1996 CHEVROLET BLAZER check engine light

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering
the following:
Did
you just put fuel into your vehicle?
If
so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or improperly installed. This will
allow fuel to evaporate
into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips should turn the light
off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
Did
you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If
so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when
the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn
the light off.
Are
you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine
may
not run as efficiently as designed since small amounts of
air are sucked into the fuel line causing a misfire. The
system can detect this. Adding fuel should correct this
condition. Make sure
to install the fuel cap properly. It
will take a few driving trips to turn the light off. If
so, be
sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel (see
“Fuel” in the Index). Poor
fuel quality will cause your
engine
not to run as efficiently as designed. You may
notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you
put the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration or stumbling
on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause
the light
to turn on.
If you experience this condition, change the fuel brand
you use. It will require at least one full tank of the
proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools
to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shift Light
SHIFT
You have the shift light if
you have a manual
transmission. This light
comes on very briefly as
a
bulb check when you start
the engine. Shifting when
the indicator light
is on will
help you get the best fuel
economy. See “Shift Light”
in the Index.
Daytime Running Lamps Indicator Light
You have this light on the
instrument panel.
It goes on whenever the
DRL are
on, the ignition
is on, the headlamp switch
is
off and the parking brake
is released.
2-73

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Check Gages Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will
come on briefly when
you are starting the engine.
CHECK
GAGES
If the light comes on and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil pressure
gages to
see if they are in the warning zones.
Fuel Gage
e'
E
B9
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have remaining,
Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with
your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before the
gage reads
FULL (F).
It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the gage
indicated.
For example, the gage may have indicated
the tank was half
full, but it actually took a little more
or less than half the tank's capacity to fill the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
0 The gage doesn't go back to EMPTY (E) when you
turn off the ignition,
2-74

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or
a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If
they aren’t, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. If you notice a reduction in sound
quality, try a known good cassette
to see if the tape or
the tape player is at fault. If this other cassette has
no
improvement in sound quality, clean the tape player.
Cleaning may be done with
a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. It
is normal for the cassette
to eject while cleaning. Insert
the cassette at le.ast three times to ensure thorough
cleaning.
A scrubbing action cleaning cassette is
available through your
GM dealer.
You may also choose
a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt
to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject. It may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing
type cleaner. Cassettes are subject
to wear and the sound quality may
degrade over time. Always make sure that the cassette
tape
is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust.
If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping from the center
to the edge.
Be sure never to touch
the signal surface when handling
discs. Pick up discs by grasping
the outer edges or the
edge
of the hole and the outer edge.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged.
If the mast should ever become
slightly bent,
you can straighten it out by hand. If the
mast
is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, you should
replace
it.
Check every once in a while to be sure the mast is still
tightened to the fender.
3-18

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If
you do, the
pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine
stops,
you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When
you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This
is normal.
ANTI - LOCK
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
4-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
0 Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
glare from headlamps behind you.
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting
to night. But if you’re driving,
don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down
on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights.
It can take a second
or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes
to readjust to the dark. When you are faced
with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower
the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps),
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the
approaching lights.
Keep
your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt
on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a
film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and
flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your
eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less
of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier
to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of it.
4-30

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals. Here
are ways
to increase your safety in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get
a city map and plan your trip into an unknown part of
the city just as you would for a cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
0 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is
there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not
cleared the intersection or may be running the red light.
4-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system
and brake adjustment. Each of these is covered
in this
manual, and the Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
The light duty trailer wiring is a six-wire harness
assembly. The heavy duty trailer wiring is an eight-wire
harness assembly. The harnesses are stored under
the
vehicle, along the passenger-side frame crossmember on
two-door vehicles or on the driver’s side corner frame
crossmember
on four-door vehicles. The heavy duty
trailer wiring has a 30-amp feed wire with an inline fuse
located by the junction block. See “Fuses and Circuit
Breakers” in
the Index. Both harnesses have no
connector and should be wired
by a qualified electrical technician. The technician can
use the following color code chart when connecting the
wiring harness
to your trailer.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
DARK BLUE: Use for electric trailer brakes or
auxiliary wiring.
RED: Use for battery charging; it connects to the
starter solenoid (eight-wire harness
only).
LIGHT GREEN: Back-up lamps (eight-wire
harness only).
BROWN: Taillamps and parking lamps.
YELLOW Left stoplamp and turn signal.
DARK GREEN: Right stoplamp and turn signal.
WHITE (Heavy Gage): Ground wire.
WHITE (Light Gage): Auxiliary stoplamp.
Securely attach the harness
to the trailer, then tape or
strap it to your vehicle’s frame rail. Be sure you leave
it loose enough
so the wiring doesn’t bend or break,
but
not so loose that it drags on the ground. Store the
harness in its original place. Wrap the harness together
and
tie it neatly so it won’t be damaged.
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