Chevrolet Blazer Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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234 Driving and Operating
.Maximum Trailer Weight Rating
. Maximum Trailer Tongue Weight
Rating
See “Weight-Distributing Hitch
Adjustment” underTowing
Equipment 0237 to determine if
equalizer bars are required to obtain
the maximum trailer weight rating.
See “Trailer Brakes” underTowing
Equipment 0237 to determine if
brakes are required based on your
trailer's weight. The only way to be sure the weight
is not exceeding any of these
ratings is to weigh the tow vehicle
and trailer combination, fully loaded
for the trip, getting individual
weights for each of these items.
{Warning
You and others could be seriously
injured or killed if the trailer is too
heavy or the trailer brakes are
inadequate for the load. The
vehicle may be damaged, and the
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Only tow a trailer if all the steps in
this section have been followed.
Ask your dealer for advice and
information about towing a trailer.
Gross Combined Weight
Rating (GCWR)
GCWR is the total allowable weight
of the completely loaded vehicle
and trailer including any fuel,
passengers, cargo, equipment, and
accessories. Do not exceed the
GCWR for your vehicle. The GCWR
for the vehicle is on the tow rating
chart later in this section.
To check that the weight of the
vehicle and trailer are within the
GCWR for the vehicle, follow these
steps:
1. Start with the "curb weight" from the Trailering Information
label.
2. Add the weight of the trailer loaded with cargo and ready
for the trip.
3. Add the weight of all passengers.
Chevrolet Blazer Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 239
.Tires must be properly inflated to
support loads while towing a
trailer. See Tires0284 for
instructions on proper tire
inflation.
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between the
vehicle and the trailer, and attach
the chains to the holes on the trailer
hitch platform. Instructions for safety
chains may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer
manufacturer.
Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer to help prevent
the tongue from contacting the road
if it becomes separated from the
hitch. Always leave just enough
slack so the combination can turn.
Never allow safety chains to drag on
the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Loaded trailers over 450 kg
(1,000 lb) must be equipped with
brake systems and with brakes for
each axle. Trailer braking equipment
conforming to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) requirement
CAN3-D313, or its equivalent, is
recommended.
State or local regulations may
require trailers to have their own
braking system if the loaded weight
of the trailer exceeds certain
minimums that can vary from state
to state. Read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
they are installed, adjusted, and
maintained properly. Never attempt
to tap into your vehicle's hydraulic
brake system. If you do, both the
vehicle antilock brakes and the
trailer brakes may not function,
which could result in a crash.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Basic Trailer Wiring
The trailer wiring harness, with a
seven-pin connector, is at the rear
of the vehicle and is tied to the
vehicle's frame. The harness
requires the installation of a trailer
connector, which is available
through your dealer.
Use only a round, seven-wire
connector with flat blade terminals
meeting SAE J2863 specifications
for proper electrical connectivity.
The seven-wire harness contains
the following trailer circuits:
.
Yellow: Left Stop/Turn Signal
. Green: Right Stop/Turn Signal
. Brown: Tail/Parking Lamps
. White: Trailer Ground
. Red: Stop Lamp Supply Voltage
. Black: Back Up Lamp Supply
Voltage
. Blue: Service Brakes
The fuse for the electric trailer brake
circuit is in the engine compartment
fuse block, but the wires may not be
connected. They should be
connected by your dealer or a
qualified service center. To control
electric trailer brakes, a trailer brake
controller needs to be installed on
the vehicle by your dealer or a
qualified service center. See electric
brake control wiring provisions.
Chevrolet Blazer Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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240 Driving and Operating
If a battery outside the vehicle is
being charged, place the vehicle in
Tow/Haul Mode. This will boost the
vehicle system voltage and properly
charge the battery. If the trailer is
too light for Tow/Haul Mode, turn on
the non-HID only headlamps as a
second way to boost the vehicle
system voltage and charge the
battery.
Electric Trailer Brake Control
Wiring Provisions
Wiring provisions for an aftermarket
electric trailer brake controller are
included with the vehicle as part of
the trailer wiring package. The
harness contains the following
circuits:
These wiring provisions for an
electric trailer brake controller are
included with the vehicle as part of
the trailer wiring package. The body
harness, inside the front driver side
instrument panel, contains blunt cut
wires below the headlamp switch for
the electric trailer brake controller.
The harness contains the following
wires:.
Blue: Electric Trailer Brakes
. Blue: Battery Feed
. White/Blue: Brake Apply Signal
. Black: Ground
Refer to the aftermarket electric
trailer brake controller owner's
manual to determine wire color
coding of the electric trailer brake
controller. The wire colors on the
brake controller may be different
from the vehicle. The electric trailer
brake controller should be installed
by your dealer or a qualified service
center.
Trailer Lamps
Always check all trailer lamps are
working at the beginning of each
trip, and periodically on longer trips.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When properly connected, the trailer
turn signals will illuminate to indicate
the vehicle is turning, changing
lanes, or stopping. When towing a
trailer, the arrows on the instrument cluster will illuminate even if the
trailer is not properly connected or
the bulbs are burned out.
Tow/Haul Mode
For instructions on how to enter
Tow/Haul Mode, see
Driver Mode
Control 0196.
Tow/Haul assists when pulling a
heavy trailer or a large or heavy
load. See Tow/Haul Mode 0190.
Tow/Haul Mode is designed to be
most effective when the vehicle and
trailer combined weight is at least
75% of the vehicle's Gross
Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
See “Weight of the Trailer” under
Trailer Towing 0233. Tow/Haul
Mode is most useful when towing a
heavy trailer or carrying a large or
heavy load:
. Through rolling terrain.
. In stop-and-go traffic.
