2013 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE engine overheat

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Vehicle Care 10-17
How to Add Coolant to the
Surge Tank
{WARNING
You can be burned if you spill
coolant on hot engine parts.
Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts
are hot enough. Do not spill
coolant on a hot engine.
Notice: This vehicle has a
specific coolant fill procedure.
Failure to follow this procedure
could cause the engine to
overheat and be severely
damaged.
{WARNING
Steam and scalding liquids from a
hot cooling system can blow out
and burn you badly. Never turn
the cap when the cooling system,
including the surge tank pressure
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling
system and surge tank pressure
cap to cool.
If no coolant is visible in the surge
tank, add coolant as follows:
1. Remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap when the cooling
system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot.
Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise about one full
turn. If a hiss is heard, wait for
that to stop. A hiss means there
is still some pressure left. 2. Keep turning the pressure cap
slowly and remove it.3. Fill the coolant surge tank withthe proper mixture to the FULL
COLD mark.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
10-18 Vehicle Care
4. With the coolant surge tankpressure cap off, start the
engine and let it run until the
upper radiator hose can be felt
getting hot. Watch out for the
engine cooling fan.
By this time, the coolant level
inside the coolant surge tank
may be lower. If the level is
lower, add more of the proper
mixture to the coolant surge tank
until the level reaches the FULL
COLD mark.
5. Replace the pressure cap tightly. 6. Verify coolant level after engine
is shut off and the coolant is
cold. If necessary, repeat coolant
fill procedure Steps 1–6.
Notice: If the pressure cap is not
tightly installed, coolant loss and
possible engine damage may
occur. Be sure the cap is properly
and tightly secured.
Engine Overheating
The vehicle has several indicators
to warn of engine overheating.
There is a coolant temperature
gauge on your vehicle's instrument
panel. See Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge on page 5‑13.
In addition, ENGINE OVERHEATED
STOP ENGINE, ENGINE
OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE, and
an ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
message comes on in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) on the
instrument panel. See Engine
Cooling System Messages on
page 5‑36 andEngine Power
Messages on page 5‑38. If the decision is made not to lift the
hood when this warning appears,
but instead get service help right
away. See
Roadside Assistance
Program (Mexico) on page 13‑7 or
Roadside Assistance Program (U.S.
and Canada) on page 13‑11.
If the decision is made to lift the
hood, make sure the vehicle is
parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine
cooling fans are running. If the
engine is overheating, both fans
should be running. If they are not,
do not continue to run the engine
and have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Running the engine
without coolant may cause
damage or a fire. Vehicle damage
would not be covered by the
warranty. See Overheated Engine
Protection Operating Mode on
page 10‑20 for information on
driving to a safe place in an
emergency.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
Vehicle Care 10-19
If Steam Is Coming from the
Engine Compartment
{WARNING
Steam from an overheated engine
can burn you badly, even if you
just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming from it. Turn it off
and get everyone away from the
vehicle until it cools down. Wait
until there is no sign of steam or
coolant before you open
the hood.
If you keep driving when the
vehicles engine is overheated,
the liquids in it can catch fire. You
or others could be badly burned.
Stop the engine if it overheats,
and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
SeeOverheated Engine
Protection Operating Mode on
page 10‑20 for information on
driving to a safe place in an
emergency.
If No Steam Is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
The ENGINE OVERHEATED STOP
ENGINE or the ENGINE
OVERHEATED IDLE ENGINE
message, along with a low coolant
condition, can indicate a serious
problem.
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
.Stops after high-speed driving.
.Idles for long periods in traffic.
.Tows a trailer. See Trailer
Towing on page 9‑63.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam:
1. Turn the air conditioning off.
2. Turn the heater on to the highest temperature and to the highest
fan speed. Open the windows as
necessary.
3. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in N (Neutral) while stopped.
If it is safe to do so, pull off
the road, shift to P (Park) or
N (Neutral) and let the
engine idle.
If the temperature overheat gauge is
no longer in the overheat zone
or an overheat warning no longer
displays, the vehicle can be driven.
Continue to drive the vehicle slowly
for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe
vehicle distance from the vehicle in
front. If the warning does not come
back on, continue to drive normally.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
10-20 Vehicle Care
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is no sign of steam, idle the
engine for three minutes while
parked. If the warning is still
displayed, turn off the engine until it
cools down. Also, see“Overheated
Engine Protection Operating Mode”
later in this section.
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode
If an overheated engine condition
exists and the ENGINE POWER IS
REDUCED message is displayed,
an overheat protection mode which
alternates firing groups of cylinders
helps prevent engine damage. In
this mode, a loss in power and
engine performance will be noticed.
This operating mode allows the
vehicle to be driven to a safe place
in an emergency. Driving extended distances and/or towing a trailer in
the overheat protection mode
should be avoided.
Notice:
After driving in the
overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine
damage, allow the engine to cool
before attempting any repair. The
engine oil will be severely
degraded. Repair the cause of
coolant loss, change the oil and
reset the oil life system. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑6.
Engine Fan
The vehicle has electric cooling
fans. The fans spinning at low
speed during most everyday driving
might be heard. The fans can turn
off if no cooling is required. Under
heavy vehicle loading, trailer towing,
and/or high outside temperatures,
or if operating the air conditioning
system, the fans can change to high
speed and an increase in fan noise
might be heard. This is normal and
indicates that the cooling system is functioning properly. The fans
change to low speed when
additional cooling is no longer
required.
Power Steering Fluid
See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑5 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.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
i-4 INDEX
Driving (cont'd)Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
DVD Rear Seat EntertainmentSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-76
Electrical System
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Emergency OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-5
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-36
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-29
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Entry/Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67 Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-19
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-3
F
Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-5
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-10
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Four-Wheel DriveTransfer Case . . . . . . . . . 9-34, 9-39
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 8/27/12
i-8 INDEX
N
NavigationOnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil PressureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23 Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-35
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
OnStar®Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar
®Connections . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
OnStar®Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar®Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar®Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Operation, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-17
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Overview, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3, 7-5
P
ParkShifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-29
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-28
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-28
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-25