ESP CHEVROLET BLAZER 1993 User Guide

Driving at Night
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Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely to be impaired-by alcohol
or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive (See “Drunken Driving” in the Index for more on
this problem).
Adjust your inside rear view mirror to reduce the glare from \
headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow down and keep
more space between you and other vehicles. It’s hard to tell how fast
the vehicle ahead is going just by looking at its taillights.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlights can light
In remote areas, watch for animals.
up only
so much road ahead.
If you’re tired,
pull off the road in a safe place and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older
these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much light
to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
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keep a cloth and some glass cleaner in your vehicle if you need to clean
your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up far less of a roadway when you are
in a turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be checked regularly for proper \
aim,
so should
your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night\
blindness-the inability to see in dim light-and aren’t even aware of it.
Driving in the Rain
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road y\
ou can’t stop,
accelerate or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as
on dry roads. And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get even
less traction.
It’s always wise to go slower and be cautious
if rain starts to fall while you
are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reflex\
es are tuned
for driving on
dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even
if your windshield wiper
blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs
and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even
people walking. Road spray can often be worse for vision than rain,
especially
if it comes from a dirty road.
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Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your tires haven’t much tread
or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, \
telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s s\
urface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens on higher speed roads. There just isn’t a hard
and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow \
down when it is
raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights-not just your parking lights-to help ma\
ke you
more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime
if it’s raining hard.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And \
be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself\
more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted\
by road spray.
If the road spray is so heavy you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass until conditions improve. Going more slowly is be\
tter than
having an accident.
Use your defogger
if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in\
the Index.)
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Your Driving and the Road
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Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
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Fog can occur with high humidity or heavy frost. It can be so mild that you
can see through it for several hundred feet (meters). Or
it might be so thick
that you can see only a few feet (meters) ahead. It may co\
me suddenly to
an otherwise clear road. And it can be a major hazard.
When you drive into a fog patch, your visibility will be redu\
ced quickly. The biggest dangers are striking the vehicle ahead or being struck \
by the one
behind. Try to “read” the fog density down the road. If the vehicle ahead
starts to become less clear
or, at night, if the taillights are harder to see, the
fog is probably thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you a ch\
ance to
slow down. Everybody then has a better chance to avoid hitting the vehicle
ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while you’re in
it. You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition-sometimes called mist or ground fog-can
happen in weather that seems perfect, especially at night or in the early
morning in valley and low, marshy areas. You can be suddenly enveloped in
thick, wet haze that may even coat your windshield. You can often sp\
ot these
fog patches
or mist layers with your headlights. But sometimes they can be
waiting for you as you come over a hill
or dip into a shallow valley. Start
your windshield wipers and washer to help clear accumulated road dir\
t. Slow
down carefully.
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Tips
You’ll
If you
on Driving in Fog
get caught in fog, turn your headlights on low beam, even in daytime.
see-and be seen-better. Use your fog lights
if your vehicle has them.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will bounce
off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity, even
a light buildup of moisture on the
inside of the glass
will cut down on your already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wiper and washer occasionally. Moisture can build up \
on the
outside glass, and what seems to be fog may actually be moist\
ure on the
outside of your windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to find a place
to pull off the road. Of
course you want to respect another’s property, but you might\
need to put
something between you and moving vehicles-space, trees, telephone\
poles,
a private driveway, anything that removes you from other traffi\
c.
If visibility is near zero and you must stop but are unsure whet\
her you are
away from the road, turn your lights
on, start your hazard warning flasher,
and sound your horn at intervals or when you hear approaching \
traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only
if you can see far enough ahead to pass
safely. Even then, be prepared to delay your pass if you susp\
ect the fog is
worse up ahead.
If other vehicles try to pass you, make it easy for them.
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Your Driving and the Road
City Driving
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One of the biggest problems with city streets is amount of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay
attention to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
e
e
e
e
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Try not to drive
around trying to pick out a familiar street or landmark. Get \
a city map
and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for
a cross-country trip.
Try
to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. Yo\
u’ll
save time and energy. (See the next section, “Freeway Drivi\
ng.”)
Treat
a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is there because
the corner
is busy enough to need it. When a light turns green, and just
before you start
to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the red light.
