Black plate (74,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-74 Driving and Operating
VehicleAxle Ratio Maximum Trailer Weight GCWR*
2500 Series 2WD Long Wheel Base 6.0L V8 3.734 355 kg (9,600 lbs) 7 257 kg (16,000 lbs)
2500 Series 4WD Long Wheel Base 6.0L V8 3.734 264 kg (9,400 lbs) 7 257 kg (16,000 lbs)
*The Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) is the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle and
trailer including any passengers, cargo, equipment and conversions. The GCWR for the vehicle should not be
exceeded.
Ask your dealer for trailering
information or advice, or write us at
our Customer Assistance Offices,
See Customer Assistance Offices
on page 13‑3.
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
very important because it is also
part of the vehicle weight. The
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
includes the curb weight of the
vehicle, any cargo carried in it, and
the people who will be riding in the
vehicle as well as trailer tongue
weight. Vehicle options, equipment, passengers and cargo in the vehicle
reduce the amount of tongue weight
the vehicle can carry, which will also
reduce the trailer weight the vehicle
can tow. See
Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9‑16 for more information
about the vehicle's maximum load
capacity.
Black plate (80,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-80 Driving and Operating
This symbol is located on the Trailer
Brake Control Panel on vehicles
with an Integrated Trailer Brake
Control System. The power output
to the trailer brakes is based on the
amount of brake pressure being
applied by the vehicle’s brake
system. This available power output
to the trailer brakes can be adjusted
to a wide range of trailering
situations.
The ITBC system is integrated with
the vehicle’s brake, anti‐lock brake
and StabiliTrak systems. In trailering
conditions that cause the vehicle’s
anti‐lock brake or StabiliTrak
systems to activate, power sent to
the trailer's brakes will be
automatically adjusted to minimize
trailer wheel lock-up. This does not
imply that the trailer has the
StabiliTrak system. If the vehicle’s brake, anti‐lock
brake or StabiliTrak systems are not
functioning properly, the ITBC
system may not be fully functional
or may not function at all. Make sure
all of these systems are fully
operational to ensure full
functionality of the ITBC system.
The ITBC system is powered
through the vehicle's electrical
system. Turning the ignition off will
also turn off the ITBC system. The
ITBC system is fully functional only
when the ignition is in ON or
in RUN.
The ITBC system can only be used
with trailers with electric brakes.{WARNING
Connecting a trailer that is not
compatible with the ITBC system
may result in reduced or complete
loss of trailer braking. There may
be an increase in stopping
distance or trailer instability which
could result in personal injury or
damage to the vehicle, trailer,
or other property. An aftermarket
controller may be available for
use with trailers with surge, air,
or electric‐over‐hydraulic trailer
brake systems. To determine the
type of brakes on the trailer and
the availability of controllers,
check with your trailer
manufacturer or dealer.
Black plate (84,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-84 Driving and Operating
.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 is displayed
in 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 ten 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 thirty seconds. This
message will also turn off if the
driver acknowledges this
message off 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 off or if the trailer
harness is re-connected.
Black plate (88,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
9-88 Driving and Operating
Front axle reserve capacity is the
difference between the front Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and the
front axle weight of the vehicle with
full fuel and passengers. Basically, it
is the amount of weight that can be
added to the front axle before
reaching the front GAWR.
The front axle reserve capacity for
the vehicle can be found in the
lower right corner of the
Certification/Tire label, as shown.
United States
CanadaIn order to calculate the amount of
weight any front accessory, such as
a snow plow, is adding to the front
axle, use the following formula:
(W x (A + W.B.)) /W.B.= Weight the
accessory is adding to the
front axle.
Where:
W = Weight of added accessory
A = Distance that the accessory
is in front of the front axle
W.B. = Vehicle Wheelbase
Black plate (89,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-89
For example, adding a 318 kg
(700 lb) snow plow actually adds
more than 318 kg (700 lb) to the
front axle. Using the formula, if the
snow plow is 122 cm (4 ft) in front of
the front axle and the wheel base is
305 cm (10 ft), then:W = 318 kg (700 lb)
A = 122 cm (4 ft)
W.B. = 305 cm (10 ft)
(W x (A + W.B.))/W.B. =
(318 x (122 + 305))/305 = 445 kg
(980 lb)
So, if the vehicle's front axle reserve
capacity is more than 980 lbs
(445 kg), the snow plow could be
added without exceeding the
front GAWR. Heavier equipment can be added on
the front of the vehicle if it is
compensated for by carrying fewer
passengers, less cargo, or by
positioning cargo toward the rear.
This has the effect of reducing the
load on the front. However, the front
GAWR, rear GAWR, and the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
must never be exceeded.
{WARNING
On some vehicles that have
certain front mounted equipment,
such as a snow plow, it may be
possible to load the front axle to
the front gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) but not have enough
weight on the rear axle to have
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
proper braking performance. If the
brakes cannot work properly, you
could have a crash. To help the
brakes work properly when a
snow plow is installed, always
follow the snow plow
manufacturer or installer's
recommendation for rear ballast
to ensure a proper front and rear
weight distribution ratio, even
though the actual front weight
may be less than the front
GAWR, and the total vehicle
weight is less than the gross
vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Maintaining a proper front and
rear weight distribution ratio is
necessary to provide proper
braking performance.
Black plate (1,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-10
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-15
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17 Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Engine Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-32
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-33
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-34
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-38
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tire Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Black plate (2,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
10-2 Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure MonitorOperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-84
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-87Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-98
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-104
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
Black plate (5,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-5
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the handle with this symbolon it. It is located inside the
vehicle to the lower left of the
steering wheel.
2. Then go to the front of thevehicle and locate the secondary
hood release, near the center of
the grille. 3. Push the secondary hood
release to the right.
4. Lift the hood. Before closing the hood, be sure
all the filler caps are on properly.
Then bring the hood from full
open to within 152 mm (6 in)
from the closed position, pause,
then push the front center of the
hood with a swift, firm motion to
fully close the hood.