headlights CHEVROLET BLAZER 1993 User Guide

h
Turning or driving across steep hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills, always try to
go
I straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching
Sound the horn as you approach the top of hill to let opposing traffic
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
traffic on trails
or hills.
know you’re there.
oncoming traffic.
I CAUTION
’ rf Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can cause an
1 the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
ccident.
There could be a drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be seriously injured or killed.
As you near
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 should do:
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 into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission to
P (Park) (or, shift to N (Neutral) if your vehicle has a
manual transmission) and restart the engine. Then, shift
to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back down the hill
in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the left or right as you back down.
4-29

Driving at Night
me--===
AN450003
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.
4-35

Your Driving and the Road
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if
you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night.
But
if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may \
cut down on
glare from headlights, but they also make a lot of things invisible that should
remain visible-such as parked cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or e\
ven trains
blocking railway crossings. You may want
to put on your sunglasses after you
have pulled into a brightly-lighted service or refreshment area. Eyes shielded
from that glare may adjust more quickly
to darkness back on the road. But
be sure
to remove your sunglasses before you leave the service area.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It can take a second or
two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to readjust
to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’\
t lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlights), slow down a li\
ttle. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching lights.
If there is a line of opposing
traffic, make occasional glances over the line of headlights
to make certain
that one
of the vehicles isn’t starting to move into your lane. Once you are
past the bright lights, give your eyes time to readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its high beams on, signal by \
flicking yours
to high and then back to low beam. This is the usual signal to lower the
headlight beams. If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams, resist the
temptation
to put your high beams on. This only makes two half-blinded
drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams only in remote areas where you w\
on’t
impair approaching drivers. In some places, like cities, using \
high beams is
illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a freeway or highway, use \
low beams.
True, most vehicles now have day-night mirrors that enable the \
driver to reduce glare. But outside mirrors are not
of this type and high beams from
behind can bother the driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving Suggesiions
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean-inside and out.
Glare at night is made much worse by dirt
on the glass. Even the inside of
the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Tobacco smoke also makes
inside
glass surfaces very filmy and can be a vision hazard if it’s left there.
Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean glas\
s would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. You might even want
to
4-36

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
AN455012
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.
4-37

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.)
4-39

Your Driving and the Road
~~ ~
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
1
AN459006
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.
4-40

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.
4-41

Your Driving and the Road
AN480044
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you run
the engine, make
it go a little faster than just idle. That is, push the
accelerator slightly. This uses
less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps
the battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to restart the
vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlights. Let the heater
run for awhile. Then,
shut the engine off and close the window almost all the
way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again and repeat this only when
you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as possible.
Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so
until help comes.
If You’re Stuck in Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the vehicle out of deep snow without
damaging it. See “Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.
Towing a mailer
I A If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive properly, you can
lose control when
you pull a trailer. For example, if the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well-or even at all. You and your
passengers could be seriously injured. Pull a trailer only
if you have
followed all the steps in this section.
4-56

P
Service & Appearance Care
Sealed Beam Headlights
-.
1. Remove the four screws from the headlight retainer.
2. Pull the headlight out and remove the retainer.
3. Unplug and remove old headlight.
4. Plug in the new headlight and put it in place.
5. Install the retainer to the headlight.
6. Install the screws.
Halogen Bulbs
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside and can burst if you drop
or scratch the bulb.
You or others could be injured. Take special car€
when handling and disposing
of halogen bulbs.
CAUTION I
NOTICE I
Avoid touching the bulb or letting it come in contact with anything da.. .~-
Oil from your skin or moisture on the bulb can cause the bulb to explode
when
it is turned on. If either comes in contact with the bulb. clean it v
alcohol or suitable deareaser and wiDe the bulb dry.
6-38

Composite Headlights
1
PO2
1. Remove the two screws at the top of the radiator support.
2. Pull the composite headlight lens out.
3. Unplug the electrical connector.
4. Turn the bulb counterclockwise and remove it.
5. Put the new bulb in and turn it clockwise until it is tight.
6. Plug in the electrical connector.
7. Put the headlight back into the vehicle and tighten the two screws.
6-39