Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
132 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 143
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 144
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 148
Emergencies(Troubleshooting) . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Emergencies (Disabled Vehicle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 162
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Starting and Stopping theVehicle (Gasoline Only) . . . . . 165
Starting and Stopping the Vehicle (Diesel Only) . . . . . . . . 168
Operating Temperature . . . . . . . 172
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Engine Alarm and Automatic
Shutdown (Diesel Only) . . . . . 174
Idle Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
High Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Engine Checks Before Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Diesel Particulate Filter
Diesel Particulate Filter . . . . . . . 180
Diesel Exhaust Fluid
Diesel Exhaust Fluid . . . . . . . . . . 189
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 204
Selector Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Overdrive Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Exhaust Brake (Diesel Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Cruise Control
Cruise Control (Diesel) . . . . . . . 224
Cruise Control (Gas) . . . . . . . . . 227
Driver Assistance Systems
Speed Limiter (GasolineVehicle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Fuel
Fuel (Gasoline) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 232
Fuel for Diesel Engines . . . . . . . 232
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Cold Weather Operation(Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Water in Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . 236
Running Out of Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Power Take-Off (PTO) . . . . . . . . 242
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
160 Driving and Operating
SymptomCauseCorrective Action Reference
Loud or abnormal
noises From the
transmission
Insufficient
transmission oil
Add oilSee
Automatic
Transmission Fluid
0 260
Transmission inner
components faulty
4-
From differential Insufficient differential
gear oil
Add oilSee
Rear Axle
(Gear Oil Viscosity
Chart) 0283 or
Rear Axle (Oil
Level Check) 0283
Differential inner
components faulty
4-
From the
suspension Spring pins, shackles,
or stoppers worn
4-
From the driveshaft Poor lubrication in each
component
Lubricate themSee
Owner Checks
and Services 0367
Splines or bearings worn
4-
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
172 Driving and Operating
If the Vehicle Has Not Been Used
for a Long Period
If a diesel vehicle has been
standing for an extended period of
time, the turbocharger bearings
should be pre-lubricated prior to
starting. See your authorized dealer
for more detailed information.
Before using a vehicle that has not
been driven for a long period, check
the engine and transmission for oil
leakage, and make sure the oil is at
the required levels. If there is
insufficient oil, it will not adequately
reach and lubricate components,
and a breakdown will result.
Start the engine and allow it to idle
for at least five minutes. Check for
abnormal noises.
For instructions on warming up the
engine, refer to“Starting the Engine”
previously in this section.
For diesel vehicles, if 1 year has
passed since the diesel exhaust
fluid (DEF) in the DEF tank was
added, the DEF in the tank should
be replaced. Be careful not to inhale
the ammonia odor when replacing the DEF. Also, please contact your
nearest dealer about the
replacement work.
Operating Temperature
Recommendations for Warming
Up the Engine
The engine is sufficiently warmed
up when the needle of the engine
coolant temperature gauge starts
to move.
Do not race the engine or quickly
accelerate before the engine has
sufficiently warmed up. Oil would
not have adequately reached and
lubricated components, and a
breakdown may result.
The exhaust pipe becomes
extremely hot while the engine is
idling. Before warming up the
engine, make sure there is no
flammable material, such as grass,
waste paper, oil, or old tires near the
exhaust pipe.
Engine Warm-up System
During cold ambient conditions, the
automatic engine warm-up system
operates to reduce engine warm-up
time during idling.
Automatic Engine Warm-up :
When the engine is idling with the
engine coolant temperature below
62 °C (144 °F), the engine warm-up
system automatically closes the
exhaust brake and increases engine
idle speed so that the engine is
warmed more quickly. Warm-up is
cancelled when the accelerator
pedal is pressed, and resumed
when the pedal is released.
Warm-up is automatically cancelled
entirely after the engine coolant
temperature rises above 65 °C
(149 °F).
Winter Cover
.
Do not cover the front of the
radiator with newspapers,
cardboard or any other
flammable material to raise the
engine coolant temperature.
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
204 Driving and Operating
When the exhaust system warning
light comes on, promptly have the
vehicle inspected and serviced at a
dealer.
When a malfunction is detected in
the SCR system, the warning and
the indicator lights shown in the
table come on. SeeVehicle
Messages (Diesel Only) 097,
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) 084, and Diesel
Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Warning Light
0 90.
When the Diesel Exhaust Fluid
(DEF) Tank is Empty
If the DEF tank is empty and
warning and indicator lights are on,
you must follow below procedure to
cancel the vehicle restriction: 1. Turn the engine control switch to the LOCK or ACC position,
and add DEF.
2. After adding DEF, turn the engine control switch to ON
position.
