GMC C-Series 2001 User manual

i
The 2001 GMC C-Series Owner’s Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.
2-1 Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1 Problems on the Road
This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
6-1 Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
7-1 Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8-1 Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact GMC for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-6.
9-1 Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, GMC
and the GMC 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
whenever 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.
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez
votre concessionaire ou au:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
Litho in U.S.A.
E
Copyright General Motors Corporation 2000
X2102 A First Edition All Rights Reserved

iii
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 quickly.
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.”

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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we 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.

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For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
CAUTION
POSSIBLE
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
ACID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR
FLAME
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important for
you and your
passengers
whenever your
vehicleisdriven:
CHILD
RESTRAINT
TOP STRAP
ANCHOR
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
AIR BAG
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
MASTER
LIGHTING
SWITCH
TURN
SIGNALS
PARKING
LAMPS
HAZARD
WARNING
FLASHER
DAYTIME
RUNNING
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
BATTERY
CHARGING
SYSTEM
BRAKE
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
HORN
FUEL
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. Also see “Warning Lights and Gages” in the Index.

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Model Reference
This manual contains information which covers
conventional cab models as shown. Most models are
unfinished from the factory.
C6H042
C7H042
C7H064
Since C-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 finished
vehicle. These manuals are put there by the companies
that have added components or equipment to the
C-Series model. Read all these materials -- as well as
this manual -- carefully, to get all of the information on
your vehicle.

1- 1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with safety belts.
1-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1-7 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
1-11 Here are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts -- and the Answers
1-12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1-12 Driver Position
1-22 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1-22 Right Passenger Position
1-23 Center Passenger Position
1-24 Children
1-27 Restraint Systems for Children
1-34 Older Children
1-37 Safety Belt Extender
1-37 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-37 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

1-2
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats in your vehicle and
how to adjust them.
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.
Bucket and Bench Seats
If your vehicle has a bucket or bench seat, you can
adjust it with this lever located at the front of the seat.
Slide the lever toward the outer seat support to unlock it.
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.

1-3
Head Restraints
Some seats have adjustable head restraints. Slide an
adjustable head restraint up or down so that the top of
the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This
position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches
The front of the full-width bench seat seatback folds
forward to let you reach the rear of the cab. Bucket seats
have outboard-mounted levers to tilt the seatbacks
forward or rearward.
Your seatback will move back and forth freely unless
you come to a sudden stop -- then it will lock into place.
If your vehicle is parked facing down a fairly steep hill,
the seatback may not fold without some help from you.
To fold the seatback
forward, push the
seatback toward the
rear of the vehicle as
you lift this latch.
Bench Seat Shown
The latch must be down for the seat to work properly.

1-4
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.
National Seats (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has the low-back National seat, there are
six ways you can adjust the seat.
If your vehicle has the high-back National seat, there are
five ways you can adjust the seat.

1-5
Height Adjustment
To adjust the height of a
self-contained seat
(hand-pumped air seat),
push the seat height
adjustment pump lever,
located on the lower
outboard side, down and
continue pumping to raise
the seat. Press the lever and
hold it to lower the seat.
To adjust the height of air-sourced seats, use the knob
on the front outboard side of the seat. Push the knob to
inflate. Pull the knob to deflate.
To adjust the height of the
cushion, lift the cushion
height adjustment handle up
and forward. You can
choose between two
settings. The handle is
located underneath the seat,
in the front.
Lumbar Adjustments
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.

1-6
Seatback Adjustment
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.
Fore-and-Aft Adjustment
To slide the seat forward or
backward, move the lever
toward the passenger’s side.
The seat will lock in at
1/2 inch (1.5 cm)
increments. The lever is
located underneath the seat,
in the front.
Chugger-Snubber Lock-Out Feature (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, the handle is
located on the lower
outboard side of the driver’s
seat and the inboard side of
the passenger’s seat.
Move the handle down to isolate any backslap
experienced while in tractor/trailer operation or while
operating a dump truck application. This is only
available on low-back seats.

1-7
Safety Belts: They’re 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.
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.
If your vehicle has a
safety belt reminder light,
a light comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See “Safety Belt Reminder
Light” in the Index.
If your vehicle has a safety belt reminder tone, a tone
comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See “Safety Belt
Reminder Tone” in the Index.

1-8
In most states and 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 wouldn’t 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!
Why Safety Belts Work
Q: Aren’t safety belts for kids?
A: Yes. And they’re 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.

1-9
If the vehicle hits something, it stops -- right then. But
nothing stops the people. They keep moving. Then something will stop them. It could be the windshield.

1-10
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?
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.

1-11
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
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 my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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.

1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
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 the part of this manual
called “Children.” 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.
Bench (A)

1-13
Suspension (B)
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
For suspension-type seats (B), if the belt stops before
it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until you can buckle the belt. Pull up on the
latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt is
pulled out all the way so that it locks, press down on
the button on the retractor cover to make it retract.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section.
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.