1993 CHEVROLET BLAZER steering

Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? (There’s more discussion of
these subjects later.)
Will you have to stop suddenly or change direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles
or rough terrain, keep a firm grip on the
steering wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other surface features can jerk the wheel
out of your hands
if you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles, your wheels can leave
the ground.
If this happens, even with one or two wheels, you can’t control
the vehicle as well or at all.
Because you will
be on an unpaved surface, it’s especially important to avoid
sudden acceleration, sudden turns, or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different kind of alertness from driving on
paved roads and highways. There are no road signs, posted spee\
d limits or
signal lights. You have to use your
own good judgment about what is safe
and what isn’t.
I CAUTION
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any road. And this is
- b certainly true for off-road driving. At the very time you need special
alertness and driving skills, your reflexes, perceptions and jud\
gment
can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You could have
a serious-or even fatal-accident
if you drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking. (See “Drunken Driving” in the
Index.)
Driving On Oft-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across a hill. Driving safely on
hills requires good judgment and an understanding of what your vehicle can
and can’t do. There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no matter how
well-built the vehicle.
I CAUTION
A Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. If you drive up them,
62 you will stall. If you drive down them, you can’t control your speed. If
you drive across them, you will roll over. You could be seriously
injured or killed.
If you have any doubt about the steepness, don’t
drive the hill.
4-27

Your Driving and the Road
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one of those hills that’s
just too steep to climb, descend, or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge.
On a very small hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant incline
with only a small change in elevation where you can easily se\
e all the way
to the top. On a large hill, the incline may get steeper as you near the top,
but you may not see this because the crest of the hill is hidden by bushes,
grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you approach a
hill.
e
e
e
e
e
0
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply steeper\
in
places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the surface cause tire
slipping?
Is there a straight path up
or down the hill so you won’t have to make
turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions
on the hill than can block your path (boulders,
trees, logs or ruts)?
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, a
fence? Get out and walk the hill
if you don’t know. It’s the smart way to
find out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have ruts, gu\
llies, troughs
and exposed rocks because they are more susceptible to the eff\
ects of
erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you need to take some
special steps.
e
e
e
Use a lower gear and get a firm grip on the steering wheel. \
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain your speed. Don’t use
more power than you need, because you don’t want your wheel\
s to start
spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If the path twists and
turns, you might want to find another route.
4-28

h
Turning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills, always try to
go
I straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching
Sound the horn as you approach the top of hill to let opposing traffic
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
traffic on trails
or hills.
know you’re there.
oncoming traffic.
I CAUTION
’ rf Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can cause an
1 the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
ccident.
There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be seriously injured or killed.
As you near
Q: What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about to stall, and I can’t
make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should do, and there \
are some
things you must not do. First, here’s what you should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission to
P (Park) (or, shift to N (Neutral) if your vehicle has a
manual transmission) and restart the engine. Then, shift
to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill
in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the left or right as you back down.
4-29

AM440002
I Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle stopped across an
- , incline is dangerous. If the vehicle rolls over, you could be crushed
or killed. Always get out on the uphill (high) side of the vehicle and
stay well clear of the rollover path. F
Driving In Mud, Sand, Snow, Or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels won’t get\
good traction.
You can’t accelerate as quickly, turning is more difficult, and \
you’ll need
longer braking distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when you’re in mud-the deeper the \
mud, the
lower the gear. In really deep mud, the idea is
to keep your vehicle moving
so you don’t get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense a change in wheel tra\
ction. But
it will
depend upon how loosely packed the sand is. On loosely packed \
sand (as
on beaches or sand dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the\
sand. This
has an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking. You may want to reduce
the air pressure
in your tires slightly when driving on sand. This will improve
traction.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction. On these surfaces, it’s
very easy to lose control. On wet ice, for example, the tract\
ion is
so poor
that you will have difficulty accelerating. And
if you do get moving, poor
steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide out
of control.
4-33

CAUTION I
If Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be dangerous.
-L Underwater springs, currents under the ice, or sudden thaws can
weaken the ice. Your vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle on safe surfaces
only.
I
t
Driving In Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But hea\
vy rain can
mean flash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before you drive through it. If it’s deep
enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe, don’t try it\
-you
probably won’t get through. Also, water that deep can damage\
your axle and
other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly. At fast speeds, water
splashes on your ignition system and your vehicle can stall. S\
talling can also
occur
if you get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your tailpipe is
under water, you’ll never be able to start your engine. When you go through
water, remember that when your brakes get wet,
it may take you longer to
stop.
CAUTION
C
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous. Deep water can \
sweep your vehicle downstream and you and your passengers could\

drown. If it’s only inches deep, it can still wash away the ground
from under your tires, and you could lose traction and roll t\
he vehiclc
over. Don’t drive through rushing water.
I
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the underbody\
, chassis, or
under the hood. These accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings cleaned and checked.
These substances can cause glazing and uneven braking. Check th\
e body
structure, steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust syste\
m for damage.
Also, check the fuel lines and cooling system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due
to off-road use, Refer to
Section
7 for additional information.
4-34

Your Driving and the Road
1
AN480018
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be slick
and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because it may
offer the least traction of all.
You can get “wet ice” when it’s about freezing
(32”F, 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice
until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition-smooth ice, packed, blowing or loose snow-drive
with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not
to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under
the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stop on \
a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’\
ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. See “Anti-lo\
ck” in the
Index.
Allow greater following distances on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until you hi\
t a spot
that’s covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around cl\
umps of
trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface\
of a
curve or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads\
are
clear.
If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on
it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
4-54

I
If you have a rear-most window open and you pull a trailer with \
your
can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness or death (See
“Engine Exhaust” in the Index).
To maximize your safety when towing
a trailer:
- vehicle, carbon monoxide (CO) could come into your vehicle. You
Have the exhaust system inspected for leaks and make
Keep the rear-most windows closed.
If exhaust does come into your vehicle through a window in the
rear or another opening, drive with your front, main heating or
cooling system
on and with the fan on any speed. This will
bring fresh, outside air into your vehicle.
Do not use RECIR
because it only recirculates the air inside your vehicle. See
“Comfort Controls” in the Index.
necessary repairs before starting on your trip.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the load is secure, and
that the lights and any trailer brakes are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer. This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when you’re towing a tr\
ailer.
And, because you’re
a good deal longer, you’ll need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand. Then, to move the
trailer left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right,
move your hand to the right. Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have
someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns than n\
ormal. Do this so
your trailer wheels won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
4-61

Tiwing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing service tow your vehicle.
They can provide the right equipment and know how to tow
it without
damage.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was factory-new, by adding things
like fog lamps, aero skirting,
or special tires and wheels, these things could
be damaged during towing.
Before you
do anything, turn on the hazard warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, or that it has the four-wheel drive
option.
The make, model, and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the transmission and \
transfer
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
case,
if you have one.
CAUTION I
To help avoid
injury to you or others:
A 9 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is being towed.
e Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
e Never tow with damaged parts not fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has been lifted by the tow
truck.
* Always use separate safety chains on each side when towing a
vehicle.
When your vehicle is being towed, have the ignition key off. The steering
wheel should be clamped in a straight-ahead position, with a clamping device
designed for towing service.
Do not use the vehicle’s steering column lock for
this. The transmission and transfer case,
if you have one, should be in
Neutral and the parking brake released.
If you have a two-wheel drive vehicle, don’t have your vehicle \
towed on the
rear wheels, unless you must.
If the vehicle must be towed on the rear
wheels, don’t
go more than 35 mph (56 kmlh) or farther than 50 miles (80
km) or your transmission will be damaged. If these limits must be exceeded,
then the rear drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
5-7