3. Wait until buzzer stops, warnings and indicators are
turned off. 4. If the buzzer does not stop,
return the engine control switch
back to the LOCK position and
add more DEF, and then start
over from step 2 above.
5. Restart the engine.
It may take a while until the warning
lights and indicators turn off and the
buzzer stops after turning the
engine control switch to the ON
position.
It is desirable to fill up the tank with
DEF to avoid DEF remaining level
warning indication from reappearing.
When the outside temperature is
low, refer to Adding DEF in Cold
Weather. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) (Diesel Only) 093,
Brake System Warning Light
(Parking Brake Light) 084, Warning
Buzzers 0101, and Winter Driving
0 145.Automatic
Transmission
On an automatic transmission
vehicle, the driver does not use a
clutch pedal when pulling away,
changing gears, or stopping. Only
the selector lever, accelerator pedal,
and brake pedal are used.
Practice learning the characteristics
of the automatic transmission
vehicle and how to correctly operate
it. When the vehicle is stationary,
remember to keep the brake pedal
firmly pressed, and if necessary,
move the selector lever in the P or
N position and apply the parking
brake.
Creep : With the engine running
and a gear position other than P or
N selected with the selector lever,
power reaches the wheels even
when the accelerator pedal is not
pressed, causing the vehicle to tend
to move.
Furthermore, the higher the engine
speed, the stronger the creep and
the greater the vehicle's tendency
to move.
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
Driving and Operating 207
Sit in the correct driving position,
and use your right foot to operate
the brake and accelerator pedals.
To avoid accidentally pressing the
wrong pedal, check the pedal
positions and practice putting your
foot on the desired pedal.
To start your vehicle:1. Firmly press the brake pedal. After making sure the selector
lever is placed into P or N, that
P or N is shown in the shift
indicator and that the parking
brake lever is fully pulled up,
place the engine control switch
into the ON position.
2. Start the engine and move the selector lever into D (diesel
engine) or D6/D4 (gasoline
engine) for forward movement,
or R for backward movement
while firmly pressing the brake
pedal with your right foot.
3. Make sure that the shift indicator indicates the correct
gear (D (diesel engine) or D6/
D4 (gasoline engine) for
forward movement, or R for
backward movement), release the parking brake, release the
brake pedal, and then
gradually press the accelerator
pedal. The vehicles starts
moving as you press the
accelerator pedal further.
On a steep slope:
Make sure that the shift indicator
indicates the correct gear (D (diesel
engine) or D6/D4 (gasoline engine)
for forward movement, or R for
backward movement), check the
area around the vehicle is clear,
release the brake pedal with your
right foot, and then slowly press the
accelerator pedal.
After you feel the vehicle start
moving, gradually release the
parking brake lever and start driving
the vehicle.
When the brake pedal is not
pressed, the shift lock system
operates and the selector lever
cannot be shifted from P to any
other position. See
Driver Information Center (DIC)
(Diesel Only) 093, Starting and
Stopping the Vehicle (Gasoline
Only) 0165 orStarting and
Stopping the Vehicle (Diesel Only)
0 168, Selector Lever 0214, and
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock
Control Function Check (Diesel
Only) 0285.
Normal Driving
When you move the selector lever
from P into D (diesel engine) or
D6 (gasoline engine), shifting takes
place in the automatic mode. Check
that D (diesel engine) or
D6 (gasoline engine) is displayed in
the shift indicator.
If the automatic transmission fluid
temperature is too low, the
transmission may not initially make
automatic shift to the 4th, 5th, and
6th gear. This condition is normal
and will be resolved as the fluid
temperature rises.
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
208 Driving and Operating
To Accelerate
To accelerate when the accelerator
pedal is pressed further, kickdown
operates and the speed increases.
The transmission will downshift at
speeds below 88 km/h (55 MPH) for
diesel vehicles, and below
112 km/h (70 MPH) for gasoline
vehicles, to provide greater
acceleration.
Kickdown
If you press the accelerator pedal
fully while driving, in accordance
with the current speed the gear
automatically shifts down and the
engine speed rises, enabling
sufficient acceleration. This is called
kickdown.
You can easily accelerate to the
required speed when overtaking
other vehicles or when joining traffic
on a highway. In order to maintain
speed when driving on an uphill
road, as you gradually press the
accelerator pedal the engine may
automatically shift down in
accordance to the current speed(shifts to a lower speed gear),
increasing the engine speed and
increasing vehicle speed.
Driving Uphill or Downhill
Uphill driving:
With the selector lever in D (diesel
engine) or D6/D4 (gasoline engine),
if you press down on the accelerator
pedal, kickdown (change to a low
speed gear) may operate causing
the engine revolutions to suddenly
increase (increasing the speed).
