2005 CHEVROLET BLAZER ABS

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Driver Behavior..............................................4-2
Driving Environment........................................4-2
Vehicle Design...............................................4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-3
Drunken Driving.............................................4-4
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-7
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-8
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-12
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-15Driving at Night............................................4-30
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-32
City Driving..................................................4-34
Freeway Driving...........................................4-35
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-36
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-37
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-38
Winter Driving..............................................4-40
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow........4-44
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-44
Recovery Hooks...........................................4-45
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-46
Towing..........................................................4-51
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-51
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-51
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-59
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
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 is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-29.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-8

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not overdriving
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much
throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.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
will 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 — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-14

Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You
will have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need to be
very careful.
What is 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 leasttraction of all. You can get wet ice when it is 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 vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Even though you have an anti-lock braking system, you
will want to begin stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-8.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On
an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such
as around clumps 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 are actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
4-41

Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gearbeforeyou start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
If you have an automatic transmission, you can tow in
DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission
to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if
the transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy loads
and/or hilly conditions). Or, if you have a manual
transmission and you are towing a trailer, it’s better not
to use FIFTH (5) gear. Just drive in FOURTH (4)
gear (or, as you need to, a lower gear). SeeTow/Haul
Mode Light on page 3-34.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a lower
temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn your
engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in PARK (P) (or
the manual transmission out of gear and the parking
brake applied) for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If you do get the overheat warning,
seeEngine Overheating on page 5-28.
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
PARK (P) yet, or into gear for a manual
transmission. Then turn your wheels into the curb if
facing downhill or into traffic if facing uphill.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift into PARK (P), or
REVERSE (R) for a manual transmission.
4-68

Two-Piece Front Turn Signal Lamps
1. Remove the headlamp assembly as shown in
“Two-Piece Composite Headlamp System”
underHeadlamps on page 5-49.
2. Locate the locking tabs
on the assembly.
Squeeze the tabs
together and push that
end of the assembly
out while holding
the tabs. The assembly
will swing out.
3. Unplug the electrical connector.4. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise to remove it.
5. Pull the bulb straight out to remove it from the
socket.
6. Push the new bulb into the socket until it snaps
into place.
7. Reinstall the harness bulb socket with the new bulb
into the headlamp assembly and turn it clockwise
until it is tight.
To reinstall the assembly, snap the outboard end of
the lamp assembly back into the vehicle. Then
swing the assembly in and snap it into place.
8. Install the two retaining clips.
5-52

Fuses Usage
INT BAT Instrument Panel Fuse Block Feed
ABS Anti-Lock Brake System
IGN B Column Feed, Ignition 2, 3, 4
RAP Retained Accessory Power
IGN A Starting and Charging Ignition 1
STUD #2 Accessory Feeds, Electric Brake
TRL LTRN Trailer Left Turn
LT TRN Left Turn Signal Rear
Fuses Usage
BTSIAutomatic Transmission Shift Lock
Control System
PRK LAMP Parking Lamps
HVACHeating,Ventilation, Air Cooling
System
HAZRD LP Hazard Lamps
TRL RTRN Trailer Right Turn
RT TRN Right Turn Signal Rear
TRLCHMSLTrailer Center High Mount Stop
Light
VECHMSLVehicle Center High-Mounted Stop
Lamp
TRL B/U Trailer Back Up Lamps
ECM I Engine Control Module Injectors
LDLEV Not Used
VEH B/U Vehicle Back Up Lamps
ENG IEngine Sensors/Solenoids, MAF,
CAM, PURGE, VENT
OXY SNSR Oxygen Sensor
REAR PRK Right Rear Parking Lamps
ECM BEngine Control Module, Fuel Pump
Module, Oil Pressure
B/U LAMP Back Up Lamps
IGN E Engine
L RR PRK Left Rear Parking Lamps
5-100

A
About Driving Your Vehicle.................................... ii
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle.......................................................1-58
Additives, Fuel................................................. 5-6
Add-On Electrical Equipment............................5-96
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.................................5-18
Air Conditioning..............................................3-19
Airbag
Readiness Light..........................................3-25
Airbag Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM)...... 7-9
Airbag System................................................1-50
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle...................................................1-58
How Does an Airbag Restrain?......................1-55
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........1-57
What Makes an Airbag Inate?......................1-55
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?....1-56
When Should an Airbag Inate?....................1-53
Where Are the Airbags?...............................1-52
AM-FM Radio.................................................3-41
Antenna, Fixed Mast.......................................3-76
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)........................... 4-8
Anti-Lock Brake, System Warning Light..............3-29
Appearance Care............................................5-86
Aluminum Wheels........................................5-92
Care of Safety Belts....................................5-89
Chemical Paint Spotting...............................5-93
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses....................5-90Appearance Care (cont.)
Fabric/Carpet..............................................5-86
Finish Care.................................................5-90
Finish Damage............................................5-93
Glass Surfaces............................................5-89
Instrument Panel.........................................5-88
Interior Plastic Components...........................5-88
Leather......................................................5-88
Sheet Metal Damage...................................5-93
Tires..........................................................5-92
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-93
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials................5-94
Vinyl..........................................................5-88
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-90
Weatherstrips..............................................5-89
Windshield, Backglass, and Wiper Blades.......5-91
Wood Panels..............................................5-89
Ashtrays........................................................3-18
Audio System(s).............................................3-39
AM-FM Radio.............................................3-41
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player................3-75
Care of Your CD Player...............................3-76
Care of Your CDs........................................3-76
Fixed Mast Antenna.....................................3-76
Radio with Cassette and CD.........................3-51
Radio with CD............................................3-43
Radio with Six-Disc CD................................3-64
Setting the Time for Radios with Radio Data
Systems (RDS)........................................3-40
1