2012 GMC SAVANA PASSENGER check transmission fluid

Black plate (15,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Vehicle Care 10-15
A cold fluid level check can be
performed after the vehicle has
been sitting for eight hours or more
with the engine off, but this is used
only as a reference. Let the engine
run at idle for five minutes if outside
temperatures is between 15°C to
32°C (60°F to 90°F). Should the
fluid level be low during this cold
check, the fluid must be checked
Warm or Hot before adding fluid.
If the outside temperature is colder
than 15°C (60°F) or hotter than
32°C (90°F), a cold check cannot be
performed.
A warm fluid level check can be
performed by driving the vehicle
under lightly loaded conditions and
outside temperatures between 10°C
to 27°C (50°F to 80°F). The vehicle
should be driven for at least 24 km
(15 mi) before performing a warm
check. Checking the fluid Warm or
Hot will give a more accurate
reading of the fluid level than a cold
check.Because the vehicle is equipped
with a high-efficiency air-to-oil
cooler, the transmission fluid
temperature may not reach the
required Hot fluid level checking
temperature under normal lightly
loaded driving vehicle conditions.
Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare the vehicle as follows:
1. Park the vehicle on a level
place. Keep the engine running.
2. With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever in P (Park).
3. With foot on the brake pedal, move the shift lever through
each gear range, pausing for
about three seconds in each
range. When M is reached,
move the selector from M1
through M3. Then, position the
shift lever in P (Park).
4. Let the engine run at idle for two minutes or more. Then, without shutting off the
engine:
The transmission dipstick is located
near the center of the engine
compartment and will be labeled
with the graphic shown.
See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for more information
on location.
1. Flip the handle up and then pull out the dipstick and wipe it with
a clean rag or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and then pull it
back out again.

Black plate (16,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
10-16 Vehicle Care
A. COLD Range
B. WARM Range
C. HOT Range
3. Check both sides of the dipstick, and read the lower level. The
fluid level must be in the
COLD (A) range for a cold
check, transmission temperature
27°C to 32°C (80°F to 90°F),
between the COLD (A) and
HOT (C) range for a WARM (B)
check, 50°C to 60°C (122°F to
140°F) or in the HOT (C)
cross-hatched range for a hot
check, 71°C to 93°C (160°F to
200°F). Be sure to keep the
dipstick pointed down to get an
accurate reading. 4. If the fluid level is in the
acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way; then
flip the handle down to lock the
dipstick in place.How to Add Automatic
Transmission Fluid
Refer to Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑12 to
determine what kind of transmission
fluid to use.
A. WARM Range
B. HOT Range
Using a funnel, add fluid down the
transmission dipstick tube only after
checking the transmission fluid
while it is warm or hot. A cold check
is used only as a reference. If the
fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper fluid to bring the level up
to the middle of the WARM (A) or
HOT (B) range depending on the
ambient temperature and prior
driving conditions. Refer to
“How to
Check Automatic Transmission
Fluid”, earlier in this section for
instructions on driving to achieve
warm or hot transmission fluid.
It does not take much fluid,
generally less than 0.5 L (1 pt).
Do not overfill.
Notice: Use of the incorrect
automatic transmission fluid may
damage the vehicle, and the
damages may not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Always use
the automatic transmission fluid
listed in Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11‑12.
.After adding fluid, recheck the
fluid level as described under
“How to Check Automatic
Transmission Fluid,” earlier in
this section.

