Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
11254764) - 2018 - crc - 12/5/16
64 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 65
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 66
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Battery Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . 73
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . 74 Service Vehicle Soon Light . . . . 74
Brake System Warning Light
(Parking Brake Light) . . . . . . . . . 75
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Exhaust Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Service Transmission Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automatic Transmission Fluid Temperature Warning Light . . . 78
Overdrive Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Wait-to-Start Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . 79
Engine Oil Level Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Engine Shutdown Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Idle Shutdown Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Reduced Engine Power Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Warning Buzzers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
11254764) - 2018 - crc - 12/5/16
78 Instruments and Controls
Warning (Continued)
3. Move the vehicle slowlyforward. Gradually increase
the speed to 15 km/h
(9 mph). If the light goes off,
the ABS is normal.
If the light does not come on or
go out, or comes on frequently,
contact your dealer immediately
and have the system repaired.
Even if a problem has occurred in
the ABS, the brakes will still work
as normal brakes. In this case,
the ABS has no influence on the
operation of the brake system.
See Brake System Warning Light
(Parking Brake Light) 075 and
Antilock Brake System (ABS) 0196.
Exhaust Brake Light
This light comes on when the
exhaust switch is pulled and the
engine is running. See Exhaust
Brake 0201.
Service Transmission
Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the
engine control switch is in the ON
position, as a check to show the
light is working. It should go out
when the engine is started. If the warning light starts to blink
while driving, it indicates that there
is a malfunction in the automatic
transmission’s electronic control
system. If the warning light is
blinking, see your dealer for service.
Automatic Transmission
Fluid Temperature
Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the
engine control switch is in the ON
position, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show the
light is working. It should go out
when the engine is started.
The Automatic Transmission Fluid
(ATF) Temperature warning light
comes on if the ATF temperature is
high. This usually occurs when the
transmission is overfilled and may
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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Instruments and Controls 79
be accompanied by leakage of fluid
from the transmission
breather hose.
If the light stays on, or comes on
while driving, slow down and pull off
the road. Stop the vehicle at a safe
place and put the vehicle in
P (Park). With the engine idling, wait
until the light goes off. If the light
goes off, you can drive the vehicle
again. If the light does not go off,
have the automatic transmission
lubricating system checked by your
dealer.
Caution
Driving with the ATF warning light
constantly on can cause serious
mechanical damage to the
automatic transmission.
See Automatic Transmission 0185.
Overdrive Off Light
This light should come on briefly
when the engine control switch is
turned on as a check to make sure
the light is working. It should go out
automatically.
This light comes on when the
overdrive off switch on the selector
lever is turned on. Overdrive will not
operate even when the automatic
transmission is in D, unless engine
speed is excessive.
Wait-to-Start Light
This light comes on when the
engine control switch is turned to
the ON position and goes out when
preheating is complete.
See Starting and Stopping the
Vehicle 0149.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
This light should come on briefly
when the engine control switch is
turned to the ON position, and then
should go out after the engine is
started.
This light comes on when the
engine oil pressure has fallen below
the normal level while the engine is
running or the oil pressure across
the oil filter rises above the normal
level while the engine is running.
If the warning light comes on while
driving, immediately pull off to a
safe place and stop the engine.
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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Driving and Operating 121
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 132
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 132
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 136
Emergencies(Troubleshooting) . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Emergencies (Disabled Vehicle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 147
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Starting and Stopping theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Operating Temperature . . . . . . . 153
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Engine Alarm and Automatic Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Idle Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
High Idle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Engine Checks Before
Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Diesel Particulate Filter
Diesel Particulate Filter . . . . . . . 161
Diesel Exhaust Fluid
Diesel Exhaust Fluid . . . . . . . . . . 170
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 185
Selector Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Overdrive Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Exhaust Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Fuel
Fuel for Diesel Engines . . . . . . . 206
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Cold Weather Operation . . . . . . 209
Water in Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Running Out of Fuel . . . . . . . . . . 212
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Power Take-Off (PTO) . . . . . . . . 215
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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130 Driving and Operating
1. Hold the regular brake pedaldown with your right foot and
apply the parking brake all the
way before shifting the
transmission. Follow the
Parking Brake instructions in
this manual for your vehicle.
2. To move the selector lever to "P" (Park), hold in the button
on the lever and push the lever
all the way toward the front of
your vehicle.
3. Turn the key to "LOCK".
4. Remove the key and take it with you.
5. Before you leave the driver's seat, be sure the vehicle is not
moving, or check that your
vehicle is in Park by trying to
pull the selector lever out of "P"
(Park) by pulling the selector
lever toward you without
pushing the button. If you can
do this, it means that the
selector lever was not fully
locked into "P" (Park).Driving Down a Long Slope
When driving down a long slope,
use the exhaust brake together with
the foot brakes. Using the exhaust
brake and low-gears reduces the
work load on the foot brakes and
yields greater braking force. Even
so, use the foot brakes
appropriately to prevent the engine
over-revving.
Frequent use of the foot brakes can
cause vapor lock and brake fade,
resulting in reduced brake
effectiveness.
Brake Fade : Frequent use of the
brakes can cause the brakes to
overheat so that the frictional force
of the brake linings decreases and
the brakes become less effective
than normal. This phenomenon is
called brake fade.
Vapor Lock : If the brakes overheat
due to frequent use, the heat can
cause the brake fluid to boil so that
air bubbles are created in the brake
fluid. Pressing the brake pedal
simply compresses the air bubbles;
pressure is not transmitted to the
wheel cylinders, so the brakes' effectiveness sharply deteriorates.
This phenomenon is called
vapor lock.
Even so, you should be very careful
when using engine braking in a low
gear because the engine is likely to
over-rev.
See
Exhaust Brake 0201 and
Selector Lever 0194.
Do not adjust the exhaust brake
valve.
The engine should never be allowed
to exceed the governed speed.
Supplement the exhaust brake with
vehicle service brakes intermittently
and/or shift to higher transmission
gear to prevent engine overspeed.
A rule of thumb for gear selection is
that the vehicle should be driven
down a grade in the same gear that
would be used to climb that grade.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of personal
injury, before going down a steep
or long grade, reduce speed, turn (Continued)
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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Driving and Operating 145
SymptomCauseCorrective Action Reference
Loud or abnormal
noises From the
transmission
Insufficient
transmission oil
Add oilSee
Automatic
Transmission Fluid
0 229
Transmission inner
components faulty
4-
From differential Insufficient differential
gear oil
Add oilSee
Rear Axle
(Gear Oil Viscosity
Chart) 0249 or
Rear Axle (Oil
Level Check) 0249
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 0317
Splines or bearings worn
4-
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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Driving and Operating 153
To prevent the battery from going
dead, turn the engine control switch
to the ACC or LOCK position after
stopping the engine. If you leave the
vehicle for an extended period of
time, place the engine control switch
in the LOCK position.
Let the engine idle for 3 minutes
before shutting off the engine. This
allows the turbocharger to slow
down while keeping the bearings
lubricated.
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.
If one 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).
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-
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Driving and Operating 185
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 086, Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 074, and Diesel Exhaust
Fluid (DEF) Warning Light 080.
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) 082, Brake System
Warning Light (Parking Brake Light)
0 75, Warning Buzzers 091, and
Winter Driving 0133.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.