headlamps will also come on.
When the vehicle is on and you are
stopped, the DRL can be turned off
by moving the shift lever to P (Park).
The DRL will stay off until the shift
lever is moved out of the P (Park)
position.
The regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The brightness of the instrument
panel cluster display, infotainment
display and controls, steering wheel
controls, and all other illuminated
controls, as well as feature status
indicators can be adjusted.The thumbwheel is on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering column.
Move the thumbwheel up or down to
brighten or dim the lights.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamp controls are in the
overhead console.
To operate, press the following
buttons:
+(On):
Press to turn on the
dome lamps.
1(Door): Press to turn the lamps
on automatically when a door is
opened.
*(Off): Press to turn the lamps
off, even when a door is open.
Reading Lamps
The front reading lamps are in the
overhead console.
# $: Press to turn each lamp on
or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, back‐up lamps, and the
interior lights turn on briefly, when
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter
Kis pressed. The lights
turn off immediately when the
POWER
Obutton is pressed or
automatically after a brief period.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
6-6 Lighting
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, back‐up lamps, and
license plate lamps come on
when the vehicle is turned off.
Some interior lights also come
on when the vehicle is turned off.
The exterior lamps and interior
lights remain on after the door
is closed for a brief period and
then turn off.
The exit lighting feature
can be changed. SeeVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑53.
Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature is
designed to protect the vehicle's
12‐volt battery.
If the exterior lamps or any interior
lamp is left on and the vehicle is
turned off, the battery rundown
protection system automatically
turns the lamps off after about
10 minutes.
Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-49
When the System Does Not
Seem To Work Properly
The RVC system may not work
properly or display a clear image if:
.The RVC is turned off.
See“Turning the Rear Vision
Camera System On or Off”
earlier in this section.
.It is dark.
.The sun or the beam of
headlamps is shining directly
into the camera lens.
.Ice, snow, mud, or anything else
has built up on the camera lens.
Clean the lens, rinse it with
water, and wipe it with a soft
cloth.
.The back of the vehicle was in
an accident. The position and
mounting angle of the camera
can change or the camera can
be affected. Be sure to have
the camera and its position and
mounting angle checked at your
dealer.
Charging
Plug-In Charging
This section explains the process
for charging the vehicle's high
voltage battery. Do not allow the
vehicle to remain in temperature
extremes for long periods without
being driven or plugged in. It is
recommended that the vehicle
be plugged in when temperatures
are below 0°C (32°F) and above
32°C (90°F) to maximize high
voltage battery life.
The charging system may run fans
and pumps that result in sounds
from the vehicle while it is turned
off. Additional unexpected clicking
sounds may be experienced caused
by the electrical devices used while
charging.
Charging
Start Charge
1. The charge port door release button is on the driver door inner
trim panel. With the vehicle in
P (Park), press the button for
one second and release to open
the charge port door. The charge
port door can also be opened
using the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on
page 2‑3.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-16 Cooling System (Engine) . . . 10-18
Cooling System (High
Voltage Battery) . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Cooling System (Power Electronics and Charger
Modules) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Propulsion System Start Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Electrical Drive Unit Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-30
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-36
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices andWiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Left Side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Right Side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
10-32 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Aiming
The headlamp aiming system has
been preset at the factory.
If the vehicle is damaged in an
accident, the aim of the headlamps
may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
It is recommended that a dealer
adjust the headlamps. To re-aim
the headlamps yourself, use the
following procedure.
The vehicle should be properly
prepared as follows:
.The vehicle should be placed so
the headlamps are 7.6 m (25 ft)
from a light‐colored wall.
.The vehicle must have all four
tires on a level surface which is
level all the way to the wall.
.The vehicle should be placed so
it is perpendicular to the wall or
other flat surface.
.The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice, or mud on it.
.The vehicle should be fully
assembled and all other work
stopped while headlamp aiming
is being performed.
.The vehicle should be normally
loaded with a full tank of fuel and
one person or 75 kg (160 lbs)
sitting on the driver seat.
.Tires should be properly inflated.
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 10‑9 for more information.2. Locate the aim dot on the lens of
the low‐beam headlamp.
3. Measure the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the
low‐beam headlamp. Record
the distance.
Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-33
4. At the wall, measure fromthe ground upward (A) to
the recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it.
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 something
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 headlamp
aiming screws, which are under
the hood near each headlamp
assembly. 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.