DIC Operation and Displays. Chevrolet Avalanche

For 1990-2009 cars only

Makes 🢒 Chevrolet 🢒 2009 🢒 Avalanche - 2WD 🢒 Service and Appearance Care 🢒 Checking Things Under the Hood 🢒 DIC Operation and Displays

DIC Operation and Displays Without DIC Buttons

If your vehicle does not have DIC buttons, the information below explains the operation of this system.

The DIC has different displays which can be accessed by pressing the trip odometer reset stem located on the instrument panel cluster. Pressing the trip odometer reset stem will also turn off, or acknowledge, DIC messages.

The DIC displays trip and vehicle system information, and warning messages if a system problem is detected.

If your vehicle does not have DIC buttons, you can use the trip odometer reset stem to view the following displays: odometer, engine hours, trip odometer, compass zone setting, compass recalibration, oil life, Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter programming, and display language.

If your vehicle has DIC buttons, you can use the trip odometer reset stem to view the following displays: odometer, engine hours, trip odometer, and display language.

Trip Odometer Reset Stem Menu Items

Odometer

Press the trip odometer reset stem until ODOMETER displays. This display shows the distance the vehicle has been driven in either miles (mi) or kilometers (km).

Engine Hours

To display the ENGINE HOURS, place the ignition in LOCK/OFF or ACC/ACCESSORY, then press and hold the trip odometer reset stem for four seconds while viewing the ODOMETER. This display shows the total number of hours the engine has run.

Trip Odometer

Press the trip odometer reset stem until TRIP displays. This display shows the current distance traveled in either miles (mi) or kilometers (km) since the last reset for the trip odometer.

The trip odometer can be reset to zero by pressing and holding the trip odometer reset stem while the trip odometer is displayed.

The trip odometer has a feature called the retro-active reset. This can be used to set the trip odometer to the number of miles (kilometers) driven since the ignition was last turned on. This can be used if the trip odometer is not reset at the beginning of the trip.

To use the retro-active reset feature, press and hold the trip odometer reset stem for at least four seconds. The trip odometer will display the number of miles (mi) or kilometers (km) driven since the ignition was last turned on and the vehicle was moving. Once the vehicle begins moving, the trip odometer will accumulate mileage. For example, if the vehicle was driven 5 miles (8 km) before it is started again, and then the retro-active reset feature is activated, the display will show 5 miles (8 km). As the vehicle begins moving, the display will then increase to 5.1 miles (8.2 km), 5.2 miles (8.4 km), etc.

Transmission Temperature

Press the trip odometer reset stem until TRANS TEMP displays. This display shows the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid in either degrees Fahrenheit (°F) or degrees Celsius (°C).

Trailer Gain and Output

On vehicles with the Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system, the trailer brake display appears in the DIC. Press the trip odometer reset stem until TRAILER GAIN and OUTPUT display.

TRAILER GAIN shows the trailer gain setting. This setting can be adjusted from 0.0 to 10.0 with either a trailer connected or disconnected. To adjust this setting, see "Integrated Trailer Brake Control System" under Towing a Trailer for more information.

OUTPUT shows the power output to the trailer anytime a trailer with electric brakes is connected. Output is displayed in 0 to 10 bars. Dashes may appear in the OUTPUT display. See "Integrated Trailer Brake Control System" under Towing a Trailer for more information.

Compass Zone Setting

This display allows for setting the compass zone. See DIC Compass for more information.

Compass Recalibration

This display allows for calibrating the compass. See DIC Compass for more information.

Oil Life

To access this display, the vehicle must be in P (Park). Press the trip odometer reset stem until OIL LIFE REMAINING displays. This display shows an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the display, that means 99% of the current oil life remains. The engine oil life system will alert you to change the oil on a schedule consistent with your driving conditions.

