Black plate (5,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-5
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
G:An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster flashes in the direction
of the turn or lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all
the way up or down.
To signal a lane change, raise
or lower the lever until the arrow
starts to flash. The turn signal
automatically flashes three times
and if the tow‐haul mode is active it
flashes six times. Holding the turn
signal lever for more than
one second causes the turn signals
to flash continually until the lever is
released. The lever returns to its starting
position when released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑44.Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (3/4 mi), a chime
sounds at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL ON also appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC). See
Lamp Messages on page 5‑36. To
turn off the chime and message,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The knob for this feature is located
to the left of the steering column.
D(Instrument Panel Lights):
Push the knob to extend and then
turn clockwise or counterclockwise
to brighten or dim the instrument
panel lights and the radio display.
This only works if the headlamps or
parking lamps are on.
Black plate (50,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
9-50 Driving and Operating
Passing
More passing distance is needed
when towing a trailer. Because the
rig is longer, it is necessary to go
much farther beyond the passed
vehicle before returning to the lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have someone
guide you.
Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns
while trailering could cause the
trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. The vehicle could be
damaged. Avoid making very
sharp turns while trailering.
When turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so
the trailer will not strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees
or other objects. Avoid jerky or
sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
The arrows on the instrument panel
flash whenever signaling a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps also flash, telling
other drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes or stopping.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on
the instrument panel flash for turns
even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. For this reason you may
think other drivers are seeing the
signal when they are not. It is
important to check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear
before starting down a long or
steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the brakes might have to be used so
much that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly
conditions.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, consider the
following: Engine coolant will boil at
a lower temperature than at normal
altitudes. If the engine is turned off
immediately after towing at high
altitude on steep uphill grades, the
vehicle may show signs similar to
engine overheating. To avoid this,
let the engine run while parked,
preferably on level ground, with the
automatic transmission in P (Park)
for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If the overheat warning
comes on, see
Engine Overheating
on page 10‑24.
Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-11
Automatic Transmission Fluid (4-Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid (6-Speed
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-18
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20 Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-24
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-26
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Noise Control System . . . . . . 10-33
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-35
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-36
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Front Turn Signal,Sidemarker, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40 Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-42
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-42
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Floor Console Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-51
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Dual Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Black plate (40,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
10-40 Vehicle Care
Front Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and Parking
Lamps
A. Front Parking and TurnSignal Lamp
B. Front Sidemarker Lamp To replace the front turn signal,
sidemarker, and/or parking lamp
bulb(s):
1. Use a small tool to unlatch the
outboard clip on the lamp by
pushing inboard and prying the
lamp assembly forward.
2. Remove the lamp from the grille.
3. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise one quarter
turn and remove it from the lamp
assembly.
4. Remove the bulb from the socket by pulling it straight out.
5. Replace the bulb.
6. Turn the bulb socket clockwise to reinstall it in the lamp
assembly. 7. Reinstall the lamp assembly into
the grille until the outboard clip
snaps into place.
Taillamps
To replace a taillamp/turn signal
lamp or back‐up lamp bulb:
1. Remove the two inboard nuts
from the inside of the taillamp
assembly.
Black plate (41,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-41
2. The third nut (C) is under theapplique piece (B) above the
lamp. Remove the two inboard
applique nuts. Pull the
applique (B) straight rearward
slightly to clear the studs. Then
rotate the applique (B) just far
enough to gain access to the
outer push pins (A). 3. Carefully disconnect the push
pins (A) from the applique
bracket
4. Remove the third nut (C) from the upper outboard side of
the lamp.
5. Remove the taillamp assembly from the vehicle.
6. Remove the taillamp/turn signallamp (A) or back‐up lamp (B)
bulb socket by turning it
counterclockwise one quarter
turn and pulling it out of the lamp
assembly. 7. Remove the bulb by pulling it
straight out.
8. Push the new bulb into the socket.
9. Reinstall the bulb socket by turning it clockwise into the lamp
assembly.
10. Reverse Steps 1 through 5 to reinstall the taillamp assembly
and applique.
Black plate (43,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-43
3. Install the new bulb.
4. Reverse steps 1 and 2 toreinstall the license plate bulb
assembly.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Back-up, Rear
Parking, Stoplamp,
and Turn
Signal Lamp 3157KX
Center
High‐Mounted Stop
Lamp (CHMSL) 912LL
Front Parking and
Turn Signal Lamp 3157KX
Front
Sidemarker Lamp 194LL
License
Plate Lamp 194LLExterior Lamp
Bulb
Number
Headlamps
Composite
High-Beam
Headlamp 9005LL
Composite
Low-Beam
Headlamp 9006LL
Sealed Beam
Headlamp H6054
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer.
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed. This
greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Black plate (2,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-37
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Center High-MountedStoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-42
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40 Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-42
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-20
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-36
Child Restraints Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-59, 3-62, 3-65
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-91
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Climate Control System Rear Heating System . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Black plate (5,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
Fluid (cont.)Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Front Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-43
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-42
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-43
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Fuel Economy
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20 Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Fuses
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Floor Console Fuse Block . . 10-48
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
G
Gasoline
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Gauges Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glass, Enhanced Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15