Black plate (25,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Vehicle Care 10-25
Engine Fan
The vehicle has a clutched engine
cooling fan. When the clutch is
engaged, the fan spins faster to
provide more air to cool the engine.
In most everyday driving conditions,
the fan is spinning slower and the
clutch is not fully engaged. This
improves fuel economy and reduces
fan noise. Under heavy vehicle
loading, trailer towing, and/or high
outside temperatures, the fan speed
increases as the clutch more fully
engages, so an increase in fan
noise may be heard. This is normal
and should not be mistaken as the
transmission slipping or making
extra shifts. It is merely the cooling
system functioning properly. The fan
will slow down when additional
cooling is not required and the
clutch partially disengages.
This fan noise may be heard when
starting the engine. It will go away
as the fan clutch partially
disengages.
Power Steering Fluid
The power steering fluid reservoir is
located in the engine compartment
on the driver side of the vehicle.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6 for reservoir location.
When to Check Power Steering
Fluid
It is not necessary to regularly
check power steering fluid unless
there is a leak suspected in the
system or an unusual noise is
heard. A fluid loss in this system
could indicate a problem. Have the
system inspected and repaired.
How to Check Power Steering
Fluid
Notice:Extremely small amounts
of contamination can cause
steering system damage and
cause it to not work properly. Do
not allow contaminants to contact
the fluid side of the reservoir cap/
dipstick or to enter the reservoir.
To check the power steering fluid,
do the following:
1. Turn the key off and let the engine compartment cool down.
2. Wipe the cap and the top of the reservoir clean.
3. Unscrew the cap and wipe the dipstick with a clean rag.
4. Replace the cap and completely tighten it.
5. Then remove the cap again and look at the fluid level on the
dipstick.

Black plate (4,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
11-4 Service and Maintenance
.Check tire inflation pressures.
SeeTire Pressure on
page 10‑57.
.Inspect tire wear. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑63.
.Visually check for fluid leaks.
.Inspect engine air cleaner filter.
See Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑17.
.Inspect brake system.
.Visually inspect steering,
suspension, and chassis
components for damaged, loose,
or missing parts or signs of
wear. See Exterior Care on
page 10‑92.
.Check restraint system
components. See Safety System
Check on page 3‑17.
.Visually inspect fuel system for
damage or leaks.
.Visually inspect exhaust system
and nearby heat shields for
loose or damaged parts.
.Lubricate body components. See
Exterior Care on page 10‑92.
.Check starter switch. See Starter
Switch Check on page 10‑34.
.Check automatic transmission
shift lock control function. See
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function Check on
page 10‑34.
.Check ignition transmission lock.
See Ignition Transmission Lock
Check on page 10‑35.
.Check parking brake and
automatic transmission park
mechanism. See Park Brake and
P (Park) Mechanism Check on
page 10‑35.
.Check accelerator pedal for
damage, high effort, or binding.
Replace if needed.
.Visually inspect gas strut for
signs of wear, cracks, or other
damage. Check the hold open
ability of the strut. See your
dealer if service is required.

Black plate (3,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
Technical Data 12-3
ApplicationCapacities
Metric English
Engine Oil with Filter
4.3L V6 4.3 L 4.5 qt
4.8L V8, 5.3L V8, 6.0L V8 5.7 L 6.0 qt
Fuel Tank
Cutaway (Optional Tank)* 215.7 L 57.0 gal
Cutaway (Standard Tank) 124.9 L 33.0 gal
Passenger and Cargo 117.3 L 31.0 gal
* 4 039 mm (159 inch) wheelbase or 4 496 mm (177 inch) wheelbase only
Transmission Fluid (Pan Removal and Filter Replacement)
4-SPD 4L60-E 4.7 L 5.0 qt
6-SPD 6L90 6.0 L 6.3 qt
Transfer Case Fluid 1.4 L 1.5 qt
Wheel Nut Torque 190 Y140 ft lb
All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this
manual. Recheck fluid level after filling.

Black plate (1,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Additional Information,
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-17
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-21 Airbags
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Light On-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
On-Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-19
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-30, 9-33
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-39
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Audio System Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25, 9-28
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32

Black plate (2,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-36
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42 Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-41
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-41
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8 Cargo Door Relocking . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-20
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-35
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-54, 3-56, 3-60
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43

Black plate (4,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/11/11
i-4 INDEX
Driving (cont'd)Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Dual Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Floor Console Fuse Block . . 10-46
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Emergency, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19 Engine (cont'd)
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-35
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-25
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Enhanced Technology
Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Entry/Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-15
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
F
Fan Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Fast Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Fluid
AutomaticTransmission . . . . . . . 10-11, 10-14
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Front Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-39