When the remaining oil life is low, the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON message will appear on the display. See "CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON" under DIC Warnings and Messages. You should change the oil as soon as you can. See Engine Oil. In addition to the engine oil life system monitoring the oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in the Maintenance Schedule in this manual. See Scheduled Maintenance for more information.

Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE display yourself after each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be careful not to reset the OIL LIFE display accidentally at any time other than when the oil has just been changed. It cannot be reset accurately until the next oil change. To reset the engine oil life system, see Engine Oil Life System .

Relearn Remote Key

To access this display, the vehicle must be in P (Park). This display allows you to match Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitters to your vehicle. To match an RKE transmitter to your vehicle:

Press the trip odometer reset stem until RELEARN REMOTE KEY displays.
Press and hold the trip odometer reset stem for three seconds.

The message REMOTE KEY LEARNING ACTIVE will display.

Press and hold the lock and unlock buttons on the first transmitter at the same time for about 15 seconds.

On vehicles with memory recall seats, the first transmitter learned will match driver 1 and the second will match driver 2.

A chime will sound indicating that the transmitter is matched.

To match additional transmitters at this time, repeat Step 3.

Each vehicle can have a maximum of eight transmitters matched to it.

To exit the programming mode, you must cycle the key to LOCK/OFF.

Language

This display allows you to select the language in which the DIC messages will appear. To select a language:

Press the trip odometer reset stem until ODOMETER displays.
While in the ODOMETER display, press and hold the trip odometer reset stem for three seconds until the currently set language displays.
Continue to press and hold the trip odometer reset stem to scroll through all of the available languages.

The available languages are ENGLISH (default), FRANCAIS (French), ESPANOL (Spanish), and NO CHANGE.

Once the desired language is displayed, release the trip odometer reset stem to set your choice.

DIC Operation and Displays With DIC Buttons

If your vehicle has DIC buttons, the information below explains the operation of this system.

The DIC has different displays which can be accessed by pressing the DIC buttons located on the instrument panel, next to the steering wheel.

The DIC displays trip, fuel, and vehicle system information, and warning messages if a system problem is detected.

The DIC also allows some features to be customized. See DIC Vehicle Customization for more information.

If your vehicle has DIC buttons, you can also use the trip odometer reset stem to view some of the DIC displays. See "DIC Operation and Displays (Without DIC Buttons)" later in this section.

DIC Buttons

The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle information, customization, and set/reset buttons. The button functions are detailed in the following pages.

(Trip/Fuel): Press this button to display the odometer, trip odometer, fuel range, average economy, fuel used, timer, and transmission temperature. The compass and outside air temperature will also be shown in the display. The temperature will be shown in °F or °C depending on the units selected.

(Vehicle Information): Press this button to display the oil life, units, tire pressure readings for vehicles with the Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS), trailer brake gain and output information for vehicles with the Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system, engine hours, Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter programming, compass zone setting, and compass recalibration.

(Customization): Press this button to customize the feature settings on your vehicle. See DIC Vehicle Customization for more information.

(Set/Reset): Press this button to set or reset certain functions and to turn off or acknowledge messages on the DIC.

Trip/Fuel Menu Items

(Trip/Fuel): Press this button to scroll through the following menu items:

Odometer

Press the trip/fuel button until ODOMETER displays. This display shows the distance the vehicle has been driven in either miles (mi) or kilometers (km). Pressing the trip odometer reset stem will also display the odometer.

To switch between English and metric measurements, see "Units" later in this section.

Trip Odometer

Press the trip/fuel button until TRIP displays. This display shows the current distance traveled in either miles (mi) or kilometers (km) since the last reset for the trip odometer. Pressing the trip odometer reset stem will also display the trip odometer.

The trip odometer can be reset to zero by pressing the set/reset button while the trip odometer is displayed. You can also reset the trip odometer while it is displayed by pressing and holding the trip odometer reset stem.

