1998 CHEVROLET BLAZER Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 see 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.
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper
in places?
surface cause tire slipping?
0 Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
won’t have
to make turning maneuvers?
path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
0 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, gullies, troughs and exposed rocks because they
are more susceptible to the effects of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you
need to take some special steps.
0 Use a low 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 wheels 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ’ /1 CAUTIs-N: 1
~ Tu, Ang or driving across steep hills can be
1 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 straight up.
I
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can
cause an accident. There could be
a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle. You
could be seriously injured or killed.
As you near
the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of
the hill.
0 Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible
to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
0 Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to
let opposing traffic know you’re there.
Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
you more visible to oncoming traffic.
@ What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
to stall, and
I can’t
make it up the hill?
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.
0 If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 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
PARK
(P) (or, shift to NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehicle has a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to REVERSE (R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as straight as possible in REVERSE
(R).
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
and maneuver as
you back down. It’s best that you
back down the hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
Here are some things you
must not do if you stall,
or are about to stall, when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) (or depressing the clutch, if you
have a manual transmission) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum. This won’t work.
Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and
you could go out of control. Instead,
apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle. Then
apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE (R), release
the parking brake, and slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up
a hill. If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough
to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the hill, you must back straight down the
hill.
&= Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the
hill and decide
I just can’t do it. What should
I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission
in PARK (P) (or the manual transmission in
FIRST
(1)) and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and go get some help. Exit on the uphill
side and stay clear
of the path the vehicle would
take if
it rolled downhill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider
a number of things:
0 How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
0 What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
vehicle control?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
Boulders?
creek bank or even
a river bottom with large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a low
gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
they won’t have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
0
0
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause
your brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause
loss of control and a serious accident. Apply the
brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed under control.
-
@ Are there some things I should not do when
A: Yes! These are important because if you
driving down a hill?
ignore them you could lose control and have a
serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline
of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be
too steep to drive across.
You could roll over if
you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL
(N), or with the clutch pedal depressed
in a manual shift. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat
and fade.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @ Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
it happens going downhill, here’s what to do.
0
a
a
0
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift to
PARK (P) (or to NEUTRAL (N) with the
manual transmission) and, while still braking, restart
the engine.
Shift back to
a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across
the incline
of a hill. If this happens, you have to decide
whether
to try to drive across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
0 A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be
too steep to drive across. When you
go straight up or
down a hill, the length
of the wheel base (the distance
from the front wheels to the rear wheels) reduces the
likelihood the
vehicle will tumble end over end. But
when
you drive across an incline, the much more
narrow track width
(the distance between the left and
right wheels) may not prevent the vehicle
from tilting
and rolling over.
Also, driving across an incline puts
more weight on the dowhll wheels.
This could cause
a downhill slide or a rollover.
0 Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive
across a hill. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet
grass can cause your tires to slip sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit something
that will trip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the
incline even worse.
If you drive across a rock with
the uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels
drop into
a rut or depression, your vehicle can tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need
to decide carefully
whether to try to drive across an incline. Just because
the trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean
you have
to drive it. The last vehicle
to try it might have
rolled over.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
A:
What if I’m driving across an incline that’s not
too steep, but
I hit some loose gravel and start to
slide downhill. What should
I do?
If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways,
turn downhill. This should help straighten out the
vehicle and prevent the side slipping. However, a
much better
way to prevent this is to get out and
“walk the course”
so you know what the surhce is
like before you drive it.
Stalling on an Incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing an incline, be
sure you (and your passengers) get out on the uphill
side, even
if the door there is harder to open. If you get
out on the downhill side and
the vehicle starts to roll
over, you’ll be right in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the path
the vehicle will take
if it does roll over.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
Getting out on the downhill (low) side of
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.
Driving in d, md, 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
traction. 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 traction 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.
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be
dangerous. 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving in Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems.
But heavy 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. Stalling 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.
’ A CAUTION:
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 shallow water, it can still wash away the
ground from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle over. Don’t drive
through rushing water.
~
See “Driving Through Water” in the Index for more
information on driving through water.
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.
Aftc- ~ lperation in mud or sand, have the brake linings
cleaned and checked. These substances can cause
glazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,
steering, suspension, wheels, tires and exhaust system
for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
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