Obey all posted speed limits.
But remember that they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions. You may need to drive below the
posted limit in bad weather or when visibility is especially poor.
Pull to the right (with care) and stop clear
of intersections when you see
or hear emergency vehicles.
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t
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
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.
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the snow, Here are
some things to do to
summon help and keep yourself and your passengers safe: Turn o\
n your
hazard flashers. Tie a red cloth to your vehicle
to alert police that you’ve
been stopped by the snow. Put on extra clothing or wrap
a blanket around
you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats-anything you
can wrap around
yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You
can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle. This can cause\

deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could overcome
you and kill you. You can’t see
it or smell it, so you might not know
it is in your vehicle. Clear away
snow from around the base of your
vehicle, especially any that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time
to be sure snow doesn’t collect there.
Open
a window just a little on the side of the vehicle that’s away
I from the wind. This will help keep CO out.
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Your Driving and 0% Road
Will you have to make any holes in the body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch?
If you do, then be sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get into your vehicle (see “Carbon
Monoxide” in the Index). Dirt and water can, too.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle and your trail\
er. Cross
the safety chains under the tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will not
drop to the road
if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions about
safety chains may be provided by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation
for attaching safety chains. Always leave just
enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs
its own brakes-and they must be adequate. Be sure
to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake system if the trailer’s brake system will use
more than
0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicles master cylinder.
If it does, both braking systems won’t work well. You could even lose your
brakes.
Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000 psi (20 650 kPa) of pressure? If
not, the trailer brake system must not be used with your vehi\
cle.
If everything checks out this far, then make the brake fluid tap at the
port on the master cylinder that sends fluid
to the rear brakes. But don’t
use copper tubing for this.
If you do, it will bend and finally break off.
Use steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you’ll want
to get to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with
the feel of handling and braking with the added weight of the trailer. And
always keep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is now a good deal
longer and not nearly
so responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform, safety \
chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has electric brakes,
start your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the trail\
er brake controller
by hand to be sure the brakes are working. This lets vou check your
electrical connection at the same time.
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. .
6. Release the regular brakes.
CAUTION
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the shift lever is no
fully in
P (Park) wi-. the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenl\
y.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move,
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps that foll\
ow.
If you have four-wheel drive and your transfer case is in N (Neutral),
your vehicle will be free to
roll, even if your shift lever is in P (Park)
So, be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear-not in N (Neutral).
If you are parking on a hill, or if you’re pulling a trailer, also see
I “Parking On Hills” in the Index. I
When You Are Ready to Leave After Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down while you:
Start your engine.
Shift into a gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and stow the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re pulling a \
trailer. .See
the Maintenance Schedule for more on this. Things that are especially
important in trailer operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling system, and brake ad\
justment. Each
of these is covered in this manual, and the Index will help you find them
quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these sections before
you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts are tight.
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Engine Fan Noise
This vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When the clutc\
h is engaged,
the fan spins faster
to provide more air to cool the engine. In most every day
driving conditions the clutch is not engaged. This improves fuel economy and
reduces fan noise. Under heavy vehicle loading, trailer towing \
and/or high
outside temperatures, the fan speed increases when the clutch e\
ngages.
So
you may hear an increase in fan noise. This is normal and sh\
ould not be
mistaken
as the transmission slipping or making extra shifts. It is merely the
cooling system functioning properly. The fan
will slow down when additional
cooling is not required and the clutch disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start the engine. \
It will go away
as the fan clutch disengages.
If a Tire Goes Fiat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,\
especially if you
maintain your tires properly.
If air goes out of a tire, it’s much more likely to
leak out slowly. But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few tips
about what
to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that pulls the vehicle toward
that side. Take your foot
off the accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel
firmly. Steer to maintain lane position, then gently brake
to a stop well out of
the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a skid and may
require the same correction you’d use in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove
your foot from the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under co\
ntrol by steering
the way you want the vehicle
to go. It may be very bumpy and noisy, but
you can still steer. Gently brake to a stop, well off the road if possible.
If your tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage by driving slowly to a
level place. Turn
on your hazard warning flashers.
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