2004 CHEVROLET BLAZER Owners Manual

Automatic Transfer Case
If your vehicle is equipped
with the automatic transfer
case, the transfer case
buttons are located to
the right of the steering
wheel on the instrument
panel.
Use these buttons to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose among four driving settings:
2HI (Two-Wheel High):This setting is used for driving
in most street and highway situations. Your front axle
is not engaged in two-wheel drive. This setting also
provides the best fuel economy.AUTO 4WD (Automatic Four-Wheel Drive):This
setting is ideal for use when road conditions are
variable. While driving your vehicle in AUTO 4WD,
the front axle is engaged, but the vehicle’s power is sent
only to the rear wheels. When the vehicle senses a
loss of traction, the system will automatically engage
four-wheel drive. Driving in this mode results in slightly
lower fuel economy than 2HI.
4HI (Four-Wheel High):Use 4HI when you need extra
traction, such as on snowy or icy roads or in most
off-road situations. This setting also engages your front
axle to help drive your vehicle.
4LO (Four-Wheel Low):This setting also engages
your front axle and delivers extra torque. You may never
need 4LO. It sends maximum power to all four wheels.
You might choose 4LO if you are driving off-road in
deep sand, deep mud, deep snow and climbing
or descending steep hills.
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{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. SeeParking Brake on
page 2-35.
NEUTRAL:Shift the vehicle’s transfer case to
NEUTRAL only when towing your vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-46orTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-46for more information.
Indicator lights in the buttons show which setting you
are in. The indicator lights will come on briey when you
turn on the ignition and one will stay on. If the lights
do not come on, you should take your vehicle to yourdealer for service. An indicator light will ash while
shifting the transfer case. It will remain illuminated when
the shift is complete. If for some reason the transfer
case cannot make a requested shift, it will return to the
last chosen setting.
If the SERVICE 4WD light stays on, you should take
your vehicle to your dealer for service. SeeService
Four-Wheel Drive Warning Light on page 3-34for
further information.
Shifting to 4HI or AUTO 4WD
Press and release the 4HI or AUTO 4WD button.
This can be done at any speed, and the indicator light
will ash while shifting. It will remain illuminated
when the shift is complete.
Shifting to 2HI
Press and release the 2HI button. This can be done at
any speed.
2-32

Shifting to 4LO
To shift to 4LO, the vehicle’s engine must be running
and the vehicle must be stopped or moving less
than 3 mph (4.8 km/h) with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N) or with the clutch pedal pressed for
vehicles with manual transmission. The preferred
method for shifting into 4LO is to have your vehicle
moving 1 or 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Press and release
the 4LO button. You must wait for the 4LO indicator
light to stop ashing and remain illuminated before
shifting your transmission into gear.
If the 4LO button is pressed when your vehicle is in
gear and/or moving, the 4LO indicator light will ash for
30 seconds and not complete the shift unless your
vehicle is moving less than 3 mph (4.8 km/h) and the
transmission is in NEUTRAL (N) or with the clutch pedal
pressed for vehicles with manual transmission. After
30 seconds, the transfer case will return to the setting
last chosen.
Shifting out of 4LO
To shift from 4LO to 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 2HI, your
vehicle must be stopped or moving less than 3 mph
(4.8 km/h) with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N),
or with the clutch pedal pressed for vehicles with manual
transmission, and the engine running. The preferred
method for shifting out of 4LO is to have your vehicle
moving 1 or 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h). Press and release
the 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 2HI button. You must wait for
the 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 2HI indicator light to stop
ashing and remain illuminated before shifting your
transmission into gear.
If the 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 2HI button is pressed when
your vehicle is in gear and/or moving, the 4HI,
AUTO 4WD or 2HI indicator light will ash for
30 seconds but will not complete the shift unless your
vehicle is moving less than 3 mph (4.8 km/h) with
the transmission in NEUTRAL (N) or with the clutch
pedal pressed for vehicles with manual transmission.
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Shifting to NEUTRAL
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL, rst make sure
the vehicle is parked so that it will not roll:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Start the vehicle.
3. Connect the vehicle to the towing vehicle.
4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N) or have the
clutch pedal pressed for vehicles with manual
transmission.
5. Shift the transfer case to 2HI.
6. Simultaneously press and hold the 2HI and 4LO
buttons for 10 seconds. The NEUTRAL light will
come on when the transfer case shift to NEUTRAL
is complete.
7. Shift the transmission to REVERSE (R) for one
second, then shift the transmission to DRIVE (D)
for one second or FIRST (1) for vehicles with
manual transmission.
8. Turn the ignition to OFF.
9. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P) or
FIRST (1) for vehicles with manual transmission.
10. Release the parking brake prior to towing.
Shifting out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular brake
pedal.
2. Start the vehicle with the transmission in PARK (P)
or FIRST (1) for vehicles with manual transmission.
3. Press the button for the desired transfer case
position (2HI, 4HI, AUTO 4WD or 4LO).
4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N) or press the
clutch pedal for vehicles with manual transmission.
5. Shift the transmission lever to the desired position.
After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL,
the NEUTRAL light will go out.
A re-engagement sound is normal when shifting out of
NEUTRAL.
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Parking Brake
The parking brake is located near the bottom of the
instrument panel on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. If the ignition is on,
the brake system warning light will come on.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system parts. Verify that
the parking brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the BRAKE RELEASE lever fully.
It is located on the bottom off the instrument panel on
the driver’s side of the vehicle.If you are towing a trailer and you must park on a hill,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-60. That section
shows what to do rst to keep the trailer from moving.
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Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow. With four-wheel drive,
your vehicle will be free to roll — even if your
shift lever is in PARK (P) — if your transfer case
is in NEUTRAL. So, be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear — not in NEUTRAL.
SeeFour-Wheel Drive on page 2-28. Always put
the shift lever fully in PARK (P) with the parking
brake rmly set. If you are pulling a trailer,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-60.
Column Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
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Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the key, your vehicle is in
PARK (P).
Console Shift Lever
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Hold in the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the key, your vehicle is
in PARK (P).
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly set.
If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle
will be free to roll – even if your lever is in
PARK (P) – if your transfer case is in NEUTRAL.
So be sure the transfer case is in a drive
gear – not NEUTRAL. See “Four-Wheel Drive
(Automatic Transfer Case)” in the Index.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch re.
You or others could be injured. Don’t leave
your vehicle with the engine running unless
you have to.If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and
your parking brake is rmly set before you leave it.
After you’ve moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold
the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can
move the shift lever away from PARK (P) without rst
pulling it toward you (or pressing the button on a console
shift lever). If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may nd it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called torque lock.
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To nd out how, seeShifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-36.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)beforeyou release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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