2003 CHEVROLET BLAZER engine

Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light should come on
when the tow/haul mode
has been selected.
For more information, see ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-54.
Check Gages Warning Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on brie¯y when
you are starting the
engine.
If this light comes 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.
Gate Ajar Light
If this light comes on, your
endgate or liftglass is ajar.
Try closing the tailgate
or liftglass again. Never
drive with the tailgate
or liftglass even
partially open.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have remaining.
United StatesCanada
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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.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll 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
®ll the tank.
·The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
·The gage doesn't go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light comes on brie¯y
when you start your
engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn if off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See
Filling Your
Tank on page 5-6.
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Audio System(s)
Notice:Before you add any sound equipment to
your vehicle ± like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio ± be sure you can
add what you want. If you can, it's very important to
do it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation of your vehicle's engine,
radio or other systems, and even damage them.
Your vehicle's systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been added
improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and to give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it ®rst. Figure out which radio you have in your vehicle,
®nd out what your audio system can do and how to
operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º underIgnition
Positions on page 2-19.
Setting the Time for Radios without
Radio Data Systems (RDS)
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears on the
display. Press and hold MN until the correct minute
appears on the display. To display the time with
the ignition off, press RECALL or HR/MN and the time
will be displayed for a few seconds. There is an
initial two-second delay before the clock goes into the
time-set mode.
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Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 pacewith 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 Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. 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.
If there's a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-29
.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Locking Rear Axle
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking rear axle
can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand
or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the
time, but when one of the rear wheels has no traction
and the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you'll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues Ð such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº Ð and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel
drive. Also, seeBraking on page 4-8. If your vehicle
doesn't have four-wheel drive, you shouldn't drive
off-road unless you're on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some de®nite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
ªOff-roadingº means you've left the great North American
road system behind. Traffic lanes aren't marked.
Curves aren't banked. There are no road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In
short, you've gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that's
why it's very important that you read this guide.
You'll ®nd many driving tips and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
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Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However, it also raises environmental
concerns. GM recognizes these concerns and urge
every off-roader to follow these basic rules for protecting
the environment:
·Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving; obey all posted regulations.
·Avoid any driving practice that could damage the
environment Ð shrubs, ¯owers, trees,
grasses Ð or disturb wildlife (this includes
wheel-spinning, breaking down trees or
unnecessary driving through streams or over soft
ground).
·Always carry a litter bag Ð make sure all refuse is
removed from any campsite before leaving.
·Take extreme care with open ®res, where permitted,
camp stoves and lanterns.
·Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch ®re from
the heat of the vehicle's exhaust system.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going
to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to get bad surprises.
Get accurate maps of trails and terrain. Try to learn of
any blocked or closed roads.
It's also a good idea to travel with at least one other
vehicle. If something happens to one of them, the other
can help quickly.
Does your vehicle have a winch? If so, be sure to read
the winch instructions. In a remote area, a winch
can be handy if you get stuck. But you'll want to know
how to use it properly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It's a good idea to practice in an area that's safe
and close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require some new and different
skills. Here's what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of signals. Your
eyes, for example, need to constantly sweep the terrain
for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen
for unusual tire or engine sounds. With your arms,
hands, feet and body, you'll need to respond to
vibrations and vehicle bounce.
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·Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of
the hill.
·Attach a ¯ag to the vehicle to make you more
visible to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
·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.
{CAUTION:
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.
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
shoulddo:
·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
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
·If your engine has stopped running, you'll need to
restart it. With the brake pedal pressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK (P) (or shift to neutral 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).
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