To use the retro-active reset feature, press and hold the set/reset button for at least four seconds. The trip odometer will display the number of miles (mi) or kilometers (km) driven since the ignition was last turned on and the vehicle was moving. Once the vehicle begins moving, the trip odometer will accumulate mileage. For example, if the vehicle was driven 5 miles (8 km) before it is started again, and then the retro-active reset feature is activated, the display will show 5 miles (8 km). As the vehicle begins moving, the display will then increase to 5.1 miles (8.2 km), 5.2 miles (8.4 km), etc.

Fuel Range

Press the trip/fuel button until FUEL RANGE displays. This display shows the approximate number of remaining miles (mi) or kilometers (km) the vehicle can be driven without refueling. The display will show LOW if the fuel level is low.

The fuel range estimate is based on an average of the vehicle's fuel economy over recent driving history and the amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank. This estimate will change if driving conditions change. For example, if driving in traffic and making frequent stops, this display may read one number, but if the vehicle is driven on a freeway, the number may change even though the same amount of fuel is in the fuel tank. This is because different driving conditions produce different fuel economies. Generally, freeway driving produces better fuel economy than city driving. Fuel range cannot be reset.

Average Economy

Press the trip/fuel button until AVG ECONOMY displays. This display shows the approximate average miles per gallon (mpg) or liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km). This number is calculated based on the number of mpg (L/100 km) recorded since the last time this menu item was reset. To reset AVG ECONOMY, press and hold the set/reset button.

Fuel Used

Press the trip/fuel button until FUEL USED displays. This display shows the number of gallons (gal) or liters (L) of fuel used since the last reset of this menu item. To reset the fuel used information, press and hold the set/reset button while FUEL USED is displayed.

Timer

Press the trip/fuel button until TIMER displays. This display can be used as a timer.

To start the timer, press the set/reset button while TIMER is displayed. The display will show the amount of time that has passed since the timer was last reset, not including time the ignition is off. Time will continue to be counted as long as the ignition is on, even if another display is being shown on the DIC. The timer will record up to 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds (99:59:59) after which the display will return to zero.

To stop the timer, press the set/reset button briefly while TIMER is displayed.

To reset the timer to zero, press and hold the set/reset button while TIMER is displayed.

Transmission Temperature

Press the trip/fuel button until TRANS TEMP displays. This display shows the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid in either degrees Fahrenheit (°F) or degrees Celsius (°C).

Blank Display

This display shows no information.

Vehicle Information Menu Items

(Vehicle Information): Press this button to scroll through the following menu items:

Oil Life

Press the vehicle information button until OIL LIFE REMAINING displays. This display shows an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE REMAINING on the display, that means 99% of the current oil life remains. The engine oil life system will alert you to change the oil on a schedule consistent with your driving conditions.

Units

Press the vehicle information button until UNITS displays. This display allows you to select between English or Metric units of measurement. Once in this display, press the set/reset button to select between ENGLISH or METRIC units. All of the vehicle information will then be displayed in the unit of measurement selected.

Tire Pressure

On vehicles with the Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS), the pressure for each tire can be viewed in the DIC. The tire pressure will be shown in either pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa). Press the vehicle information button until the DIC displays FRONT TIRES PSI (kPa) LEFT ## RIGHT ##. Press the vehicle information button again until the DIC displays REAR TIRES PSI (kPa) LEFT ## RIGHT ##.

If a low or high tire pressure condition is detected by the system while driving, a message advising you to check the pressure in a specific tire will appear in the display. See Inflation - Tire Pressure and DIC Warnings and Messages for more information.

If the tire pressure display shows dashes instead of a value, there may be a problem with your vehicle. If this consistently occurs, see your dealer/retailer for service.

Trailer Gain and Output

On vehicles with the Integrated Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system, the trailer brake display appears in the DIC. Press the vehicle information button until TRAILER GAIN and OUTPUT display.

Engine Hours

Press the vehicle information button until ENGINE HOURS displays. This display shows the total number of hours the engine has run.