. In busy parking lots.
Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul
Mode when lightly loaded or not
towing will not cause damage;
however, it is not recommended and
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Driving and Operating 241
may result in unpleasant engine and
transmission driving characteristics
and reduced fuel economy.
Trailer Sway
Control (TSC)
Vehicles with StabiliTrak/Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) have a
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) feature.
Trailer sway is unintended
side-to-side motion of a trailer while
towing. If the vehicle is towing a
trailer and the TSC detects that
sway is increasing, the vehicle
brakes are selectively applied at
each wheel, to help reduce
excessive trailer sway. If equipped
with the Integrated Trailer Brake
Control (ITBC) system, and the
trailer has an electric brake system,
StabiliTrak/ESC may also apply the
trailer brakes.
If TSC is enabled, the Traction
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
light will flash on the instrument
cluster. Reduce vehicle speed by
gradually removing your foot from
the accelerator. If trailer sway
continues, StabiliTrak/ESC can
reduce engine torque to help slow
the vehicle. TSC will not function if
StabiliTrak/ESC is turned off. See
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control0194.
{Warning
Trailer sway can result in a crash
and in serious injury or death,
even if the vehicle is equipped
with TSC.
If the trailer begins to sway,
reduce vehicle speed by
gradually removing your foot from
the accelerator. Then pull over to
check the trailer and vehicle to
help correct possible causes,
including an improperly or
overloaded trailer, unrestrained
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
cargo, improper trailer hitch
configuration, or improperly
inflated or incorrect vehicle or
trailer tires. SeeTowing
Equipment 0237 for trailer ratings
and hitch setup
recommendations.
Trailer Tires
Special Trailer (ST) tires differ from
vehicle tires. Trailer tires are
designed with stiff sidewalls to help
prevent sway and to support heavy
loads. These features can make it
difficult to determine if the trailer tire
pressures are low only based on a
visual inspection.
Always check all trailer tire
pressures before each trip when the
tires are cool. Low trailer tire
pressure is a leading cause of trailer
tire blowouts.
Trailer tires deteriorate over time.
The trailer tire sidewall will show the
week and year the tire was
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Vehicle Care 243
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 244
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 245
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 255
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 257
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 264
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Battery - North America . . . . . . 268
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 269
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 269
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 270
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 271
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . 273
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Electrical System Overload . . . 275
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 275
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Rear Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 286
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 304
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Vehicle Care 245
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
electronic keys, may contain
perchlorate materials. Perchlorate
Material–special handling may
apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/
hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non-dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride and
handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. Damage to suspension components
caused by modifying vehicle height
outside of factory settings will not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non-GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications, is
not covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. See your
dealer to accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories
installed by a dealer technician.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 070.
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{Warning
It can be dangerous to work on
your vehicle if you do not have
the proper knowledge, service
manual, tools, or parts. Always
follow owner ’s manual procedures
and consult the service manual
for your vehicle before doing any
service work.
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see
Publication Ordering Information
0 364.
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266 Vehicle Care
Caution (Continued)
.Do not use engine coolant
(antifreeze) in the
windshield washer. It can
damage the windshield
washer system and paint.
. Do not mix water with
ready-to-use washer fluid.
Water can cause the
solution to freeze and
damage the washer fluid
tank and other parts of the
washer system.
. When using concentrated
washer fluid, follow the
manufacturer instructions for
adding water.
. Fill the washer fluid tank
only three-quarters full when
it is very cold. This allows
for fluid expansion if
freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if it is
completely full.
Brakes
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or can
be heard all the time when the
vehicle is moving, except when
applying the brake pedal firmly.
{Warning
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
a crash. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have the
vehicle serviced.
Caution
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair. Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to torque
specifications. See
Capacities and
Specifications 0352.
Brake pads should be replaced as
complete sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal
does not return to normal height,
or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service may be required.
Replacing Brake System Parts
Always replace brake system parts
with new, approved replacement
parts. If this is not done, the brakes
may not work properly. The braking
performance expected can change
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Vehicle Care 267
in many other ways if the wrong
replacement brake parts are
installed or if parts are improperly
installed.
Brake Fluid
The brake master cylinder reservoir
is filled with GM approved DOT 3
brake fluid as indicated on the
reservoir cap. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview 0248 for
the location of the reservoir.
Checking Brake Fluid
With the vehicle in P (Park) on a
level surface, the brake fluid level
should be between the minimum
and maximum marks on the brake
fluid reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the
brake fluid level in the reservoir may
go down: .
Normal brake lining wear. When
new linings are installed, the
fluid level goes back up.
. A fluid leak in the brake
hydraulic system. Have the
brake hydraulic system fixed.
With a leak, the brakes will not
work well.
Always clean the brake fluid
reservoir cap and the area around
the cap before removing it.
Do not top off the brake fluid.
Adding fluid does not correct a leak.
If fluid is added when the linings are
worn, there will be too much fluid
when new brake linings are
installed. Add or remove fluid, as
necessary, only when work is done
on the brake hydraulic system.
{Warning
If too much brake fluid is added, it
can spill on the engine and burn,
if the engine is hot enough. You
or others could be burned, and
the vehicle could be damaged. (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Add brake fluid only when work is
done on the brake hydraulic
system.
When the brake fluid falls to a low
level, the brake warning light comes
on. See Brake System Warning
Light 0122.
Brake fluid absorbs water over time
which degrades the effectiveness of
the brake fluid. Replace brake fluid
at the specified intervals to prevent
increased stopping distance. See
Maintenance Schedule 0339.
What to Add
Use only GM approved DOT 3
brake fluid from a clean, sealed
container. See Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants 0348.