GMC 2003 GMT560 T-Series User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-4
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-19
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-30
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-3
Windows .................................................. 2-4
Theft-Deterrent Systems .............................. 2-6
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ............. 2-7
Mirrors .................................................... 2-25
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-27
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-17
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ......... 3-20
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-39
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-32
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-43
Cab Tilting .............................................. 5-44
Noise Control System ............................... 5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-51
Tires ...................................................... 5-52
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-60
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-67
Electrical System ...................................... 5-67
Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-74
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ...... 5-78
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information .................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ............................ 7-5
Index ................................................................ 1
2003 GMC GMT560 T-Series Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, GMC, and
the GMC Truck Emblem are registered trademarks
of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of
Canada Limited” for GM Medium Duty Truck Division
when it appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be
there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the
new owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. X2203 A First Edition ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 06/11/01 All Rights Reserved
Canadian Owners
You can obtain a French copy of this manual from your
dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If
you do this, it will help you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain things.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of what’s
in the manual, and the page number where you’ll find it.
ii

Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about
things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the
warning.
{CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is.
Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you
or others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t do this” or “Don’t let
this happen.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be
covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the
notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the
damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in
different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relating to a specific component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage or indicator, reference the following
topics:
•Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
•Features and Controls in Section 2
•Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
•Climate Controls in Section 3
•Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
•Audio System(s) in Section 3
•Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
v

Model Reference
This manual contains information which covers tilt cab
models as shown. Most models are unfinished from
the factory.
Since T-Series models delivered from the factory are
finished in a variety of ways by a number of companies,
you’ll probably find other manuals in your vehicle.
These manuals are put there by the companies that
have added components or equipment to the T-Series
models. Read all these materials — as well as this
manual — carefully, to get all of the information on
your vehicle.
vi

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Head Restraints .............................................1-2
Bucket Seats .................................................1-2
Center Seat ...................................................1-4
Safety Belts .....................................................1-4
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-4
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ........1-8
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly ...................1-9
Driver Position ...............................................1-9
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-16
Right Passenger Position ...............................1-17
Center Passenger Position .............................1-17
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-18
Child Restraints .............................................1-19
Older Children ..............................................1-19
Infants and Young Children ............................1-21
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-24
Top Strap ....................................................1-27
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Seat Position ............................................1-28
Restraint System Check ..................................1-30
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-30
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................1-30
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Head Restraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Bucket Seats
Your vehicle has bucket
seats. You can adjust the
driver’s seat with these
levers located at the front
of the seat.
Slide lever A to the left to unlock the seat and slide the
seat to where you want it. Then, release the lever
and try to move the seat with your body, to make sure
the seat is locked into place.
To adjust the lower seat cushion forward or backward,
pull up on lever B and slide the cushion to where
you want it. Then release the lever.
1-2

To tilt the seatback, turn
the backrest tilt knob. The
knob is located on the
lower cushion, on
the outboard side of the
driver’s seat and the
inboard side of the
passenger’s seat.
To get more support in the
lumbar area of your back,
turn the lumbar adjustment
knob. The knob is
located on the upper
cushion, on the inboard
side of the driver’s
seat and the outboard side
of the passenger’s seat.
{CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust the seat while the vehicle is moving.
The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a pedal when
you don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only
when the vehicle is not moving.
1-3

Center Seat
Your vehicle may have a center seat.
To fold the seatback down, pull the lever, located on the
right side of the seat.
Then lower the seatback forward and push down firmly
to lock in position. A storage compartment is located
on the rear of the seatback for use when the seatback is
in the fully lowered position.
Push the lever on the right side of the seat and pull on
the seatback when you are ready to raise it.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
1-4

{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-23
.
In most states and all Canadian provinces, the law says
to wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work .
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of
them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!
1-5

Why Safety Belts Work
Q: Aren’t safety belts for kids?
A: Yes. And they are for adult truckers, and anyone
else who rides in your vehicle.
Here’s why: when your vehicle goes, say, 30 mph
(50 km/h), so do you and your passengers.
If the vehicle hits something, it stops – right then. But
nothing stops the people. They keep moving.
1-6

Then something will stop them. It could be the
windshield. Or it could be the instrument panel.
Now, what if you and your passengers were to give that
big vehicle a chance to deal with the force of the
impact, instead of you?
1-7

With belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get
more time to stop.
You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones
take the forces. Safety belts are for everyone.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be – whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so you
can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident – even one that isn’t your fault – you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-8

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-19
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-21 . Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted. The shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this
happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you more slowly.
There is a clip on the lap portion of the lap-shoulder
belt. Make sure this clip is not too close to the
latch plate when you wear your safety belt, so you
can make the belt snug.
1-9

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-18
.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it,
the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This
could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder and across the
chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-10

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt
is too loose. In a crash, you would move
forward too much, which could increase injury.
The shoulder belt should fit against your body.
1-11

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash,
the belt would go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt into the
buckle nearest you.
1-12

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to
the ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder
bones. You could also severely injure internal
organs like your liver or spleen.
1-13

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of
the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is
twisted, make it straight so it can work
properly, or ask your dealer to fix it.
1-14