Driving for a prolonged duration on
an uphill road with the selector lever
in D (diesel engine) or D6/
D4 (gasoline engine) may cause the
automatic transmission fluid to
overheat.
For vehicles with a diesel engine,
drive with the overdrive off switch
ON to keep the engine revolutions
constant to enable smoother driving
with fewer changes in engine
revolutions.
For vehicles with a gasoline engine,
drive with the selector lever in the
D4 position to keep the engine
revolutions constant to enable
smoother driving with fewer
changes in engine revolutions.
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
Driving and Operating 209
Driving conditionsSelector lever position
Normal uphill road Diesel engine
–D (overdrive off
switch ON)
Gasoline engine –D4
Steep uphill, steep slope, mountain
road with many sharp curves 2 or 1
Long uphill road 2
Downhill driving:
Do not overuse the foot brake. This
will cause the brakes to overheat,
reducing their effectiveness. On
long downward slopes or sharp
downhill sections of road, use the
engine brake together with the foot
brakes to control the speed.
On vehicles with a diesel engine,
when the selector lever is in the D
position, you can drive with the
overdrive off switch ON to allow a
gentle engine brake to be applied.
On vehicles with a 3.0L diesel
engine, push the overdrive off
switch to the ON position at speeds below 135 km/h (84 MPH) to
increase engine braking action
when traveling downgrade.
On vehicles with a 5.2L diesel
engine, push the overdrive off
switch to the ON position at speeds
below 101 km/h (63 MPH) to
increase engine braking action
when traveling downgrade.
On vehicles with a gasoline engine,
with the selector lever in the D4
position at speeds below
121 km/h (75 MPH) to increase
engine braking action when
traveling downgrade.
You can increase engine braking by
driving with the selector lever in the
2 position.To apply a stronger engine brake on
sharp downhill sections, shift the
selector lever to the 1 position when
required.
See
Control of a Vehicle 0133.
Driving at Low Speeds for
Sustained Periods
On vehicles with a 3.0L diesel
engine, any low speed applications
such as sweeper, road marking
machinery, trash collectors, highway
striping or moving, etc. require the
following treatment to prevent the
automatic transmission fluid (ATF)
from overheating:
Select 1 position during low speed
operation under 28 km/h (17 MPH).
Select 2 position during low speed
operation under 53 km/h (33 MPH).
On vehicles with a 5.2L diesel
engine, any low speed applications
such as sweeper, road marking
machinery, trash collectors, highway
striping or moving, etc. require the
following treatment to prevent the
automatic transmission fluid (ATF)
from overheating:
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
10716700) - 2017 - crc - 12/6/16
210 Driving and Operating
Select 1 position during low speed
operation under 18 km/h (11 MPH).
Select 2 position during low speed
operation under 36 km/h (22 MPH).
On vehicles with a gasoline engine,
any low speed applications such as
sweeper, road marking machinery,
trash collectors, highway striping or
moving, etc. require the following
treatment to prevent the automatic
transmission fluid (ATF) from
overheating:
Select 1 position during low speed
operation under 36 km/h (22 MPH).
Select 2 position during low speed
operation under 61 km/h (38 MPH).
SeeAutomatic Transmission Fluid
Temperature Warning Light 088.
To Stop Your Vehicle 1. To temporarily stop the vehicle, press the brake pedal firmly
while the selector lever is in
D (diesel engine) or D6/
D4 (gasoline engine). 2. Use the parking brake as
required. Press the brake pedal
firmly, and firmly apply the
parking brake.
If the vehicle is stationary for a
long time, move the selector
lever into the N or P position.
If the selector lever is kept in
D (diesel engine) or D6/
D4 (gasoline engine), the
temperature of the automatic
transmission fluid increases
due to heat from the torque
converter.
To ensure reliable brake application,
be sure to use your right foot to
press the brake pedal.
When leaving the driver's seat,
follow the When Parking Your
Vehicle procedure.
To Start After Stopping
To start again after stopping your
vehicle, visually check that the
selector lever is in D (diesel engine)
or D6/D4 (gasoline engine), and
gradually press the accelerator
pedal to pull away. When Parking Your Vehicle
{Warning
Do not leave your vehicle while
the engine is still running. Do not
park with the selector lever in a
position other than P or N the
vehicle may begin moving by
itself due to creeping. You may
accidentally press the accelerator
pedal when getting into the
vehicle causing it to start moving
suddenly.
When parking the vehicle, always
apply the parking brake and move
the selector lever to the P
position.
When parking on a slope, move
the selector lever in the P position
and block the wheels with chocks.
You and others could be seriously
injured.
1. Keep pressing the brake pedal firmly with your right foot, then
apply the parking brake.